2-Hour Waiatoto River Jetboat Safari
Description
The jet boat is the mode of transport, the river safari is the attraction. The jet boat will take you safely up the river into remote back country. Touch and learn about the natural history of New Zealand's remote World Heritage Area. Your tour is operated by a family business, when you go on this tour, you arrive as strangers and leave as friends. There are many stops for commentary on the native birds, animals and forest of the South Westland region. A photographer's dream, stretch your legs at the top of the river for an optional forest walk into New Zealand's rain forest. Touch the ferns, listen to birds and spot the fish. Ideal for all ages and physical fitness. For infants to elderly, this is a must do, to explore the UNESCO World Heritage area-Te Wāhipounamu of South Westland, New Zealand.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover one of Kiwi’s favourite tours on the West Coast NZ, taking a jet boat up a remote back country river into UNESCO South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Nature, heritage and scenic tour for all ages.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wear sensible clothes and closed-toed footwear
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Sandflies are present on the West Coast of NZ so protection is insect repellant and covering up. Insect spray is avalaible free of charge
- Check in is 30 minutes prior to departure. The boat does leave on time.
Reviews(132)
Wayne very knowledgeable, Ruth his wife very welcoming and so helpful. Really looked after us. Morning tea beautiful home made scones. Value for money.
An amazing tour with besutiful scenery and lots of information about the fauna and flora of the area. Ruth was a lovely guide and we highly recommend doing this when you’re in Haast.
Thank you so much, that is kind of you to say. I do enjoy sharing our region with others and I am thrilled you enjoyed the tour. Kind regards, Ruth
Great experience. Going up the river into the mountains was exhilarating. Ruth did an excellent job navigating through snags, riffles, rocks and small rapids at high speed. She provided lots of interesting information about the natural history and life on the remote west coast. Lots of opportunity to ask questions and take pictures.
Thank you John, I appreciate your effort to share your thoughts on our tour. We have prided ourselves to provide something very special, unique and not easy to find elsewhere in the country. I really enjoy being able to share stories of what it is like to really live in this remote region and what it was like for our pioneers before us. It is truly a privilege to be able to share this with others. All the best, Ruth.
We went on a few boat tours while we were in New Zealand I just wanted to add the perspective that it's not great for kids. There's some beautiful scenery at the end, but the "facts" on the tour were mostly about hunting and fishing, with some side rants about random unrelated topics. It was quite boring for the kids, and we thought there would be more of a "speed" element than there was to entertain them. It's also just wildly expensive, much more than other tours we went on and for the price I was surprised they didn't provide enough milk for everyone to have milk with their coffee/tea. It was a nice day out on the boat and the end part where you're near the mountains is truly beautiful but I think this tour survives on being the only game in town in the area. If you're traveling around the south island I would save your budget for other boat experiences.
Thank you Laura for your point of view. I have been pondering your comments which are very much the opposite of all other comments I have had during our ownership of the business which spans back 13 years. If you had brought your dissatisfaction to us, at the time of your tour, we would have been able to remedied this with a full refund which is part of our customer satisfaction guarantee. This guarantee is in place because if you feel you have not had full value for money, that one can approach the driver for a full refund. You are totally correct, we are not a thrill ride and market this heavily, as such, I recommend a thoroughly conducted research into the activity you are planning to book, going forward. Yes, we supply milk for tea and coffee but high volume milk drinks are not allocated for, however if dietary requirements are needed, we always suggest to bring extra supplies while on tour with us. There is space for small ruck sacks as I mentioned at check -in. The tour is designed for people to experience our unique south Westland UNESCO world heritage area and the beauty it holds within, plus travelling in an easy and comfortable fashion. NB: If people require a thrill ride, please do not book our tour.
What an amazing day. Ruth was a great guide , her knowledge of the river and area was fabulous. Its an absolute must if you visit Haast. Loved every minute of the trip. My 80 year old inlaws loved it to. The river was just amazing. Ruth knew the river like the back of her hand. Got the power down in some parts and cruised along in others. What an adventure
Thank you Kate fro such a stunning review. We really like the fact we can taylor it for our elders as well as people of all ages. The jet boat is such a convenient way of transportation in an easy and comfortable fashion into our remote outback. All the best, Ruth and Wayne.
Fabulous trip!! Very exciting and enjoyable. Our guide was very friendly and informative. We enjoyed the stops along the way. Highly recommend this trip.
Had a great couple of hours on the river with Wayne. Interesting commentary, beautiful scenery, even included a great cup of tea and home-made scones. Well worth doing this if you're in Haast.
Thank you Jackie, great to hear you liked Wayne's baking, they are quite famous! All the best, Ruth and Wayne.
Exhilarating ride up this stunning river. Wayne gave insights as to the history & flora & fauna. Lovely little walk through the rain forest rounded off with coffee & scones. Don’t miss this experience of the Haast wilderness
Thank you Kathryn for taking the time write a review. We are a small husband and wife team but we are very passionate about sharing our beautiful remote area, plus Wayne bakes a very nice scone!
The scenery from the river is spectacular. Ruth was our driver and we left on time on a cool day, but it was fortunately not raining. We stopped several times and Ruth provided an excellent commentary of life in a remote community and of key points on the river’s history before and after settlement. We were able to go for a short walk into the rain forest and enjoyed a delicious home cooked scone with coffee on the banks of the Waitoto. And we tried whitebait in egg, a NZ delicacy. Highly recommend this tour if you’re in the Haast area.
We really appreciate you taking time out of your day to write about your thoughts of the tour. I am happy to have met your expectations and wish you all the best for the rest of your travels.
We absolutely loved this tour. Such a breathtaking location with so much to see and learn about. Ruth was a fantastic host/driver. I highly recommend including this trip on your visit to the West Coast.
Thank you Leanne. It was lovely to meet you both and I really appreciate you leaving a review. It is really is a stunning location and I am delighted you took some of Aru's stones back to your family. All the best, Ruth.
