Jet boat in Queenstown
It's too bad Good Friday was a drizzly day. Queenstown is a real jewel, but a drizzly backdrop doesn't set it off to advantage. It's not quite like Banff since Queenstown bustles with a myriad of activities. If there's anything you want to do, you can probably do it here.
We watched paragliders drift down from the top of Skyline, where we ate last night and watched the Maoria performance. By the way, that 10 minute float down in a parachute will set you back $185. You can do lots of stuff, but you'll pay dearly for it.
One couple at our B & B took a white-water rafting trip.
We splurged on the jet boat trip, which cost $85 each but it was an hour long and well worth every dollar. We left ont he 3:00 o'clock boat since the drizzle had stopped for about an hour and the clouds were lifting so it looked promising. Despite this, we did bundle up in our rain jackets and that was a good thing since the jet boat sped along at 60 kph. With the life jackets over our windbreakers, we were comfy if not warm. The handrails are heated, and I was grateful for that.
As we took off, Hans had a face-splitting grin. This grin remained fixed for the entire hour, except for the times when he whooped out loud.
Our driver instructed us in the beginning that when he did a twirly thing with his arm, it meant he was going to do a doughnut with the boat. That means spinning 360 degrees going near full throttle. The boat kicks up a hell of a rooster tail! Incredibly, we didn't get drenched once when he did it, just a few sprinkles. And he did it many, many times. On the way back, the boat hit 85 kph and the doughnuts were correspondingly spectactular.
The Kawarau River is a braided river. This means that there are many areas where there are visible sand and gravel shoals which are only submerged during flood. The rest of the time the river finds little pathways here and there, giving it a braided appearance. Since the jet boat only needs 4" of water to operate, it's perfect for this type of river.
He did say not to worry if we heard gravel scraping the bottom. "Don't worry, it's no big deal. It's not my boat".
We came back chilled but smiling and happy.
We watched paragliders drift down from the top of Skyline, where we ate last night and watched the Maoria performance. By the way, that 10 minute float down in a parachute will set you back $185. You can do lots of stuff, but you'll pay dearly for it.
One couple at our B & B took a white-water rafting trip.
We splurged on the jet boat trip, which cost $85 each but it was an hour long and well worth every dollar. We left ont he 3:00 o'clock boat since the drizzle had stopped for about an hour and the clouds were lifting so it looked promising. Despite this, we did bundle up in our rain jackets and that was a good thing since the jet boat sped along at 60 kph. With the life jackets over our windbreakers, we were comfy if not warm. The handrails are heated, and I was grateful for that.
As we took off, Hans had a face-splitting grin. This grin remained fixed for the entire hour, except for the times when he whooped out loud.
Our driver instructed us in the beginning that when he did a twirly thing with his arm, it meant he was going to do a doughnut with the boat. That means spinning 360 degrees going near full throttle. The boat kicks up a hell of a rooster tail! Incredibly, we didn't get drenched once when he did it, just a few sprinkles. And he did it many, many times. On the way back, the boat hit 85 kph and the doughnuts were correspondingly spectactular.
The Kawarau River is a braided river. This means that there are many areas where there are visible sand and gravel shoals which are only submerged during flood. The rest of the time the river finds little pathways here and there, giving it a braided appearance. Since the jet boat only needs 4" of water to operate, it's perfect for this type of river.
He did say not to worry if we heard gravel scraping the bottom. "Don't worry, it's no big deal. It's not my boat".
We came back chilled but smiling and happy.
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