Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch Sightseeing with Jet Boating
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Christchurch, New Zealand
- 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make the most of a short time in Christchurch on a full-day shore excursion after your cruise ship docks in Lyttelton. Head into the city and learn about its rebuild post-earthquake. Travel into the Port Hills to get a view over the Canterbury Plains, then speed up the weaving waterways of the braided Waimakariri River on a jet boat. This tour is designed especially to work with cruise ship timings.
- Experience the thrill of jet boating on the shallow river
- See how central Christchurch was rebuilt after the earthquakes
- Tour usually departs in the morning but times are flexible to meet ships
- Round-trip port transfers are included so you won't miss your boat
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Jet-boat ride
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Port pick up and drop off
- Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup point
- Fisherman's WharfNorwich Quay, Lyttelton 8082, New Zealand
Pickup details
Meeting instructions will be sent upon booking. Please note that the default time for this tour is 8.30am but this can be amended depending on your cruise ships arrival and departure times.
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
Leisure Tours
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Sign of the Takahe - Weddings & Functions
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Mona Vale
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Cathedral Square
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Riverside Market
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Alpine Jet Thrills - Braided Shallows (Christchurch)
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Stroller accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Service animals allowed
- Life-vests and splash-proof jackets provided on jet-boat
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Near public transportation
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not suitable for child aged 2 and under
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 38 reviews
stshelt, Apr 2026
Great shore excursion that allowed private time in Christchurch and really enjoyed the jet boat tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Great review - received with thanks.
Francesca_S, Mar 2026
Was a lovely tour and jet boat experience. We had Joseph as our guide and he told us lots of stories especially about the earthquakes and aftermath. It felt a bit too much like an earthquake tour with him describing almost every other building that had fallen or was abandoned. The jet boat was good fun, not too high speeds with a few turns
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your review and your comments and noted.
Heather_B, Mar 2026
Very cool experience. My heart was racing after we got finished. Must do experience and our guide Scottie was fantastic!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
When you have scotty at the wheel there is a lot to take in. He does his best to ensure a full on fullfilling tour.
Sally_M, Mar 2026
We were docked at Littleton on a cruise and they picked us up from the free shuttle and brought us back in a timely fashion. They ended up putting several ventures together so we went for a walk in the free BEAUTIFUL gardens then the food hall downtown & also drove around town learning a lot about Christchurch and their devastating earthquakes from our guide. Then we dropped people off at the Antarctica Experience & the zoo and the rest of us went to the river and had our 30 minute jet boat ride. The driver was great. It was a lot of fun and then we went back and picked up the other passengers from their events and returned back.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Great review and comments - sounds like you packed a lot in to your day excursion which is fabulous. Informative, fun and timing was not an issue - perfect!
Doreen_G, Feb 2026
Enjoyable tour of Christchurch with a very knowledgeable driver/ guide along with a thrilling Jet boat ride
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for your review and so pleased you enjoyed the jet boat thrills. A great way to see the Waimakariri River up close.
Krystle_P, Feb 2026
Joseph, our driver and guide was very engaging (and funny). We learned so much about Christchurch throughout the day.
The areas he took us through and stopped at were brilliant, the day was very well timed and the jetboat ride was just the cream on the cake. Brilliant day.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Sounds like a brilliant day all round. Joseph had fun too!
Suzanne_J, Feb 2026
A terrific day out in Christchurch! Our tour guide, Joseph was heaps of fun and super informative. You can tell he really loves his home town and knows so much about it. The Jet boat experience was also amazing. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Great review - thank you.
And thank you for mentioning Joseph - you are right, he loves his city!
Joan_W, Jan 2026
Had hoped the jet boat ride was more than a quickie! It was fun, just know it’s a 20 minute activity at the end of sightseeing Christchurch!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your review - yep the jet boat is short, sharp snappy and great fun. It is designed to ensure a taste whilst encompassing a city tour and meeting your ship's deadlines.
Shane_T, Dec 2025
Our bus driver - Joseph - was very knowledgeable and passionate about his hometown, Christchurch. It made for a most enjoyable day out. We leaned about the city before the earthquakes and the rebuilding. There was plenty of time to get lunch and have a wander around in the city centre before heading off on our afternoon activity.
Our jet boating activity was a hoot. Andy and his crew were very friendly and safety was paramount. The kids absolutely loved it.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thanks for your review - you were well treated that day with both Joseph and Andy. Sharing stories is a notable highlight from all our visitors - so pleased you had a great day.
