Rotorua White Water Sledging | Kaitiaki Adventures + Transport
Description
Regardless of skill level, you are bound to have the experience of a lifetime on this white-water sledging adventure from Rotorua. White-water sledging — also called riverboarding or hydrospeeding — lets you take charge of your own vessel as you twist and turn down the rapids while propelled by the flippers on your feet. Trained guides are available on the Okere River to encourage, motivate, and help you when necessary.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Free pick-up from over 50 central Rotorua hotels, including the i-SITE, 30 minutes before your selected time. If you cannot see your location please contact us directly.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(100)
Exciting and challenging! A different way to play in the river. The guides were fantastic and made it a great experience.
Kia Ora Heather! Thanks so much for your kind words - we are stoked to hear you had a fab time! Ngā mihi nui,
Great crew, good communication by our skipper.
Kia Ora, Haha love it—“we didn’t flip” is always a win! 😄 Stoked you had a good time and felt the communication was on point out there, that makes all the difference on the river. Thanks for the review, really appreciate it. Ngā mihi nui,
The white water sledging was an amazing experience. Being in the white water was a lot of fun. The guides were excellent. Always seemed to be in the right place and they all worked well as a unit. Never felt uncomfortable during the tour. Thanks to Cobba, Reiya, Aoife, Ginny and Maea!
Kia Ora, This is awesome to read, thanks so much 😊 Sledging is such a cool way to experience the river, so glad you had a great time in the whitewater. And that’s a solid crew you had there they'll all be stoked with the shoutout. Nice to hear you felt comfortable the whole way too, that’s a big one for us. Ngā mihi nui,
Excellent guides who were proficient and very helpful. An exhilarating experience and would recommend if you like adventure and are not afraid of the water.
Kia ora! Thanks so much for your awesome review 😊 We’re thrilled to hear you found our guides helpful and professional — we pride ourselves on making sure everyone feels safe while still having an epic adventure! Stoked you enjoyed the thrill of it and appreciate the recommendation — especially for fellow adventure lovers who don’t mind getting a bit wet! 🌊💪
We loved it! Our guides (Ben and Caruso and Shenae) were fabulous! They helped us feel comfortable and safe. They learned all our names and made a personal connection. Sledging didn’t disappoint. We would definitely do it again!
Kia Ora Daphne, A-MAZING—we love that! 😄 So good to hear you had such a great time and felt comfortable and looked after out there. Ben, Caruzo and Shinaye will be stoked with the shoutout. Really nice that you felt that personal connection too, that’s something we genuinely care about. Thanks so much for the review, and we’d love to have you back anytime. Ngā mihi nui,
What a rush! The sledging experience was what I was most looking forward to in visiting NZ for the first time! I have been a water rat my whole life and usually go boogie boarding when I visit my family in San Diego California. This was very different and exciting. Our guides Jackie and James were great at making the experience safe and exhilarating. I had a little trouble with understanding their nz accents and I am 62 so I may be losing some of my hearing, but they were great at repeating things slowly so I could follow directions. We all got the hang of sledging pretty quick. I will definitely do it again. They picked us up on time and its a pretty well oiled operation. Just do it!
Thanks so much for the awesome review! Stoked to hear the sledging was the highlight of your NZ trip—that’s exactly the kind of rush we love to deliver. Great to hear Jackie and James looked after you well and helped make it both safe and exciting out on the water. And no worries at all—we’re glad they took the time to make sure everything was clear so you could enjoy it fully. We’ll pass your kind words on to them! Awesome to hear you picked it up quickly and got into the flow. Appreciate the recommendation, and we’d love to have you back for another round anytime. – The Kaitiaki Crew
Sledging in Rotorua was a physical challenge even for those much younger than myself. The guides were awesome in supporting me by aiding me through the first few rapids with a push/pull when I got stuck getting out of the rapids and into the clam waiting area. After traversing a few rapids/falls I started to get the hand of the river flow. Normally the rapids are class 3 and 4 but since we were in the midst of a huge rainstorm the rapids were now a class 4 and 5. The adrenaline pumped and the joy of sledging was felt. Kaitiaki Adventures, has a first class team from start to finish during our experience. If you are an adrenaline junkie and near Rotorua, New Zealand this is a must do activity.
Kia ora! Wow — what an epic adventure you had! 💪🌊 We’re so stoked to hear you pushed through the challenge and came out the other side feeling the adrenaline and joy of sledging — especially in those higher river levels! That’s no small feat, and massive respect for taking it on. It’s awesome to hear our guides were able to support you through those tougher sections and help build your confidence as you got the hang of the river flow. That progression is what it’s all about! Thank you for your kind words about our team — we’ll be sure to pass this on. And we really appreciate the strong recommendation to fellow adrenaline seekers! Hope to see you back again for another adventure sometime 🔥
Great experience. The guides were fantastic and made me feel like I was in very safe hands the entire time. You do need confidence in your swimming ability and a reasonable level of fitness. I was a little nervous at the start, but it ended up helping me tick off some fears and personal goals. So glad I did it.
Thanks so much! Stoked to hear you had such a great experience and that the guides helped you feel safe and supported throughout. Awesome to hear you pushed through those early nerves too—that’s a big part of the adventure, and we’re really glad it helped you tick off some personal goals. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, and hope to see you back for another challenge one day! – The Kaitiaki Crew 🌊
Great experience. Guides were knowledgeable and safety was their number one concern. After going down the river, we get why. Had a blast. Little more work than we thought it was going to be but none the less, we had a blast
Thanks so much! Stoked to hear you had a blast out on the river and felt well looked after by the guides—that safety focus really does matter once you’re out there! Sounds like it was a bit more of a workout than expected, but in a good way 😄 Glad you still had an awesome time. Hope to see you back for another adventure soon! – The Kaitiaki Crew 🌊
This was a great day. We started with sledging which we thought would be just sliding down the river a little easy. It was so much cooler than we thought. If you get the chance to take it. Rafting is also cool. Really fun rapids with the 7m fall as the icing on the cake. 😍. The element of Mauri culture made it even better. Thank you Jackie, Ben and Connor for making our day great.
Thanks so much! Stoked to hear you had such an amazing day and that both the sledging and rafting far exceeded your expectations 😄 That 7m drop definitely is a highlight! Awesome to hear you enjoyed the Māori culture element as well—that’s something we’re really proud to share. We’ll pass your kind words on to Jackie, Ben, and Connor—they’ll be stoked to know they helped make your day so special. Hope to see you back for another adventure sometime! – The Kaitiaki Crew 🌊🌿
