Take on the mighty Wairoa River in an adrenaline pumping rafting expedition you’ll never forget!
The Grade 5 Wairoa River rafting is renowned for having some of the best white water action in New Zealand. Kaituna Cascades run the whole of the river including the bottom three rapids and the lower waterfall!
After a good safety talk and a few light jokes, your into it. A few small waves and the first rapid “Humpty Dumpty” will have you nicely warmed up – before heading straight into ‘Mothers Nightmare’ which has a technical grade 4 rock garden entrance followed closely by a sweet 2 meter waterfall.
Then the action doesn’t really slow down for the next hour or two !
Experience the thrill of ‘The Rollercoaster’ – a long hard and violently fun staircase of whitewater that will get even the hardest of souls going. Feel the rush of ‘The Waterfall’ which has an awesome 3 meter drop into a churning pool of white water! And then continue down through the rest of the Wairoa Rivers amazing boulder-strewn rock canyon in a combination of awesome grade 3 & 4 rapids and waterfalls.
There are also 2 optional cliff jumps for those that just want more adrenaline….!
The Wairoa has it all – come check it out for yourself
Also please note – This is an exciting grade 5 rafting experience and is NOT suited for older or bigger people, or people that aren’t comfortable in the water. We have a weight limit of 120 kgs.
PLEASE NOTE:
The power company only release water on certain Sundays, 26 days a year over the Spring/Summer/Autumn period for us to go rafting. SO GET IN QUICK
The Flow dates for 2025/26 are:
| September 2025 | Sunday 28 |
| October 2025 | Sunday 12, 26 |
| November 2025 | Sunday 9, 23 |
| December 2025 | Sunday 7, 14, 21, 28 |
| January 2026 | Sunday 4, 11, 18, 25 |
| February 2026 | Sunday 1, 8, 14/15, 22 |
| March 2026 | Sunday 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 |
| April 2026 | Sunday 5, 12, 19 |
| May 2026 | None |
9.30am - meeting at the river or return transport available from Rotorua leaving at 8.30am.
Allow 5 hours (leaving from Rotorua) or 3 hours meeting at the river - with around 2 hours on the river.
Due to Wairoa being dam release, this combo tour only runs 26 days per year, every Sunday during summer months, with some Spring and Autumn releases too.
The river is located just outside Tauranga at 1376 highway 29, 15 minutes from Tauranga or 50 minutes from Rotorua.
Age 13 - 65 years. Swimming skills are required. NOT SUITABLE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN or THOSE WITH HEART CONDITIONS. MAXIMUN WEIGHT is 120kgs - must be fit and healthy.
The best guides on the river, custom built rafts, wetsuits, helmets, lifejackets, paddles, fleece tops, wetsuit booties, and splash jackets.
Transport available - but self driving is recommended.
Swimwear, Shorts & Towel. We are GoPro friendly, feel free to bring yours along. Please bring a chest harness for your GoPro.
This tour requires a total of 4 people to go ahead.
Cole and the team were really great. 3rd time doing it. Will be back for more. The instructor made the experience one to remember!
