Jet Boat and Wilderness Walk Tour from Wanaka: Experience Glaciers, Film Locations and Heritage Park

Embark on an exhilarating 4-hour jet boat and wilderness walk tour from Wanaka. Explore glaciers, film locations, and a heritage park in Mount Aspiring National Park. Experience thrilling spins and a guided walk through a stunning landscape.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road - Come deep into the Matukituki Valley on the most exciting 4-hour jet boating adventure in New Zealand, beneath the spectacular scenery of Glaciers and Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film locations, into world heritage Mount Aspiring National Park. Flowing from Glaciers, the pristine waters of the Matukituki River are…
What's Included
  • Shuttle transfer
  • Life jackets
  • Heated handrails and footrests during cold weather
  • Wet weather gear
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

Explore the Matukituki Valley on an exhilarating 4-hour jet boating adventure in New Zealand, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of glaciers and iconic film locations from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, within the world-renowned Mount Aspiring National Park. The pristine waters of the Matukituki River, fed by glaciers, offer the longest…

Location
Wanaka isite Visitor Information Centre
Ardmore Street
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
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(272 Ratings)
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Climber67923726825
Feb 17, 2026
Trip of a life time - Amazing adventure, viewing sites not usually seen Staff were extremely helpful and kind Lovely scenery, plus the bush walk
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S2913qxdebbieh
Feb 12, 2026
Great experience overall and I would recommend it to others. - We loved this jetboating experience and walk. Our guide Ben was very capable and we felt very safe. We appreciated his knowledge of the area too. It was fairly pricy but we felt the experience was worthwhile and the scenery was spectacular. The walk was enjoyable too. It was very easy and the waterfall was nice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
895dusanp
Feb 10, 2026
Do it if I have a chance - Absolutely fabulous, very well organised, friendly staff and a ride of that boat… god that was great,
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judy_ian_9
Feb 9, 2026
Thrilling adrenaline jet boat ride - felt as though I was flying across the river ….. - This trip is about 3 1/2 hours and what a brilliant experience it was in the safe hands of our pilot Olly - at times it was impossible to know which part of the braided river Olly would steer us through at speed - it was exhilarating. Firstly we had the option of wearing a waterproof coat - a bit like a dressing gown and then over that we all had to put on a life jacket. He then assessed our group in terms of height. My husband and I being over 5’ 10” were chosen to sit in the front alongside Olly and as later we would find out, the windscreen in front of us saved us from getting very wet! But being tall, meant that we had long enough legs to reach the foot plate and long enough arms to hold onto the bar. Once the boat was loaded, he explained that if he made a circular arm and hand movement that would mean he would spin the boat 360 degrees! And he did so on about 4 separate occasions. The boat is capable of going along extremely shallow water at speed but Olly’s skill enables him to read the braided river Olly- although he did admit that when the wind got up and caused dust from the loose coarse gravel or sand it made it more difficult to navigate and it was a changing river course. The river, Matukituki is fed by the glaciers from Mt Aspiring National Park. The speeding ride took us to where he rammed the boat into the bank to enable us to disembark and go for a wilderness walk. Olly shared stories of the past life of those who trod this wilderness. The walk took us into ‘the bush’ and lasted about 30 mins when we returned to fortunately find the boat still there. We then boarded once more for another thrilling ride, skimming across the shallow water back to the source of the Matukituki. Olly would stop along various parts of the river to point out Mountains or other interesting features - he was brilliant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ferranm32
Feb 6, 2026
Exhilarating ride. - We had the most wonderful time in this river journey. Exhilarating ride and beautiful landscapes. We felt in good hands all the time and we learned about nature around us. Certainly we recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neilandchrishartigan
Feb 4, 2026
Really great experience - We were a little apprehensive when we booked this event however any anxiety was put to rest when we met the driver of our boat who put our minds at rest. The experience was absolutely exhilarating. Great speeds and fun turns. The boat was handled with absolute professionalism. We also had a walk in the rain forest which was really interesting and culminated at a super waterfall. We would highly recommend this event.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julian_e
Jan 29, 2026
More than a Jet Boat... - More than a Jet Boat ride…our guide had lots of interesting/personal information to share about the area! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
583gailh
Jan 27, 2026
Amazing experience - Cannot fault this trip it was excellent highly recommended Ben was an excellent skipper and very knowledgeable
Review provided by Tripadvisor
421trevort
Feb 11, 2026
Thrilling , exciting super driver - Actually this was 5/5 . This guy is has a great dry sense of humour . The jet boat and spins were amazing . Do it again and again entertained by this great guy of a driver clearly a proud New Zealander and super knowledgeable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justine8888
Jan 31, 2026
Once in a lifetime experience - Brilliant ride on the speed boat with magnificent views of the mountains. The trek was gentle with the reward of a waterfall at the end. Ben’s narration was good although he could have been more patient and slowed down his speech for those for whom English wasn’t their first language.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $187
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).