The current rate for every ride, side by side, and what each price actually buys, from 25 canyon minutes to a full day on the Dart River.
The short answer
What a jet boat ride in Queenstown costs depends on the format, from 25 minutes in the Shotover canyons to a full day of jet boat and canoe on the Dart River. The cards and the table on this page show the current per-person rate for each ride, taxes and booking fees included. On Shotover Jet you pay for exclusive access to the canyons, on KJet and Thunder Jet for time on the lake and the Kawarau, and on Skippers Canyon Jet and the Dart River trips for the back-country drive or the transfer around the boat time. Every ride cancels free up to 24 hours before the start.
Pick a day, or the first and last day you are in Queenstown. We check the booking calendar of every jet boat ride and show which ones still have seats.
In the next 7 days, all 6 tours on this page still have places.
Time in the jet boat: 25 min
Time in the jet boat: 60 min
Time in the jet boat: 30 min
Time in the jet boat: 2 h from the Glenorchy base
Duration: 6.5 h
Time in the jet boat: 25–60 min by option
Jet boat prices in Queenstown are less confusing than they first look, once you see what each ticket buys. The rides span everything from a 25-minute canyon blast to a full day of jet boat and canoe on the Dart River. Comparing their prices without comparing their formats tells you nothing. The cards and the table on this page show the current per-person rate for each ride next to what it includes, so the formats stay comparable.
All amounts are in New Zealand dollars, the currency every operator here charges in.
The same facts for every ride, so river and time on the water are easy to compare. Open a card for the details.
The famous red boats: 25 minutes through the narrow Shotover canyons at up to 90 km/h, with 360-degree spins. No other operator is licensed to run in there.
The ride Queenstown is famous for: 25 minutes through the narrow Shotover canyons at up to 90 km/h, with the full 360-degree spins the red boats are known for. Shotover Jet holds the exclusive licence to run in these canyons (no other operator is allowed in), and the base is less than ten minutes' drive from Queenstown.
Go in knowing what you are buying: this is a short, intense blast, not a scenic cruise. Critical reviews mention that 25 minutes feels brief for the price and that photo and video options can be limited on the day. The praise, for balance: the drivers, the canyon walls at speed and the spins.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
A full hour across Lake Wakatipu, the Kawarau and the Shotover, departing from the Main Town Pier in central Queenstown. Does not enter the Shotover canyons.
The ride that starts in the middle of town: a full hour across Lake Wakatipu, the Kawarau River and the Shotover River: around 45 km of water in one trip, departing from the Main Town Pier and running 365 days a year.
One thing to be clear about, because it is the recurring theme in disappointed reviews: KJet runs the shallow channels of the Shotover River, not the narrow Shotover canyons. The canyon run is Shotover Jet's exclusive territory. What KJet offers instead is a full hour on the water, spins included, from a departure point in the town centre.
Main Town Pier, central Queenstown. No transfer needed.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
Three hours, of which about 30 minutes are on the upper Shotover — the guided bus drive along the historic Skippers Road is the other half of the experience.
Half ride, half expedition: the trip into Skippers Canyon takes about three hours, of which roughly 30 minutes are in the jet boat on the upper Shotover River. The rest is a guided bus drive along the historic Skippers Road, carved into the canyon wall by gold miners more than 130 years ago. The operator treats the drive as part of the experience, and the reviewers who mention it agree.
Book it for the combination, not for maximum boat time: if you only want minutes on the water, the in-town rides give you more of them. If you want the drive into Skippers Canyon plus a jet boat ride, this is the one.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
Two hours on the braided Dart River from Glenorchy into UNESCO World Heritage wilderness, with Māori commentary — scenery first, adrenaline second.
The scenic one: a two-hour wilderness trip on the braided Dart River from Glenorchy, into the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu UNESCO World Heritage area and a recurring Lord of the Rings filming backdrop. The commentary weaves in Māori stories of the valley.
This ride is about the landscape, not the adrenaline. Two things to know: with the Queenstown transfer option, the round trip takes around four hours for the two-hour trip, and reviewers mention rain and wind-blown dust on some days. If you are based in Queenstown and short on time, weigh the transfer share before booking.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
A full day of 6.5 to 8.5 h: jet boat up the braided Dart River into Mount Aspiring National Park, then paddle back down in inflatable Funyak canoes, with a picnic lunch on the way — from age 5.
The full-day version of the Dart River: a guided jet boat trip upstream through the braided, glacier-fed waterways of Mount Aspiring National Park (part of a UNESCO World Heritage area), then a switch into Funyaks (stable inflatable canoes) for a relaxed paddle back downstream, with stops to explore side streams and native beech forest. A picnic lunch is served midway at a riverside spot, and the guides tell stories of Māori history, the ancient Greenstone Trail and the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film locations.
