Kawarau River Rafting: Scenic Whitewater Adventure

Experience thrilling rapids and stunning scenery on Queenstown’s Kawarau River. Perfect for first-timers, this adventure promises excitement and unforgettable memories.

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kawarau River - Start your adventure by meeting the team at the RealNZ Visitor Centre, located at 88 Beach Street, Queenstown! A courtesy coach will transport you to the rafting base, where you will receive all the gear included in the package. Once fully equipped and prepared, the raft guides will lead you to the start of the rapids for a…
What's Included
  • Wetsuit, rafting clothing and all other equipment provided
  • Coach transport to and from Raft Base
  • Use of hot showers
  • Extensive safety instructions and paddling techniques
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
Additional Information

Experience the thrill of rafting on the Kawarau River, famously known as the River Anduin from Lord of the Rings, for an exciting half-day adventure in Queenstown. This activity is ideal for beginners looking to try whitewater rafting. Enjoy the thrill of numerous rapids while also taking in the breathtaking scenery. A complimentary shuttle will…

Location
RealNZ - Queenstown Visitor Centre
Beach Street
Check-in is required at least 20 minute prior to your departure time. Please verify your email address when checking in, so we can send your complimentary digital photos to post experience!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(28 Ratings)
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344mandyk
Feb 4, 2025
Exhilarating! - This was an exhilarating trip which was so much fun. The guid Mark was both informative and very safety conscious. The drive down was breathtaking and scary. I loved the fact we could go for a swim and doing the 5m jump was a real challenge accomplished. Would highly recommend all of the staff for their friendly enthusiastic manner. Only shame was no photos! Thank you guys. 👏👏👏
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Clairem3345
Jan 24, 2025
Great experience - A great trip , With lovely raft guides. They made us feel at ease but also encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone knowing help was on hand if we needed it . Great fun , highly recommended . I would do it again !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meatryl
Jan 17, 2025
Vibes, Views and adVenture - It was our first time rafting and we loved it! Harry, Riley and Daniel were great and super positive! Vibes, views and adVenture make for an afternoon to be remembered. Can definitely recommend to go with these guys!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarah
Jan 13, 2025
Awesome family activity! - Friendly, entertaining guides made the experience loads of fun for all the family. The whole family enjoyed the rafting, rapids, swimming sections and rock jump. Steep, rocky, walk to descend to the river came as a surprise!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide42626543654
Jan 8, 2025
So fun - An absolute blast, Gabe was an incredible, knowledgeable, and fun guide. And we got to see some cute baby goats while we were out there!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Northstar28272582617
Jan 5, 2025
Raft trip - All the guides were super knowledgeable. It was clear that safety was the highest priority! Photos were included at no cost!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adriana_a
Jan 5, 2025
Nice tour with Morgan - Staffs are friendly. There is a small ice breaker session during the bus ride and also while enjoying the views in the raft. They try to get everyone bonded which was nice. It was also a great tour with Morgan. She was very informative and always ready to answer our questions. She even shared her experience with us. Highly recommended tour, safety aspect was really good too!!
Review provided by Viator
Alleztous
Jan 3, 2025
White water rafting - Amazing day out on the water, a fabulous time with all the guides they made it extra special! Equipment and facilities were excellent, highly recommend everyone go.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bswm12345
Jan 8, 2025
Great activity but physically hard - Rafting was great, river and scenery were beautiful, staff were really helpful. Very hard work though - walking down steep crumbling trail was difficult, hauling rafts up the rock at end was difficult, paddling was physically hard. Great activity but physically hard.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dahokolomok
Jan 2, 2025
Good experience, but not for all levels of thrill-seekers - This was a fun tour, but do read up about it carefully as it won't suit all levels of thrill-seekers. The rapids you go through are very mild, mostly levels 1-2 and one very short stretch of level 3 rapids. Its great for first-timers who want to tick off "rapids" on their bucket list, but if you have done your own steering of a boat through rapids, or even done a similar level 1-3 rapids experience before, this might underwhelm. Some key things for those considering: - Clothing. Just wear swim-wear. For men, try to wear tighter fitting instead of baggy surfboard shorts, for example. As you'll need to put on a tight wetsuit. Or you can choose to eschew clothing completely and go commando in your wetsuit. - Glasses wearers. They offer a "string" you secure your glasses. It looks very dubious that it will hold. Bring your own glasses strap that are sold for water sports. Contacts will be fine too. - Time spent on water. Barely one hour, of the 4+ hours you will need to dedicate for this trip. For the 9am tour, you'll arrive at their office in central Queenstown at 8:45ish. Then go to their equipment depot by bus. Then again by bus to the actual launch site. Then when the rafting is finished, back in reverse to the depot, then back to the Queenstown office. You finish like at 1pm to 1:30pm, so that's a total of almost 4.5 hours spent to get 1 hour on the water. - Bring snacks and water, none are provided. - Parking in Queenstown is difficult, plan ahead. For the 9am tour, the closest car park is the Man St parking, but its expensive as it is private. Just a bit further is the Lakeview public parking, $2 per hour. Plenty of spaces at that time of day. But probably not for the 2pm tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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April 2025
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