Waiatoto River Safari: Explore UNESCO World Heritage Area with a Family Operated Jet Boat Tour
4.9
118 Ratings
Jackson Bay
Embark on a thrilling jet boat tour with Waiatoto River Safari and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Area of South Westland, New Zealand. Discover the natural history, native wildlife, and stunning rainforest on this family-operated adventure.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Waiatoto River Safari - Discover one of Kiwi’s favourite tours on the West Coast NZ, taking a jet boat up a remote back country river into UNESCO South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Nature, heritage and scenic tour for all ages.
What's Included
- Life-jacket
- Warm jacket and boots if required
- Snacks
- National park fees
- Post card souvenirs
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
The jet boat is the mode of transport, the river safari is the attraction. The jet boat will take you safely up the river into remote back country. Touch and learn about the natural history of New Zealand’s remote World Heritage Area. Your tour is operated by a family business,
when you go on this tour, you arrive as
strangers
and leave as friends.
There are many stops for commentary on the native birds, animals and forest of the South Westland region. A photographer’s dream, stretch your legs at the top of the river for an optional forest walk into New Zealand’s rain forest. Touch the ferns, listen to birds and spot the fish. Ideal for all ages and physical fitness. For infants to elderly, this is a must do, to explore the UNESCO World Heritage area-Te Wāhipounamu of South Westland, New Zealand.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wear sensible clothes and closed-toed footwear
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Sandflies are present on the West Coast of NZ so protection is insect repellant and covering up. Insect spray is avalaible free of charge
- Check in is 30 minutes prior to departure. The boat does leave on time.
Location
1975 Haast-Jackson Bay Road
Haast-Jackson Bay Road
Important: Check in is 30 minutes before departure. Last house on left of Hannahs Clearing village, look for signs and park on main road.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(118 Ratings)
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Touringstrongs
Apr 4, 2024
Great day out - This was a really wonderful day out. They were very helpful with communication prior to our trip. Wayne is a great host and very informative. I would recommend this experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barry_b
Mar 10, 2024
Great tour up the river... - Great tour up the river and down to the mouth of the Tasman Sea. Flying through some of the rapids was exhilarating, and the views were absolutely gorgeous. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Lisa
Mar 7, 2024
Loved It! - Beautiful excursion on jet boat into pristine river valley on western side if South Island. Guide was knowledgeable and personable. History and ecological background of the area were explained. Short hike into the rain forest and also a walk on a beach where the Tasman sea was on one side and the river on the other. Homemade scones and coffee were served and a sample of whitebait (a tiny local fish considered a delicacy) was served.
It’s so restorative to be out on the water and this was a great way to spend the morning in this remote area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shelovesbiking
Mar 2, 2024
Take the detour to Jackson Bay to experience the Waiatoto by Boat - We came away from this jet boat safari with a lot of local knowledge about Westland ecology, geology, plants and weather patterns. Wayne and Ruth are extremely good at sharing their passions for this spectacular unique area of our beautiful country. Loved the apricot scones and the whitebait samples and the tour was just the right length. Don’t be afraid to go on the tour if it’s raining as this is how you really experience the West Coast in its wild beauty and the boat has a glass roof if needed and there are warm jackets available too. It’s worth the trip to Jackson Bay to experience the Waiatoto.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_e
Feb 20, 2024
Nice trip, safe and... - Nice trip, safe and informative. Our operator/guide was great.
The rest of my 100 character minimum.
Review provided by Viator
Meander787318
Feb 15, 2024
Highly recommend this trip - Great trip and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Interesting talk about the kiwi sanctuary and also saw evidence of the main earthquake fault line for the S.I.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mikekathym2021
Jan 20, 2024
Amazing river, boat ride, and a scenery! - The Waiatoto River Safari was the hidden gem of our trip! It was a fun ride up the river in a jet boat. The water was amazingly blue, we stopped to take a look at the kiwi sanctuary, we went on a short bush walk, we had tea on the beach area that separated the river from the ocean. My husband and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly, highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jenna_b
Dec 16, 2023
Fun Beyond Words - The whole experience was amazing! We met another really lovely family on our boat, and Ruth, our tour guide/owner was beyond fabulous! So much valuable knowledge was passed on, mixed with adventure, thrill, and beauty! Highly suggest!!
Review provided by Viator
Kperry5465
Nov 3, 2023
A must-do tour! - We had to most amazing river safari with Ruth! And we were expertly greeted at check-in by Aru. The jet boat tour is so much fun and Ruth imparts all of her local knowledge about the area and New Zealand flora and fauna. We were joined by a small group of youth who were grandkids of a neighbor and they were the best - very well-behaved and wanted to learn about everything. There are multiple stops along the river and we were able to get out of the boat a few times to look for rocks and we enjoyed a lovely tea break that included homemade scones. We were lucky to be there during Whitebait fishing season, so towards the end of the tour we visited Wayne and Aru where they had set up to fish at a beautiful location along the Tasman Sea. This is a must-do tour folks!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthewmw383yz
Nov 9, 2023
Beautiful river but has enough logs in it. - Its such a beautiful river and we fortunately got to use their private jet boat ramp to put our boats in. However, I am utterly disappointment that Wayne has built toilets by the ramp without council consent and the effluent is simply being flushed into the river. The council are now shutting him down until this is remediated as its a Unesco world heritage site.
Review provided by Tripadvisor