The day starts with the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy and ends with a back-country bus ride through Paradise before the return to Queenstown; you can also drive yourself to Glenorchy. Wetsuits, lifejackets, booties and all paddling gear are included, plus thermals and gloves in winter. Two things to know from the reviews: one reviewer found the wind on the jet boat cold, and one mentions persistent sandflies. Bring a warm layer and insect repellent.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
Short and simple: about half an hour or a full hour on Lake Wakatipu and the Kawarau at up to 95 km/h, from age 2, with photo stops for your own camera.
The short, simple way onto the water: Thunder Jet (run by Watersports LTD) covers Lake Wakatipu and the Kawarau River at up to 95 km/h, bookable as a ride of about half an hour or a full hour. Children can join from age 2, and the trip includes photo stops where you use your own camera, so a souvenir shot needs no upsell.
It is not the canyon run: like KJet it stays on the lake and the Kawarau. If your goal is spins, speed and spray in a compact format, start here.
Ride details as the operator publishes them on its GetYourGuide product page.
Four things shape what you pay for:
Where operators offer child or youth rates, they structure them differently, and we have not been able to verify the current child prices reliably enough to print them, and a wrong number would be worse than none. What is verified: KJet and Thunder Jet take children from age 2, Skippers Canyon Jet from age 3, and both Dart River trips from age 5 with a 100 cm height minimum. Shotover Jet uses height instead of age (100 cm, raised to 120 cm at high water). The exact child rate for your dates shows on each GetYourGuide product page before checkout.
The famous ride is 25 minutes on the water, and one 3-star review in Shotover Jet’s own reviews finds the price hard to swallow for 25 canyon minutes. Better to know that before you book than after. A shorter ticket is not automatically the lesser ride, either: Thunder Jet covers the same waters as KJet with the same age-2 minimum, so if you mainly want spins and spray, the short format delivers them.
Booking early does not change the rate. These are per-person prices set by the operators. What changes near departure is availability, especially in busy periods, when the popular time slots can sell out first.
Sorted by number of reviews. Tap a column header to re-sort.
| Photo | Ride | What's in it | Rating ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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KJet — three waterways from the pier | Lake Wakatipu + Kawarau + Shotover, from central Queenstown · 1 h | ★ 4.7 (2,034) | NZ$ 159 per person | Book now |
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Shotover Jet — the canyon ride | Shotover canyons (exclusive licence), 360° spins · 25 min | ★ 4.8 (1,778) | NZ$ 199 per person | Book now |
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Skippers Canyon Jet + Skippers Road | Upper Shotover jet ride + guided bus drive on the historic Skippers Road · 3 h total, ~30 min on the water | ★ 4.9 (802) | NZ$ 229 per person | Book now |
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Thunder Jet — lake and river spins | Lake Wakatipu + Kawarau River, photo stops · approx. 30 or 60 min | ★ 4.8 (258) | NZ$ 99 per person | Book now |
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Dart River Jet + Funyak canoe day | Jet boat upstream + Funyak canoe paddle downstream, picnic lunch, Mount Aspiring National Park · 6.5 to 8.5 h (transport from Queenstown optional) | ★ 4.8 (192) | NZ$ 499 per person | Book now |
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Dart River Wilderness Jet | Dart River wilderness from Glenorchy, Māori commentary · 2 h (about 4 h with Queenstown transfer) | ★ 4.8 (173) | NZ$ 319 per person | Book now |
Jet boat prices in this table come live from GetYourGuide, with taxes and booking fees included. Optional extras such as the Shotover Jet photo and video packages are not part of the price. “What’s in it” summarises the product title. The full list of inclusions is on each product page.
It depends on the format: the rides range from a 30-minute lake spin to a full day of jet boat and canoe on the Dart River, with the canyon and combination trips in between. The table on this page shows the current per-person rate for all the rides side by side, next to what each ticket actually includes.
Access to the canyons: Shotover Jet holds the exclusive licence for the narrow Shotover canyons, so the 25-minute canyon run has no substitute. Whether it fits depends on what you came for: the canyon icon or more time on the water.
Where offered, yes, but the structures differ by operator and we have not verified the current child rates, so we do not print them. The exact child price for your date is shown on the GetYourGuide product page before checkout. The verified minimums: from age 2 on KJet and Thunder Jet, from 3 on Skippers Canyon Jet, from 5 (and 100 cm) on both Dart River trips, and a 100 cm height rule on Shotover Jet.
They are pulled automatically from GetYourGuide several times a day, taxes and booking fees included, so the number here is the number at checkout. If a ride shows no price, its live data is temporarily unavailable and the booking button is hidden rather than pointed at a stale rate.
New Zealand dollars, the currency the operators charge in. Your bank or card provider converts at its own rate if your account runs in another currency.
Busy periods affect availability more than the printed rate: popular time slots can sell out, while the per-person prices are set by the operators. Book the ride you want a few days early in peak season, at the price shown and without a surcharge.
No. The prices on this page include taxes and booking fees, cancellations are free up to 24 hours before the start, and the rate shown here is the rate at checkout. We only track GetYourGuide rates, so we cannot speak for other sales channels.
The table lists duration and route beside every rate.
See the comparison