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  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  Seriously one of the best experiences to do in NZ, tourists and fellow kiwis alike. I’ve been wanting to raft Kaituna for years and it totally lived up to all... read more

    Kate
    July 1, 2021

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  The energy of the guides combined with the natural beauty of surroundings made for a brilliant experiance for our entire group of 40. For teenagers to switch off their... read more

    griff316
    April 11, 2021

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Fantastic trip for our mixed family group of all ages - such good fun, great guides, gear and experience. Highly recommended

    Stupot_7
    April 23, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Such an awesome experience! Blue was a professional who knew what he was doing, and made the whole trip awesome and fun! Couldn’t recommend Blue and his team enough! Will... read more

    TRidsdale
    April 1, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Excellent experience! Definitely recommend to anyone. It was my first time rafting and the guys at Kaituna Cascades made it super easy for me to understand as well as have... read more

    Kirito20224
    July 23, 2022

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  So much fun! Guides Blue, Rob and Pete were very knowledgable and always put our safety first, but made sure we had heaps of fun rafting too. Such an adrenaline... read more

    shermocilla
    June 1, 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

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  What an amazing experience. Highly recommend to do it, what a rush.
    Best part was the whole trip!! Hehehe
    Blue and Pete were amazing who guided us throughout.... read more

    Sonavane_Aarti03
    May 28, 2021

  • tripadvisor stars 5 - Frequently Asked Questions  Had awesome time on the river for the first time. Hamish was down to earth guide who made sure we had a great experience. Thank you so much Hamish and... read more

    V4516ZFpb
    April 20, 2022
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