A fun thing to do in Queenstown - Lots of fun. We had no previous experience but everything was well explained and felt safe. Will, who accompanied us in our raft, was a fun guide and made sure we all stayed safe and enjoyed the trip. Would recommend this trip.

Hang on.. Let me do that again - Kawarou River White Water Rafting. This one would be a challenge. Not just because of the subject matter, but because of the logistics involved. First, Sashi kindly drops us at the bus pick up from the heart of Queenstown which drops us off at the Rafting base at Arthurs Point. Then, mixed with 16 other victims : three young Japanese and one elderly German tourist and a bunch of young thrill seeker Aussies ready for action. At 59, I was the second oldest there. We would be required to leave everything behind (even glasses and certainly hats – a challenge for me and my “burn in 10 minutes” white skin on my face.) Wetsuits on, we were firmly warned against peeing in them. With the complete return trip lasting over 3 hours, I knew that was at least one order I probably wouldn’t be able to follow. Then, on to the second bus for the trip to the river, where we received plenty of comment from our thirtysomething guide team who like many working in this field, follow the seasons working around the globe. They had just completed similar work in the Northern hemisphere and hadn’t seen a Winter in at least five years. However when you want the best people (and it’s having the “best people” that New Zealand is so well known for) then that’s the deal I guess. Most older folk could be forgiven for feeling they’ve stepped into a world where they don’t belong. However I generally feel crazily at home with much younger people than myself. This is probably because part of me never grew up and I was denied such freedoms at young age. I was going to get on with this crowd just fine. No mincing words though : this ain’t no carnival ride. It ain’t been checked a dozen times over by all manner of authorities. This is out in the wild. If you do dumb stuff, you’re gonna get dead. There’s even a chance you’ll end up that way if you’re not dumb. So.. no lying about your swimming ability please! 45 minutes later, the bus towing a trailer loaded with three inflatable rafts - pulls up into a dusty outcrop off New Zealand State Highway six, around 80 metres vertically higher than the river – we’re here. They’ve rigged up a rather elaborate flying fox scheme to get the boats down to river level. However that’s not accredited for humans.. so we’re hiking down. But not before the wetsuit jacket’s on and then over the top, a life jacket. Our lead group is a team of five. One “coxman” per boat, one in a kayak that will ride cover for anyone who falls out of a boat and also serve as a pseudo camera platform with a go pro, and one bus driver to drive the empty bus & trailer to the pick out point. By the time we’re down the bottom by the river in the blazing sun, everyone’s overheating in the suits so despite being told not to get in the river, everyone’s in and wet in the 12deg C water just to prevent overheating. I do the same, special care to swish extra water down my neck. The suit and jacket is super boyant There’s no way you can put your head underwater. Just getting water down my neck is a chore. Then comes the inevitable split – into teams of six victims per boat plus coxman (for one boat its actually a coxwoman). Then hand out the oars. Oh no, people: this ain’t no cruise ride, you’re gonna have to work. And if you don’t, then the boat will probably end up tuned over in the rapids. It’s all dutifully explained. Somehow me and Kimby get dobbed into being the front pair of our boat. It was only towards the end of the trip, that I find out why the coxman probably did this. After a bit of practice rowing, command taking and at least one collision with rocks on the shore, we’re ordered off the boat and into the water for a swim. This of course is really an invitation to learn how to get back into the boat again, which is impossible without you being assisted by a team mate. The process is to grab an outbound human by the life jacket and yank them up far enough so their belly can mount the side of the boat, with their bum hanging over the side. Then, once they can grab the ropes, they should be able to get themselves in by flailing their legs around. The course down the Kawarau consists of a few mild rapids, interspersed by a number of calm, wide river moments. The trick in the rapids is to (apparently) make sure that your boat power is more powerful than the river. That means in a rapid, all six oarsmen are supposed to paddle hard forward regardless of where the boat is being thrown. Your position is one of sitting on the sides of the boat, with both of your legs locked into this weird key that jams your feet into the sides of the boat, hopefully preventing you from falling out. If it becomes apparent that the boat is about to be swamped, the coxman yells “down” and you adopt a kind of crash position deeper in the boat with your oar safely stowed outwards so it can’t hit anyone. The calm waters become a bit of an excuse to play. We swish past “competing” boats, trying to splash them. Or run along the middle of the boat, jumping into the water. There’s plenty of opportunity to practice floating with the rapids and then trying to swim back towards the boat to re board. The second calm water segment includes a favourite rock stop where everyone is encouraged to get out and go jump off the rock into the river, which I of course do. It’s the only time my head will actually go under water. By this time I’m thirsty, so deliberately let my mouth open to take in some of the crystal clear waters which are totally drinkable. That said, it was around this time my cancer damaged 59 year old frame had to warm the suit’s midsection too. This was done after my drinks, making sure to swish plenty more water through to wash it out. The Kawarou Gorge bridge is famous for being the place where bungy jumping was born. True to its name, just as we come around the corner and begin to go under it, off comes a bungy jumper at the original AJ Hackett facility. After settling, she’s rescued by a pair of chaps in another boat as we drift past. For us, it’s on to the major rapids, the place where most mishaps and fall outs occur. A few more swims for us then back into the boat for the final drive. It comes quite sudden and fast. Kimby and myself going nuts at that stage, rowing to keep the boat progressing forwards instead of turning sideways and thus turning over. The others.. well… they were making the moves but the paddles weren’t touching the water much. My upper arms and mid section now thoroughly drained of blood and full of lactic acid but not wanting to really turn the boat over, I keep going. Now I know why the coxman had out us at the front. His calculation was probably that both me and Kimby had the strongest upper body strength of the group. Seems he was right, as we successfully passed the rapids without anyone falling out or us tipping over. High sixes in the boat with our oars after that, although later that night my body would complain bitterly about the abuse I had just put it through. Maybe next time.. someone else at the front please. Soon it was all over, we approached the final extraction point, pulling the boats up onto a rocky outcrop and then lifting the whole lot up to the trailer and waiting bus. Off with the life jackets and most (including me) took the opportunity to also remove the upper wetsuit jacket before all squeezing straight back on the bus for the 45 minute drive back to the rafting HQ at Arthurs Point, where we were able to finally get out of our wetsuits and gear, wash it all out, have a short hot shower and prepare to return on the other bus back to Queenstown. The river rafting once again left me with one of those “oh hang on, I get it now, do you think we can try that again” moments. Next time maybe I’ll take on the Shotover River. Only negative point was that somehow me and Kimby missed out on most of the photos taken. Oh well.

