Whitewater Rafting West Coast
Whitwater Rafting Tour List and Booking Codes:
Welcome to the South Island's West Coast White water Rafting Read here for important advice on choosing rafting trips in New Zealand. For information on specific trips click on these links. 
Hi there! My name is Paul and I'm the product manager for the Wild West Adventure Company. I've been in the adventure industry for 17 years so can help you with some advice on important questions you should be asking any company before deciding where to do a white water rafting trip. This will help you to make the best decision about a trip to suit you. I'll then go on to give you this information for the rivers we raft which are located on the South Islands West Coast. Below that is a description of each rafting trip you can do on the West Coast. Have a read and then if you need any other advice or have any questions about adventure stuff send me an email and I'll be happy to help. Cheers for now, Paul Some questions you probably have (or should have!) about rafting. I'm not sure what rafting trip to do? Is the trip worth the money? Which one would I enjoy the most? How safe is it? These will be the questions your asking yourself before deciding where to spend your money on a rafting adventure. To get the right answers you need to be asking some other questions as well. These are, How long are you actually rafting on the river? How much time do you spend getting to the river? What grade rapids are there? How many rapids of each type are on that river? How much time do you have to spend paddling on flat water? What is the river like on the day? When a river is at a different level it changes and so does the amount of fun and time you can get on it! You need to know what it is like the day you are going to raft. Does the companies rafts have backup communication with their base throughout the trip. And, how long has the company been operating for? OK, you are now armed with the right questions. Here is what our company does. How do I know that I really am getting the right advice? The West Coast is a land of rivers. (It's why we live here!) Out of the 23 rivers, we've chosen the best 8 to use for rafting so you can be confident that there will be a river here that suits you. New Zealand's Grand Canyon is located here with its massive granite gorges so we can raft families through to full on adventurers. Since we have rivers here that suit everyone we do not need to convince you to go on a particular river so that we get your business. What we do is find out a little about you and then give you free realistic unbiased advice as to which river suits you. What about safety? It is not possible for anyone to completely guarantee your safety in white water rafting. With us you are rafting with an independently safety audited company. We've been rafting on the West Coast Rivers for 11 years so you can be confident we know our way around them. By using the latest high tech rafting gear, having highly experienced guides and with radio communication available for our rafts to the base at all times for continuos helicopter backup you know that you are doing as safe a trip as it is humanly possible to do.
How do I know I'm getting good value for money? When you check around for prices you will find that some of our rafting trips are slightly dearer than some other companies. Why is this? You need to compare what you are getting for your money. Our companies backup systems and quality of equipment are second to none. This does cost a little bit more but it gives you the confidence of getting a great trip. We do not compromise our rafting by offering bare bone budget trips. After comparing the types of gear supplied by the different companies you need to compare the hours actually spent on the river, the number of rapids you do and what else you get for your money. We have surveyed our clients for the last 6 years and are consistently told by them that our trips are great value for money. But check for yourself because I'm very confident that you will not get a better value for money elsewhere. Remember that there is nowhere else in NZ that you can raft NZ's Grand Canyon, go through both rainforest and alpine scenery and then top off your day by soaking in natural hot spa pools with a glass of champagne and all this on the same day! Look at our combination activity trips for the best value. As well as great rafting, when you do a trip with us you also get a fun photograph of you in action, choice of raft sizes, free pleasure spa at our base, complimentary first wine or beer, action videos taken of you which you can purchase, free internet to email home your photo, say hello to Mum, or brag to your friends!, And we pay $5 of your fee towards supporting the endangered Blue Torrent Duck Conservation Program in which you are able to assist during rafting operations if you wish. Adventure Guarantee. Now after reading the above and then reading the trip descriptions below and perhaps even if you have corresponded with me we realise that you still do not really know us. We think it is reasonable to for you to still be hesitant about booking a trip with us. So here is what we do. To help you feel confident in doing business with us and so that you know that you are making a reliable purchase we want to provide you with an Adventure Guarantee. Here's what we mean.
Will my rafting trip vary from what is described below? There may be times when we have to vary the trip from what is described above due to river water levels or for other considerations to help keep you safe. If there are any major differences we will inform you before departing on the trip. We raft 8 different rivers so if one is to high then we can usually do another instead. We do reserve the right to change rivers of a similar grade and duration for safety reasons. It is always a good idea for you to check with any tour operator on arrival at their office to ensure you are about to do the tour you understand you are booked on. We have in the past had people leave our base with the wrong group and they ended up doing a completely different trip. Check with us on arrival if you are not sure.
