:: Queenstown Rafting ::

For someone who had never been rafting before and has a history of bad experiences in water, I had a truly fantastic morning ! At $149 you may think this is an expensive activity, but trust me it will be money well spent ! I suppose it is a fair whack for the morning but Queenstown is like that…as you will find out !

Queenstown Rafting operates numerous different rafting experiences and challenges throughout the year, whether you have been rafting before or not. We spent time deciding which trip to take in their office on Shotover Street in town and opted for the Shotover River rafting.

The whole trip lasted a full half day from pick up at 0815 outside the office to 1315 when they drop you back off at the Adventure Centre. The trip began with an in-depth safety brief where they give you an opportunity to back out – no thanks ! We then got kitted out in our wet suits, lifejackets and helmets and set off in a minibus on the unforgettable cliff hanging drive along the historic Skippers Road, through Skippers Canyon to Deep Creek on the Shotover River. Again we took some time to listen to one of the guides instruct the group on the basics of rafting and all the necessary paddling strokes and techniques. I have to say the guides were excellent, they are all fully licensed and do make you feel very confident and comfortable – good sense of humour too !

Now it was time for the fun stuff !! We were divided into groups of six or eight for each raft, and each individual was instructed on their main responsibilities. The rafting takes around an hour and half but the first 20 minutes is on gentle water as you get chance to go through every incident. The guide kept chatting to us throughout the trip which stopped you getting bored in the still water!

This is followed by a very memorable hour of exhilarating rapids of the lower canyon, experiencing some wild wild rapids with names such as Sharks Fin, Toilet, Jaws and Pinball. It was brilliant but I must warn you…you WILL get wet !! The finale and highlight of the rafting came at the end when carefully steering through Oxenbridge Tunnel, all 170 metres of it…in the dark…followed by easily the best rapid…the Cascade Rapid !! It is here where the company photographer stands and takes a picture of you and your group and their your amusing expressions as you drop down the rapid holding on for all in desperation ! A truly brilliant experience…this is what NZ and especially Queenstown is all about !!!! These photos along with ones earlier through the trip are placed on the website at www.rafting.co.nz where you can purchase them. That brings the rafting to a close, where you can relax with complementary refreshments and snacks while reminiscing over your latest wild experience !!

Conclusion

Queenstown Rafting ran a very professional operation with great guides and a good piece of river to raft on. As with all activities in Queenstown it can be more expensive than other places in New Zealand but on the upside you are always quaranteed professional service. My only reservation with the activity is that we only spent about 30 minutes actually in rapids, but I realise that the time on the water was needed to get used to handling the raft. This may well be normal for all rafting experiences…I will just have to find that out !

All Photos are courtesy of Magic Memories - www.magicmemories.co.nz