Dart River Canoe and Jet Boat Experience from Queenstown

Travel from Queenstown to Glenorchy for a full day in Mt Aspiring National Park, where this trip combines coach travel, jet boating and Funyaks, inflatable kayaks designed for easy handling. No previous canoeing experience is required, and the pace on the water is kept leisurely to suit the group.

From Glenorchy, board a jet boat for an hour on the braided, glacier fed Dart River. The route heads deep into the national park through a landscape of hidden channels and wide river flats, with scenery that has also been used as Middle earth countryside in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At a secluded launch site, swap the jet boat for your own Funyak and follow your guide downstream.

This quieter section of the journey gives you time to explore side streams, rock pools and a dramatic chasm that cannot be reached by other means. A picnic lunch is included before the return trip continues by 4WD bus through Paradise and back to Glenorchy.

Along the way, guides share the story of Pounamu, or greenstone, and explain why the Dart River was an important trading route for Nga i Tahu, the early Maori of the area. This is a varied day that blends local history, river travel and time on the water in a remote part of the park.