If you want to talk to us direct then telephone from outside NZ on (++64) 3 768 6649 or if you are in NZ use our free phone number 0508 28 68 77 and 1800 11 4881 from Australia. You can also send me an email on paul@nzholidayheaven.com Your next step is to read the rafting trips below and if you are not sure on anything about rafting or about which trip would suit you then send me an email telling us a little about yourself and we will be happy to give you some advice as to a river that will suit you. (even if it is a trip that we do not do!) So feel free to ask us any questions. Have a look at the free offers and Spare Seat Travel Deals page as there may be discounted seats available for the days that you are visiting.
Known as "The land of contrasts" with its magnificent scenery the West Coast is blessed with a variety of spectacular Rafting Rivers. This gives the region an enviable reputation for quality White Water Rafting Adventures. With all rivers being on the Main Tourist Highway very little time is lost in traveling to your adventure. NZ's Grand Canyon
raft
code WWPH |
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| Adventurers
Grade 5 Heli-rafting. You need to have above average fitness and be confident
in the water for this one! (use
raft code WWPH when booking) On this expedition wilderness rafting you will enjoy scouting the rapids and then planning the route with your guides, you'll be physically and emotionally challenged as once you commit to these gorges there is no turning back or walking out. Access is by helicopter only. You'll Feel the vastness of the Southern Alps and the power of nature that has created this amazing landscape. A twelve hour day starts with an awesome helicopter trip (I keep finding myself using this word awesome but that is the only way I can think of to describe it!) into the mountain gorges and then at least 6 hours of challenging whitewater back to the road. You get extensive raft and safety training at the head of the river before commencing your 6 hour descent. A high energy wilderness lunch is supplied. At the end of last season the river was running at least 6 grade 5, 4 grade 4 and 12 grade 3 rapids. We couldn't decide on the grades of the other rapids so I have left them out but you will see that it is a full on day. The rivers can change dramatically as it is a very mobile environment so check with us to confirm the rapid count.
If you would like a grade 5 trip that is not so intense and a bit cheaper then we have one at $525. Still a great, full on Canyon trip but the nature of the river makes it easier to run so we dont need as many back up safety kayaking staff. Book it through this websites shop but tell me you want the less intense trip and you'll only be charged the $525 per person. (Quote code WWWHA)
Or if you really need to save some money and are happy to walk into the river instead of take the helicopter you can save some more money and have a great hiking trip as well. The walk in is fairly easy and will take you around 2 days. The price for this is $345 per person. We still have to fly the rafts in to the top of the river to meet you. We can give you ful instructions on how to do this. (Quote code WWARA)
We like to meet you if possible before the trip so call in at our base in Greymouth (8 Whall Street) or talk to us on the phone once you get to NZ. Prebooking well in advance is essential.
These wilderness canyons
are the home of a family of New Zealand's endangered Blue Torrent Duck.
Torrent ducks live and feed in white water and these ones are being predated
upon by introduced stoats. Part of your rafting fee goes towards supporting
a Blue Duck Recovery program and you may be able to assist in this program
if you wish during the raft trip as the programs activities allow. Your
rafting tour operates in a way that minimises any impact on Blue Ducks
and you will be educated in this before your raft trip.
The walk in option is on the Arahura River and departs from Greymouth at 8:00am & Hokitika at 8:30am
Are you a couple looking for a rafting adventure? Or a single looking for a partner? I recommend this one! Some great fun rafting with stop offs to share relaxation in natural riverside hotpools. Together you will enjoy a fun day out, get as much challenge as you each want, be among beautiful scenery, and in between relax together with a touch of romance in the hotpools with a glass of champagne. There are 3 options to
suit different budgets and the amount of challenge you want. There's also
a choice of raft sizes so that you can increase the fun factor or try the
self guided option. See, feel, taste and touch the rainforest as you take an easy guided walk (about an hour and a half) into the Wanganui River valley to begin your rafting adventure. Some great photo opportunities of massive rainforest trees and Alpine Glaciers and peaks in the background. The walk is easy but rough under foot, crossing two rocky areas. After some safety and raft training you hit the water for a fun rafting trip back to the Main Highway. There are different raft options here. You can do a trip in the larger more stable rafts, go in a smaller boat with more bounce to increase the "fun factor" or you can raft out in a self guided raft. The smaller rafts are great fun and you can enjoy the added challenge of piloting your own boat. Even the self guided rafts will have a certified rafting guide aboard to give you any assistance you may need and to teach you all you need to have a safe and enjoyable rafting adventure. They will also watch over you to ensure your safety. You are on this grade 3 river for about an hour and a half and it finishes up relaxing in hot pools with a glass of champagne when you get off the river. A fun grade 3 river section with 8 rapids to run and the ability to provide some self guiding challenge or be guided if it is your first time. (We carry the smaller boats up the river with us in backpacks). Hot Rock2 - Helicopter-raft-hotpools
