Wairoa River Rafting

Wairoa River Rafting

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Take on the mighty Wairoa River in an adrenaline pumping rafting expedition you’ll never forget!

The Grade 5 Wairoa River 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 

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Wairoa River rafting with Kaituna Cascades

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 2022/23 are:

September 2022  None
 October 2022 Sunday 2, 16, 30
 November 2022 Sunday 13, 20, 27
 December 2022  Sunday 4, 11, 18
 January 2023  Sunday 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
 February 2023  Sunday 5, 12, 19, 25, 26
 March 2023  Sunday 5, 12, 19, 26
 April 2023  Sunday 2, 16, 30
 May 2023  Sunday None

Check in Time

9.30am - meeting at the river or return transport available from Rotorua leaving at 8.30am.

Duration

Allow 5 hours (leaving from Rotorua) or 3 hours meeting at the river - with around 2 hours on the river.

Availability

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.

Location

The river is located just outside Tauranga at 1378 highway 29, 15 minutes from Tauranga or 50 minutes from Rotorua.

Conditions

13+ years only. Basic swimming skills are required. NOT SUITABLE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. Maximum weight is 120kgs - must be fit and healthy.

We Provide

The best guides on the river, custom built rafts, wetsuits, helmets, lifejackets, paddles, fleece tops, wetsuit booties, and splash jackets.

Price Includes

Transport available - but self driving is recommended.

What to bring

Swimwear, Shorts & Towel. We are GoPro friendly, feel free to bring yours along. Please bring a chest harness for your GoPro.

Minimum Numbers

This tour requires a total of 4 people to go ahead.

Gallery

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