Charge through an awe inspiring canyon towering intimidatingly over the river, and grip the handrail with white knuckled hands as the jetboat careens past craggy cliff faces and rocky canyon walls. Your adrenalin levels skyrocket as you coast the shallow waters of the Shotover River at terrifying speeds and launch into dizzying jet spins, otherwise known as Hamilton turns.

A jetboat ride with Skippers Canyon adventures in Queenstown is the only way you can explore the renowned Skippers Canyon in such an exciting manner. The company is the only one allowed to operate in the area. Getting to the start of your ride is great fun in itself, as your transport to and from Queenstown takes on a 4WD tour down the Skippers Canyon Road, which was dug out of schist rock and takes you past some of the most incredible scenery in New Zealand.

Get to see several filming locations used in the making of the Lord of the Rings, learn about the incredible engineering prowess of the early pioneers and enjoy your driver’s commentary as he details the history of various mining relics littering the riverbank.

The Jetboat

The large, blue jetboat used by Skippers Canyon was specially designed for use on the Upper Shotover River. Made of heavy gauge aluminium, the boats offer the utmost in strength and are extremely manoeuvrable.

The “Big Blue” jetboats run on Chevrolet v8 engines with 450 horsepower and consume high-octane aviation fuel. A powerful Hamilton Jet 212 jet unit, which pumps an impressive 25,000 litres of water per minute, provides a mighty thrust.