combo. This half day (5 hours) grade 3 trip has 2 sets of hot springs to
visit, champagne and a meal. On this trip we helicopter into an open braided
river valley surrounded by alpine scenery. With a stop off at the hotpools
for lunch and more hotpools at the finish with a celebratory bottle of
champagne. About 2 & 1/2 hours 'on-river' time depending on the flow
with over 12 grade 3 rapids and four grade 2 rapids. Hot Rock3 - Helicopter-raft-hotpools combo. This full day grade 4 adventure has 2 lots of hot springs, champagne and meal. We travel further up the river and take in 18 grade 3 rapids and two grade 4 and one grade 5 rapid that we need to scout. This rapid can be walked around for those that do not want to run this more technical 200 meter steep rapid. About 4 hours on river time with a sumptuous lunch 1/2 way at the hotpools and champagne in the hot pools when we get off the river. Note that although we rate this as a grade 4 adventure it has one grade 5 rapid. We call it a grade 4 trip as this is a more realistic rating to help you judge the type of trip you are considering. This wide wilderness valley has beautiful mountain and glacier backdrops and is the home of a family of New Zealand's endangered Blue Torrent Duck. Torrent ducks live and feed in white water and these ones are being predated upon by introduced stoats. Part of your rafting fee goes towards supporting a Blue Duck Recovery program and you may be able to assist in this program if you wish during the raft trip as the programs activities allow. Your rafting tour operates in a way that minimises any impact on Blue Ducks and you will be educated in this before your raft trip. Hot Rock4 - Two Day Hot Rock Heli-rafting Expedition with all meals and champagne. We go even further up the river and camp over night at the hotpools partway down the river. The hotpools can be pretty tough on you as they are rather hard to get out of! It is easy to suddenly find that the time is 3 o'clock in the morning and you haven't got to bed yet! We spend about 4 & 1/2 hours 'on-river' with the rapid count being at least 18 but it does vary from time to time as the top part of the river is braided and changes quite a bit. All Hot
Rock Rafting Departs Hokitika 8:30am, Greymouth 8:00am,
Fox Glacier 7:30am, Franz Josef 8:00am. This trip is located on
the Wanganui River, near Hari Hari, which is one and a half hours drive
north of Franz Josef Glacier or south from Greymouth. it is halfway between
Greymouth and the Glaciers. If you have your own vehicle it is best to
do the trip as you are traveling to or from the Glaciers. This saves you
travel time and we will meet you at the river. If you are traveling south
from Greymouth or Hokitika then you can follow us in your vehicle . If
you need transport we can provide this, let us know where you are staying
and we will pick you up.
Frisco Canyon Heli-raft Greymouth & Hokitika Helicopter and rafting grade 4 combo. This is a half day adventure (5 hours) for those with average fitness who want some challenge but within your comfort zone. Awesome wilderness granite gorges with the rafting a little more relaxed than the grade 5 above. It's still serious whitewater but you get a chance to have a breather now and again. You'll feel the excitement of a helicopter trip in a smaller machine (smaller as we need to land in the gorge) and then raft back out of the mountains through three awesome gorges down the Hokitika River. Helicopter flight time averages 6 minutes during which you cover a lot of country. You'll raft 1 grade 5, 2 grade 4, and 16 grade 3 rapids with some flat drift sections through a stunning gorge. You can walk around some of the rapids if you wish. Your trip includes 3 hours on river rafting time. Your raft trip cost includes all equipment, transport to and from the river with pick up in Greymouth or Hokitika, helicopter flight, rafting adventure, lunch on the river and a $12 6x4 fun souvenir photo of you on your trip.
Remember that rafting on the South Island's West Coast is wilderness rafting. You are not likely to see anyone else and once you start the trip you are committed as the only way out is on the river. Most of the larger rapids we will all get out of the rafts and inspect them to plan our way down and for you to check & be sure you want to raft it. There may some rapids that are portaged if the water levels on the day mean they are too dangerous.
Once you have booked a particular grade of river we reserve the right to change the actual river rafted if we feel that conditions on the day means a different river will give you a better or safer experience. For example, after heavy rain a normally grade 5 river may be to dangerous to raft or it maybe so high that all the rapids are washed out and are no fun, but a normally grade 4 river will be running at a grade 5 so it gives a great grade 5 trip for a few days until its level returns to normal.
Cancellations: Once you are booked, if you do not turn up or if some-one in your group does not go then the credit card you use to make your booking is charged in full. So you need to be sure everyone does want to go. You can cancel outside of 7 days and there is no charge. We advise you to take out travel insurance.