Rafting - Everything was great. From the clothes q give you so you don't get cold, adapted to any size, the wave of lis guides of each boat in the transfer, and the best of all was Jess, q put all the claw so that we have fun, and challenge with tests above the boat. Experience is worth it. We loved it!

Dramatic scenery and fun rapids - Loved every minute. A beautiful warm day, sparkling water, clear blue sky and dramatic scenery - and rapids :). Wonderfully led by Jess, Harry and Jacob.

Supper fun - We’ve had so much fun rafting on Kawarau river with RealNZ. Staffs (Morgan, Matti, Maz) are super friendly. Beautiful water & view, fun experience jumping in icy cold water. Will definitely do it again when we return.

Super fun, beautiful... - Super fun, beautiful views, and Nico was an excellent guide! Felt very safe while still getting the thrill of rafting. Highly recommend.

First time rafting in NZ! - Great experience rafting with the help of Guy, Benji, Matt, Matt and Ryan. Benji, who piloted our boat, easily guided us through some very rough water.

Great experience with a wonderful team, would definitely do it again!! - It was a great experience and a good intro to rafting. Everyone was so lovely and helpful. The set up was well organised and managed, letting us get to the rafting as soon as possible. Nico, our guide was the best, he made the experience fun while managing the raft through the water and rapids expertly.

Fabulous rafting - Wonderful guide, gorgeous river and fun rapids. Our guide Niko (sorry if I’m spelling that wrong) was funny, entertaining and great at his job. Really knew the river and made it a great trip for all.

great rafting, long boring bus ride from meeting point - The rafting itself was great, but of the 4 hour experience, we first all changed into wet suits, then we took a long, boring, long bus ride into the country. We stopped on top of a palisade, then had to walk down the gravel path, then wait until the boats were conveyed down. The rafting was great, then the boats had to be winched back, another long, boring ride back to headquarters, then changing. Did I mention we spent like 1 11/4 hours on bus rides?