Ange_L, Mar 2025
Joseph was awesome, with lots of local knowledge, and a good sense of humour. He will go above and beyond to make your day a great one.
Andy the jet boat driver made sure we had a great experience too……. Do it!!!!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review which are valuable to us to ensure we
meet and where possible exceed our customers expectations. We do hope that you will
have the opportunity to visit New Zealand again in the not too distant future, perhaps next time travelling around New Zealand by land, rather than cruise.
Jessica_B, Mar 2025
Amazing experience. Anne was so informative and made the whole day interesting with lots of extra info - she even kept the kids entertained throughout the day. 100% must see. Book it in - you won't regret it
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review which are valuable to us to ensure we
meet and where possible exceed our customers expectations. We do hope that you will
have the opportunity to visit New Zealand again in the not too distant future, perhaps next time travelling around New Zealand by land, rather than cruise.
Brian_K, Mar 2025
First, the communication and organization of Leisure Tours was excellent. No trouble finding the meeting place and which bus to load. Diana our driver was funny and informative during our tour of Christchurch city, she's great! We had plenty of time in the central city for shopping and lunch, then a short drive to the river for jet boating. What a thrill that was! After a short overview of the boat and easy load from a small dock, our pilot Adam had us going amazingly fast over the shallow braided river and doing hi-speed spins. The time in boat was just about right and it was so much fun. There were only 4 passengers and it felt like a private tour. A relaxing drive with Diana back to the cruise ship with plenty of time before all-aboard. We are so glad we did this excursion and highly recommend Leisure Tours.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review which are valuable to us to ensure we
meet and where possible exceed our customers expectations. We do hope that you will
have the opportunity to visit New Zealand again in the not too distant future, may next time touring the country by land.
isaac_l, Feb 2025
We walked through a beautiful garden, toured the city, then ride the jet boat. If you like excitement, this activity is for you!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review which are valuable to us to ensure we
meet and where possible exceed our customers expectations.
rob_a, Apr 2024
Allison was a very good tour guide
was very cool
Boat ride was awesome
Wish it had lasted longer
Didn't like that we had to search for our own lunch
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Kiaora and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you
enjoyed your day with Allison! The tour description clearly states that lunch is not included so it is a bit unfair to mark us down a star because of this!
Damien_F, Mar 2024
Good informative driver bit dissapointed the jet boat ride was only20 minutes. Quake museum interesting
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kiaora Damien and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us! All information about the tour is provided at time of booking.
Sharon_S, Feb 2024
What an AMAZING experience we had with Scottie from Leisure Tours! We Cruised into Christchurch on Ovation of the Seas and were picked up in a fully Aircon'd Coach. Scottie was super fun and knowledgable! We had a fantastic day and cannot recommend this tour highly enough! We saw so many sights and had plenty of time at each stop to take in the beauty and history that Christchurch had to offer!! Brilliant! Jet Boating topped it off, so much fun!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora Sharon and thanks for leaving a review. I'm very pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Scotty, who now has an enormous head!!
MaryJosephine_L, Feb 2024
We had a fabulous guide in Joseph who kept us informed on everything that had happened during the Christchurch earthquake. The tour was enjoyable. Jet boating was absolutely fantastic. I had forgotten how exhilarating it can be.
Where we were advised to go for lunch a fish and chip shop had my favourite, a whitebait butty. Can recommend this tour for anyone
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora Mary Josephine and for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Joseph!
Julie_S, Feb 2024
We had the most amazing day with this tour. Scotty is a very informative and funny tour guide, I totally enjoyed his commentary and willingness to answer questions from the busload of tourists. A great tour with some great stops along the way.
We took in some wonderful sights up on the mountain, enjoyed a walk through the gardens and a good couple of hours in Christchurch doing our own thing, which was unexpected, but an absolute blessing to be able to take in the city at our own pace.
The Jet boating was absolutely thrilling. Our driver Paul, made sure we had the best time on the water. We got 'just wet enough' enjoyed a few laughs, some great scenery and learnt quite a bit about the river as well.
A really fantastic way to enjoy Christchurch. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora Julie and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day
with Scotty!
