Rides run all year, from NZ$159 for KJet's hour on Lake Wakatipu and two rivers to NZ$399 for Dart River's 2-hour Wilderness Jet in peak season. Shotover Jet says only it may enter the narrow Shotover River Canyons.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KJet 60-Minute Jet Boat RideIncludes Life jackets |
NZ$159 per adult |
60 minutes from Main Town Pier; about 40 minutes from Frankton marina |
No minimum age or child height restriction; children must be with an adult | No weight restriction; must fit a life jacket (up to 4XL) | Cancellations, changes or no-shows within 24 hours non-refundable; weather cancellations by KJet offer rebook or full refund. | Check dates | ||
Shotover Jet (Individual Pass)Includes Complimentary return shuttle from Station Building, 25 Shotover Street, on selected departures |
NZ$199 per adult |
25 min trip; allow about 1 hour self-drive or 1 hour 45 min with shuttle |
No minimum age; minimum height 1.0 m (may rise to 1.2 m in some conditions); under 5s ride free on infant ticket with paying adult | No weight limit; must fit a life jacket and board unassisted | Cancellations within 24 hours non-refundable; weather or river cancellations get full refund or free reschedule. | Check dates | ||
Jet Boat TourIncludes Guided drive into Skippers Canyon with commentary, 25-minute jet boat ride in upper Shotover canyons, Spray jackets and life jackets, Return transport to central Queenstown |
NZ$229 per adult |
2.5-3 hours return from central Queenstown; jet boat ride 25 minutes |
Child pricing 3-15; 1 m height restriction | No-shows or cancellations within 24 hours of departure are non-refundable. | Check dates | |||
Wilderness Jet ExperienceIncludes Optional complimentary return transport Queenstown-Glenorchy, Fully guided jet boat tour, Life jackets |
NZ$399 per adult |
2-hour trip (from Glenorchy) |
3+; minimum child height 100 cm (may rise to 120 cm) | Life jackets up to 2XL; no weight limit stated | Changes over 24 hours free; within 24 hours or no-show fee up to 100%; operator may cancel for weather. | Check dates | ||
Funyaks ExperienceIncludes Return transport Queenstown-Glenorchy, Wilderness picnic lunch, Jet boat and inflatable Funyaks, Life jackets, wetsuits, booties, Spray jackets, fleece tops, dry bags |
NZ$599 per adult |
About 8.5-9 hours from Queenstown; about 6.5 hours from Glenorchy |
5+; minimum child height 100 cm (may rise to 120 cm) | Over 120 kg not suitable; life jackets up to 2XL | Changes over 24 hours free; within 24 hours or no-show fee up to 100%; operator may cancel for weather. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
KJet boards at the Main Town Pier on Marine Parade, in the middle of Queenstown Bay, with rides leaving hourly between 10 am and 6 pm. Its shorter 40-minute ride starts at the KJet marina in Frankton, and it can collect passengers from The Rees and Hilton jetties by arrangement. Shotover Jet's base is at 3 Arthurs Point Road, about 7 km away, a 10-minute drive up Gorge Road and over the Edith Cavell Bridge. It has free parking, and a free shuttle leaves the Station Building at 25 Shotover Street for selected departures.
Skippers Canyon Jet's bus leaves from the Camp Street side of the Station Building and takes Skippers Road into Skippers Canyon. The operator says miners cut that road from the rock more than 130 years ago, and its boats run the upper Shotover canyons. The Shotover River flows 75 km south from the Southern Alps, through Skippers Canyon, to meet the Kawarau River east of Queenstown. Gold was first found on it at Arthurs Point in 1862.
Dart River Adventures' boats leave from Glenorchy, where its visitor centre is at 45 Mull Street. The Dart River (Te Awa Whakatipu) runs 60 km from the Dart Glacier and flows into Lake Wakatipu at its northern end, near the town, with part of its course inside Mount Aspiring National Park. The company says self-driving takes at least an hour each way, and it runs free shuttles from its Queenstown office at 25 Shotover Street. Its trips pass through the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area, it says.
KJet quotes a top speed of 95 km/h and covers 45 km in 60 minutes across Lake Wakatipu and the Kawarau and Shotover rivers. It says parts of the route are less than 5 cm deep. The fleet is five twin-engine V8 boats plus four single-engine boats, all built to turn a full 360 degrees. Shotover Jet's custom-built boats top out at 90 km/h on a 25-minute run through the canyons.
Shotover Jet says that when water levels or debris force a route change, the ride keeps the same length, speed and spins. Skippers Canyon Jet's boat ride is also 25 minutes, at more than 80 km/h with a series of 360-degree spins, inside a 2.5 to 3 hour round trip. Dart River Adventures says its boats can hit 90 km/h, though trips are not always that fast, and can operate in just 10 cm of water. Each boat seats 14 or 15, and the Wilderness Jet lasts 2 hours.
Shotover Jet runs every day except Christmas Day and goes out in light rain. Heavy rain or flooding can postpone or cancel trips; staff check the river each morning and post the result on the company's website. A weather or river cancellation gets a full refund or a free reschedule. Dart River Adventures runs in any safe weather except fog and torrential rain, and refunds in full when it cancels. KJet runs 365 days a year, weather permitting.
Children must be 1 m tall at Shotover Jet and Dart River, and both say the minimum can rise to 1.2 m when river conditions call for it. Dart River's minimum age is 3. KJet sets no height or weight limit as long as a life jacket fits, with sizes up to 4XL; Dart River's jackets stop at 2XL. Shotover Jet, KJet and Dart River do not take pregnant riders, and Skippers Canyon Jet asks guests to disclose pregnancy or back problems.
Wind chill at speed makes winter rides cold, Shotover Jet warns. It and KJet both heat the handrails on winter boats and suggest a hat, gloves and warm layers, and KJet adds goggles in place of sunglasses. Neither hands out spray jackets. Skippers Canyon Jet includes spray jackets with its life jackets.
KJet is the cheapest, at NZ$159 an adult and NZ$79 for ages 5 to 14. Its 60 minutes on the water is more than twice the boat time at Shotover Jet or Skippers Canyon Jet. It dates from 1958 and says it was the first commercial jet boat company in the world. Shotover Jet charges NZ$199 for its 25 minutes (NZ$109 for children, NZ$507 for a family pass). It has run commercially on the Shotover since 1965 and says it is the only company permitted in the narrow Shotover River Canyons.
Skippers Canyon Jet costs NZ$229 for a 2.5 to 3 hour outing in which the boat ride is 25 minutes, with driver commentary, spray jackets and return transport included. Dart River's Wilderness Jet is NZ$399 an adult and NZ$299 a child from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027; the off-peak fare was NZ$319 from May to September 2026. The company calls it the region's longest jet boat ride. Dart River and Shotover Jet both belong to Ngāi Tahu Tourism.
Dart River also runs Funyaks, a full-day trip that pairs the jet boat with inflatable canoes and a wilderness picnic lunch, from age 5. Wetsuits, booties, fleeces and dry bags are supplied, and the company says paddlers get wet to the knees or further.
from NZ$159 per adult
KJet 60-Minute Jet Boat Ride
Founded 1958; calls itself the world's first commercial jet boat company
from NZ$199 per adult
Shotover Jet (Individual Pass)
Operating on the Shotover River since 1965
from NZ$229 per adult
Jet Boat Tour
Family-run business with roots five generations back in the canyon
from NZ$399 per adult
Wilderness Jet Experience and 1 more option
Glacier-fed Dart River, departing Glenorchy
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.