Extreme white water rafting in Rotorua, New Zealand: down a 7 meters waterfall!

Extreme white water rafting New Zealand

One of the best activities to do when in New Zealand, is to go white water rafting... and in Rotorua, to ride a 7 meters high waterfall, the world's highest drop in a commercially rafted river!

Kaitiaki rafting adventures

To be sure to have a great experience, book with Kaitiaki Adventures, a local company that offers an amazing - and totally secure - white water rafting tour.

I started by going to a meeting point near my AirBNB accommodation, at a hotel, where they would pick me up to take me to the white water rafting Rotorua location, a bit out of town and not reachable by foor.

The day was very rainy, at least in the morning, and I rushed to get to the hotel and hide myself from the pouring rain.

After a while, with a short delay that was quickly communicated by email by the team, the shuttle bus arrived, and took us to the location.

We had a bit of time to introduce each other, after what the common rafting security speech and demonstration started.

We then all got our equipment, which was more than complete: it included wet suit, boots, life jacket, a kind of water sweater, a helmet, and of course a paddle.

After a short trip in the bus, we reached the rafting location, where we divided ourselves in two groups, each of them in one raft, and we went in the water.

Getting comfortable in the water with about 10 to 20 minutes of laid back rafting, we started to ride down some drops on the rapids, and all got to have fun!

Despite the weather not so warm, none of us got cold, and we all enjoyed the splashing waters that we were riding on in our extreme white water rafting trip... until we reached the main attraction!

Getting closer to the famoud 7 meters high waterfall, the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall, we first stopped before.

As it might be dangerous due to the possibility of capsizing, we got again some security recommandations, before getting the signal to start the ride.

One... Two... three... and we are suddenly going down a 7 meters high waterfall, on a raft!

The experience is amazing, and none of us actually fell in the white water rapids.

Everybody was ecstatic after this amazing experience.

We moved to the side of the waterfall, and stopped to take the time to watch the other raft doing the same as us.

They nearly capsized, and one of the crew members actually fell in the water.

Not a big issue though, as the team reached to him and took him back in the raft.

After the huge drop, the remaining part of the rafting trip seemed mostly quiet, but the team of Kaitiaki Adventures managed to make up some fun water activities, also great for pictures taken by the company!

We stopped in front of a smaller water rapids, and paddles toward it, therefore getting the full water right in our face.

One after the other, we all got to enjoy this fun activity, and all in all had an amazing time.

Getting back to the base camp, some of us decided to contine the fun in town, by having a beer at the Pig&Whistle bar.

Cheapest white water rafting New Zealand

The best way to get the cheapest rate for the most extreme white water rafting in New Zealand, close to Rotorua, is to try to get a deal on the bookme.co.nz website, which offers deals for the tours in Oceania, not only in New Zealand.

It can be as cheap as NZ$54.5, but of course depends on the exact booking - the standard price being NZ$109, which still is a good price paid for such an exciting adventure with a great professional team around.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the white water rafting experience in Rotorua unique, especially the descent down a 7-meter waterfall?

The rafting experience in Rotorua is unique due to its challenging rapids and the thrilling descent down the 7-meter Tutea Falls, the highest commercially raftable waterfall in the world.