Ken_A, Jan 2024
While we didn't have the greatest weather we were quickly suited up and onboard the jetboat ready to go. Quick safety chat & a photo and we took off up the river at speed. Weaving through the Delta channels then into a 360 spin & a tidbit of information on the delta was provided by the driver. Take off again skimming the banks and doing 360's with more tidbits of information provided at each "stop" Back down the river, faster than up as going with the current helping push us along, weaving and spinning whilst any questions were answered during the brief pauses after 360 spins. Would go again in a heartbeat.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora Ken and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
JamesRoger_L, Jan 2024
Diana was a great guide, very personable and knowledgeable. At times was hard to hear at back of van, but driving was excellent, stops were convenient, shopping time (at over 2 hours) was unexpected but timely and rewarding for all. The best, most fun, was the jet boat ride and the 360° spins! Everyone was thrilled with this day!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora James and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Diane!
John_W, Jan 2024
The drive to the jet boat is pretty but far. This was our third jet boat ride and it is still thrilling!! You do get sprayed, but you dry in seconds. Steve was our driver. He looked like he had as much fun as we did with spinning in the 360's. The whole boat ride is 20 to 30 minutes but worth it!! Will do this again!!!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora John and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
Pamela_L, Jan 2024
disappointed ….. we received notification that they cancelled the tour, therefore there is nothing to review.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
To date this season we have had to cancel the jet boating only once as the rivers were too swollen and it was too dangerous to jet boat. However, on the date of the cancellation we had no Pamela booked on this particular option, so unsure of the authenticity of the review. The excursion consists of both Christchurch sights and jet boating and we would have offered the sightseeing portion only had the customer still wised to travel.
sraesteele, Jan 2024
Extremely well organized, no ship return stress. Jet boat was great, beautiful scenery, 80km/h over inches of water. A few splashes but speed dries. City tour was convenient.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
Amanda_D, Dec 2023
What an awesome tour! Kevin was very knowledgeable and we had a wonderful time, great scenery and lots of information regarding earthquake impact! Jet boat ride was the highlight - what a blast we had!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Amanda and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Kevin!
Jasmin_B, Nov 2023
We had an awesome experience worh our tour guide Jude. She has been patient and did everything to keep us entertained and happy. The boat ride could be longer as it was the best part :)
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Kiaora and thanks for leaving a review. I'm very pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Jude!
Philip_C, Feb 2023
The tour itself was very boring, seemed to be this and that building danaged by earthquake and building sites going to be redeveloped.
Jet boat was by far the best part
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hi Philip. It's great that we are all different people. Perhaps instead of calling our tour crap, you could have just said it wasn't for you. As others will see from the glowing reviews this tour has received, they can make up their own mind.
Darryl_m, Feb 2023
The jet boat ride was fantastic.
Our coach guide was very informative of the area as being a local, Graham’s knowledge was great.
Appreciated the opportunity to have free time in Christchurch.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hi Darryl, thanks for your review. I will pass on your kind words to Graham
PAUL_P, Feb 2023
Tour guide/driver scottie was excellent. Great info on the geology, history, culture of Christchurch. The city and surrounding countryside was amazing....and then the jetboat..wow! A must do thrill ride
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Kiaora Paul and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I'm so glad you had a great day with Scotty, he is very passionate about our city and just loves showing people his back yard. I will pass on your kind words, no doubt he will want a raise!
Nancy_K, Feb 2023
We had a great excursion. Scotty picked us up at the Port in Lyttleton and we took the scenic route to Christchurch. Scotty is very knowledgeable and entertaining. We were able to explore the central business district on our own for 90 minutes and then went to our afternoon excursion, Jet Boating. The only thing to be aware of (or double check), we were on a bus with about 40 people. We were not expecting that. All went well, but would have been nice to know we were going to be part of a large group. Scotty is A+
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Kiaora Nancy and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I'm so glad you had a great day with Scotty, he is very passionate about our city and just loves showing people his back yard. I will pass on your kind words, no doubt he will want a raise!
Deb_R, Jan 2023
This tour offered a wonderful insight into the highlights of Christchurch, with a little fun thrown in. Our guide, Joseph was an approachable, knowledgeable and thoughtful guide who put us first at all times - we were incredibly impressed by him and had a fantastic day gaining some unique local insights
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Hi Deb, thanks for leaving a review, its much appreciated. And wow what a great review as well! A great description for fellow travellers and high praise for one of our newest driver guides, Joseph. He was very happy to hear you were pleased with his efforts, as commentary is totally new to him... seems he's a natural!
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