Jet Boating Shotover, Queenstown, NZ

No trip to Queenstown, New Zealand is complete without a few adrenalin inducing adeventures in between the fabulous wines and kiwi brews. Upon getting to Queentown after a drive from Christchurch, we decided the Shotover Jet would be the thrill ride of the day. We heard so much about the jet boats from anyone who ever went to Queenstown. And our Concierge said the Shotover Jet is the BEST, so we signed up for a mid day flight, I mean ride, on the Shotover River. I was much more at ease knowing the Shotover name came from the river, and not the way we would be hurled over the rapids and through the river canyons.

The Shotover Jet is the only company licensed to operate on the Shotover River. Since 1970, over 2 million people have experienced Shotover Jet. The excitement built quite quickly as we waited in the lobby of the ticket office in downtown Queenstown. As they time got close, we would line up for the 10 minute bus ride over to the dock and their facilities on the river. When they called our time slot, we started feeling a little dry in the throat. The boats, called Big Red, are designed specifically for the Shotover River canyons. Each of the seven boats can carry 14 passengers, at speeds up to 85 Km/Hr, in as little as 10 cm of water! And to top it off, Big Red can do 360 degree spins on a dime. It is powered by 2 Buick V6 engines that power 2 Hamilton 212 jet units with a thrust of 400 liters of water per second each.
Only ten pilots are licensed to do this in the entire universe. They have a minimum of 120 hours of training on the river before taking any passengers. Phil, our Kiwi pilot, seemed to have that typical demonic smile and smirk as we started out. When he hit the accelerator, we held onto the safety bar until our knuckles were white. He quickly did a 360 in front of the waiting crowd, as we smiled for photos. Not more than a minute later, we are whizzing by rock outcroppings, racing through the narrow slot canyons, and doing a slalom around the huge boulders in the river.
As we finally got more comfortable, we snapped some photos, and started talking, or should I say, screaming. Our ponchos issued by Shotover kept us semi dry, but by now, we could care less. We wanted him to go faster, and make more 360's. He laughed as he created water sprays with his wake, and turned our boat into them with a 360. They say it wakes up dormant biochemical pathways in order to refresh, relieve stress, and heal. One more thrill was his ability to skim over very shallow water, providing an additional jolt to our already adrenalin ravaged bodies. Once back on shore, we wanted to do it again.
This is a must do, no matter who you are, or how old you feel. We saw a young woman who was a paraplegic, loaied onto the boat behind us. If she can do it, I know you can too.

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