Benefit from the economy of taking two tours in one. This trip has a fun four wheel drive adventure where you get to do some off road driving, or we'll drive if you prefer, plus one and a half hours of intensive full-on fun grade 3 whitewater rafting adventure. The 4x4 trip alone sells for $145 and a similar rafting trip for $135. So on this trip you get $280 of value for $185! Our 4 WD Offroad vehicles will take you on a safari into the heartland of NZ's Southern Alps. We drive in from the highway through heavy native rainforest. When booking, let us know if you would like to do some drivng yourself. Its great fun taking the vehicle across rivers and up through the cattle station. Climbing over mountain foothills, churning through side creeks to the rivers of the Taipo Valley. The "Taipo" refers to a mythical Maori Dragon which was said to live in the area. We pass through a private cattle station and into an area that has a history of gold rushes and early Maori Jade Traders. Experience the contrast between Native rainforest and Alpine Valleys as you ride the trail to the start of your whitewater rafting adventure. This is a fast flowing river of 12 grade 3 rapids and 16 grade 2 so that you have one and a half hours of action plus 15 minutes through a smooth water gorge. This gorge gives you time for a break and to feel the closeness of the rainforest here. The river is braided so you can chose to take the action route or something a little more gentle if you are more tentative with your rafting. We also have a range of boat sizes so you can up your own "fun factor". For adventurers, smaller boats on this grade 3 river gives an exhilarating experience while in the larger boats you will have more confidence while still having a fun adventure. You will raft across NZ's Alpine Faultline and view the staggering power of nature as it twists and bends solid bedrock. As a bonus you can learn about the earths tectonic plates as you actually raft from one plate to the other. You'll also see the effects of the glaciers that passed this way.
Cost $185 pp (US$122). This includes your fourwheel drive mountain truck adventure, and the grade 3 action raft trip with all equipment supplied including footwear. Now as a bonus to show you we really are committed to making sure you feel that you are getting value for money we'll give you free our "Apres Adventure Package" which has a value of $26 consisting of a 6x4 fun souvenir photograph of you on your trip, and back at our base in Greymouth a pleasure spa, free Internet use to send home those photos and check your email, a hot drink or glass of wine or beer and a muffin to top off a great adventure. Note that to claim the free "Apres Adventure Package" you need to be on a trip that returns to our base in Greymouth or make your own way there to uplift and take advantage of what's in the Apres package. Departs Greymouth or Hokitika 8:00am Use raft code WWT when booking.
Also available as a day return trip from Christchurch Rail Station on the Tranz-Alpine Train. Departs daily at 9:00am. Cost $298pp including train fares. Gets back to Christchurch at 6:35pm Click here to email any questions.
A fun rafting adventure for families and first time rafters. Rafting the Arnold River, a grade 2, we pass through podocarp rainforest and farmland for one and a half hours of river fun. On the way learn about the ecology of one of the worlds most fascinating ecosystems and how it influences life on our planet. This river is suitable for a range of boat sizes so that again you can choose your own "fun factor" here. The smaller boats have more bounce to increase the fun while if you are more tentative about your rafting then the larger rafts will give you more confidence as a beginner while still having a fun time. If you want to increase the "fun factor" and throw in some challenge as well then try a self guided raft! Full training is given and you are under the supervision of expert raft guides at all times. This is a good trip for families and people who would like to go rafting but are not too sure how they will handle rafting. You'll learn river safety, boat paddle commands and gain the confidence to tackle bigger water.
The trip finishes with a hot pleasure spa back at our base. Departs from Greymouth at 9:00am & 2:00pm. Allow 3 & a half hours. Use raft code WWA when booking. Price is $160 per person and includes our $26 "Apres Adventure Package" consisting of a pleasure spa, a hot drink or glass of wine or beer and a muffin to top off a great adventure. And you are welcome to use our email computers for as long as you like to say hello to friends back home.
Click here to email any questions.
What should I bring and what does the rafting company supply Here are some suggestions as to what you should bring
Here is what the Wild West Adventure Company supplies to you. Our aim is to keep you warm, safe and comfortable on your trip. If you have any special requirements then please let us know. We are here to help and to make this great fun experience for you.
Please email us if you would like to discuss these activities. |
How
do I know if I'm going to have enough fun? In the trips below you
will find a full description of exactly what you will get on your rafting
adventure, with the number of rapids, their grades and paddling type so
that you can choose the intensity of river that you are comfortable with.
Our company also has different boat sizes you can use so that you can
choose your own adventure "fun factor". The smaller boats have
more bounce so the adventure level is higher from that river. You get
exactly the right amount of adventure for you. Now, because we raft 8
rivers, on the day of your trip if we do not think the river is as good
or as safe as it could be we are able to advise you to change to a different
river on that day. This means that with our company you are much more
likely to get a river trip that has the amount of fun you want. 
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