Jet Boat and Wilderness Walk Tour from Wanaka

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Wanaka, New Zealand

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

4 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Explore the idyllic landscapes of Mount Aspiring National Park, where filming for The Lord of the Rings movies took place, both by land and water, on this action-packed half-day tour from Wanaka. Zip along the pristine waters of the Matukituki River on a jet boat, then get even closer to nature on a guided wilderness walk past forests, waterfalls, and glacier-fed streams.

This tour is ideal for nature lovers, families, and outdoor adventurers
Enjoy a seamless experience with round-trip transfers included
Average fitness is required making this suitable for most ages
A small-group tour ensures a more personalized experience

What's Included

Shuttle transfer
Life jackets
Wet weather gear
Heated hand rails and footrests (in cold weather)

Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Wānaka isite Visitor Information Centre
103 Ardmore Street, Wānaka 9305, New Zealand
99 Ardmore Street, outside of the i-SITE Please make sure you have parked your car in a long term car-park Meet 5 minutes prior to departure

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 4 years
Maximum is 10 people per booking
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 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

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Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

David_M

This experience was fantastic. Ben the driver was very knowledgeable about the area, the weather & the mountains. The wilderness walk was fun & informative.

Reviews

4.9

based on 271 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

More than a Jet Boat...

Julian_E, Jan 2026

More than a Jet Boat ride…our guide had lots of interesting/personal information to share about the area! Highly recommend!

Pristine Views

julied7188, Feb 2025

Ben was an awesome, local guide who gave us a great understanding of Mount Aspiring and the region surrounding it. The jet boat was an incredibly fun way to travel about and the water and views were impeccable. Highly recommend this tour!!

Fantastic fun!

Wendy_Q, Feb 2025

Fabulous tour! Had a blast on the jet boat and walk. Loved the Captain - very interactive. Highly recommended tour!

Must do Jet Boat & Wilderness Walk

David_M, Dec 2024

This experience was fantastic. Ben the driver was very knowledgeable about the area, the weather & the mountains. The wilderness walk was fun & informative.

South Island Must Do

David_M, Nov 2024

If you visit the South Island, this is a must do activity! The staff is amazing and our river guide was amazing. I wasn't sure how the hike to the waterfall would turn out, but it was probably one of the highlights of the trip. You could tell how much our guide enjoys his job and is proud of NZ. He was full of fascinating information and happy to answer all of our questions. The hike was beautiful through farmland and woods to see a beautiful creek and waterfall. I would do it again!

Worth every penny

Andrew_B, Oct 2024

It's totally worth the money, our jet boat driver Ben was engaging and extremely knowledgeable. Importantly he is a master of his art - controlling a jet boat.

Awsome and beautiful

Mariska_S, Feb 2024

The fact that you are in this wide marvelous mountain surroundings, on the water, moving further into the valley and towards the high mountains, makes you feel in aw and humble. It was also a nice walk into the beech forest to a waterfall.

Our family had a blast!

Melanie_R, Dec 2023

Ben is a very knowledgable and gifted skipper. You are in for a real treat on this trip!!!! We had a blast with beautiful scenery, great jet boat ride and walk in a serene beech forest. Would definitely do this again when in Wanaka!

What an amazing day

Sarah_C, Nov 2023

We are touring the South Island of New Zealand and this was by far our favourite thing we’ve done. Ben was absolutely outstanding and really made the trip for us. I think this is a must do.

Spins and scenery

Anne_C, Jan 2023

A wonderful fun half day with our very knowledgable guide James. Fantastic scenery, great spins in the boat and a lovely sense of peace and tranquillity, when not spilling that is

Fabulous Jet-Boat Experience

kevin, Feb 2020

We have had a number of excellent, exciting experiences on this trip to NZ... but far and away, this was the best so far. Fun, beautiful, fabulous boat driver, knowledgeable and concerned with everyone's comfort and safety. If you do only one excursion ... make it this one.

A perfect day

leonlandau, Jan 2020

Perfect mix of jet boat and stunning scenery. James was an excellent host. What an amazing way to access otherwise inaccessible places.

This tour was a lot of fun and the...

Jackie R, Apr 2018

This tour was a lot of fun and the guide was lovely. However, it is overpriced. It would be good to extend the tour for an extra hour and do a longer walk. The jet boat was great and I had full trust in the guide's skills.

Annule au dernier moment sans proposer de solution de remplacement

Benjamin_R, Jan 2025

l'organisme a annulé l'excursion la veille au soir (à 18H30) pour le lendemain (9h45). Bien que je lui ai demandé de me rediriger vers une autre agence je n'ai pas eu de réponse mais uniquement le remboursement. Impossible de trouver une solution de remplacement. Ce comportement est pas tolérable quand on vient à Wanaka en particulier pour cette excursion.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Our apologies that we were unable to find you an alternative trip in this instance. Unfortunately our whole crew were given the gift of a very bad illness which cancelled all our trips for a 7 day period. Hopefully you can understand in this instance that managing this level of disruption for our staff and looking after our small family limited our ability to be everything to everyone at this time. Once again we are sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your review.

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