Frequently Asked Questions

Conditions - Age & weight limits (Max & min)

On our Grade 5 rafting trips you must be 13+ years or older – There is also a half river Grade 3 option available for 10 – 12 year old’s at $80pp.

There is no maximum age however you must be fit, healthy, active and flexible with no major health issues.

This is NOT SUITABLE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN.

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. There is no minimum weight limit

People must be fit and healthy.

Rafting in the Rain

Rafting in the rain is the best wet weather activity ever – Your gonna get wet anyways!

The Kaituna River drains the two big lakes in the area, Rotorua and Rotoiti & is dam controlled at the source. This means the flows are regulated and man controlled so even after hard rain the river will normally still be the same flow (the lakes just fill up a bit…).

In the event of a flood – we will contact everyone and 100% refunds are given.

See you here singing in the rain

What to bring ?

You just need to bring your swimwear, shorts, and a towel. We will provide you with the rest of the gear which will include wetsuits, fleece tops, wetsuit booties, and splash jackets depending on the weather conditions. Our life jackets, helmets, and paddles are the best you can buy and are are provided to everyone.

We also rent/sell the following

We also rent towels for $5
GoPro strap rental – $5
And you can buy Glasser straps to keep for $5 also
Digital Photo’s of your tour – $40

Do I need experience?

No experience on your part is necessary as full and comprehensive training will be given. You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness, and a sense of adventure.

Do I need to know how to swim to go White Water Rafting?

Ideally you will know how to swim, but it’s not necessary. Our life jackets are also to the highest industry standard.

How do we capture our adventure?

A professional photographer will be taking photos along the way, and photos are available by the raft full for an additional charge. We are GoPro friendly, if you have one feel free to bring it along. Please bring a chest mount or alternatively we have a limited few chest mounts at our base to rent out.

Just watching?

Kaituna Cascades is located right next to the Okere Falls scenic reserve and the Okere Falls walking track. Stretch your legs and watch the rafts tumble over the falls. You can walk with our photographer to the two viewing platforms before walking back to our base. The walk will take you around 30 minutes.

How are our rafts designed?

Kaituna Cascades designs and hand builds custom rafts specifically for running the big waterfalls on the Kaituna. All our rafts are self bailers with three thwarts and, exclusively to us, we had handles built into the floor to help us keep you safely in the raft.

I am travelling solo can I join others on a trip?

Yes, we have many different types of bookings for each tour ranging from bookings for 1 person to group bookings. You will be in a raft with up to 6 others and have plenty of opportunity to make new friends.

How safe is this experience? - Health & Safety

We are taking all precautionary safety measures to give you a safe (and amazing) trip down our iconic Kaituna River, Wairoa & Rangitaiki Rivers. However River Rafting is an adventure activity with a degree of risk which increases with the grade of rapids. Rafts can capsize, and people may fall out of the raft in fast flowing & violent water, people may be injured.

The Kaituna & Wairoa River’s are class 5 rivers and both have waterfalls and hard rapids.
Grade 5 = Very difficult rapids, High-powerful-irregular waves, difficult to negotiate, the extreme for commercial operations. This said – The Kaituna river is an amazing river & is normally good for most fit and healthy people”

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.

PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT KAITUNA CASCADES CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY.

Layer 2@1X 1 - Frequently Asked Questions

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Awesome rafting with Kaituna Cascades! We had so much fun and our guide Sir Cole was so informative we felt so secure throughout the whole adventure👍🏻

    Jhean
    February 1, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Bloody awesome experience. Blue and the boys were great, taught us about the area and made sure we had as much fun as possible. Would definitely recommend this trip, great... read more

    danielpE1762NJ
    May 16, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Best you could do in Rotorua if you had to pick just one activity! Packed with action and scenic view. The best part, other than dropping down from the water... read more

    Jerry L
    February 1, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Most amazing experience ever, very professional people, will definitely recommend this to anyone. Great team, briefing and photos

    lezanim
    January 1, 1970

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Highly recommend it. 100% safe and fun. A must do activity. No need to know swimming just trust your guide/mentor

    poojas870
    July 10, 2021

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  We had a great time rafting with this group! Pete was our guide and he was non-stop entertainment while we were in the boat. The whole operation was... read more

    S4293OKchrisc
    September 27, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Me and 4 of my crew, went to this rafting company and it was the best I’ve ever experienced, the 7meter drop! It was all a blast, I’d like to... read more

    John Doh
    January 1, 1970

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  An exciting white water rafting experience in a beautiful native forest setting near Rotorua. Rob was a fun great guide.

    chillybin69
    April 12, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  What a fantastic day, took my teenage daughter who was a little fearful, but the expert guides made her feel comfortable and well informed. This was the second time I've... read more

    mrbengray
    May 14, 2021

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  This was an extremely fun activity!! My biggest fear was that the water was going to be too cold but that wasn't the case. And even the wetsuits provided were... read more

    Chufina
    May 8, 2022
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