Wānaka River Journeys
A half day jet boat run up the Matukituki River paired with a guided walk in native forest.
The trip combines jet boating on the Matukituki with an hour-long guided wilderness walk through native bush and glacier-fed streams, under the Mount Aspiring range. It departs from outside the Wānaka i-SITE in town and runs all year, with two departures a day in summer and one in winter. Children from four years can go. Allow around four hours all up.
Highlights
- Jet boating with views towards Mount Aspiring and its glaciers
- Hour-long guided walk through native forest
- Departs from the middle of Wānaka township
- Runs year-round, including winter
Good to know
- Location
- Matukituki River, Mount Aspiring National Park area
- Start point
- Outside the Wānaka i-SITE
- Duration
- Half day, allow 4 hours
- Season
- Year-round. Summer (1 October to 30 April) departures 9:45am and 12:45pm; winter (May to September) one departure at 12:45pm
- Cost
- See venue for current pricing
- Family-friendly
- Yes
Minimum age 4. Advance booking essential for winter departures.
Visiting from Sundale
The trip leaves from outside the Wānaka i-SITE in town, a short drive from the park, and it runs year-round. Allow four hours for the jet boat run up the Matukituki and the hour-long guided walk through native forest. Winter has a single departure at 12:45pm, so booking ahead is essential in those months.
From 1 October to 30 April there are two departures, at 9:45am and 12:45pm. The minimum age is four. Take a warm layer and a rain jacket whatever the month, since the walk is in the bush and the boat moves quickly down the valley under the Mount Aspiring range.
The morning departure leaves the afternoon free for the seasonal swimming pool or a slow lunch in town, ten minutes away. If the walk leaves your boots and jackets damp, the guest laundry back at the park will have them ready for the next day.
Stay nearby
Questions
What time does it leave?
From 1 October to 30 April there are two departures, at 9:45am and 12:45pm. From May to September there is one, at 12:45pm.
Can young children come along?
The minimum age is four.
Does it run in winter?
Yes, it runs year-round, with a single 12:45pm departure from May to September. Advance booking is essential for winter departures.
Sources
- Half day, allow 4 hours; departs outside Wānaka i-SITE; adult from and child 4-14 rising 1 October 2026; minimum age 4; summer and winter departure times; year-round operation — source
Nearby
More things to do.
Lakeland Wānaka
Jet boat rides, self-drive boat hire and jet skis leaving from the Wānaka lakefront.
Jet boat ride 60 minutes; boat hire 1, 2 or 4 hours
Skydive Wānaka
Tandem skydiving from up to 15,000 feet over the lakes and the Southern Alps.
About 25 seconds freefall at 9,000ft, 45 seconds at 12,000ft, 60 seconds at 15,000ft
Southern Alps Air
Fixed-wing scenic flights from Wānaka over Mount Aspiring, the glaciers and Milford Sound.
Mount Aspiring and glaciers 1 hour; Milford Sound flight with landing and glaciers 2.5 hours; Milford Sound fly cruise fly with glaciers 4 hours
Your Wānaka basecamp
Make Sundale your base.
Cabins, studios, motels and soft-grass camping, five minutes from the water and close to everything above.