New Zealand

Waiatoto River Journey (Grade 2-3)

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3 Day - Makarora to Haast

While all our multi-day New Zealand river rafting trips are special, the Waiatoto River Rafting New Zealand trip is extra special. So significant in fact, that the Department of Conservation (DOC) limits the number of people each year who are able to access the hanging basins, the cascading waterfalls and the steep sided valleys that you'll experience. Taking part in a Waiatoto river rafting trip is something very few people get to do and certainly one of the best ways to truly soak up the unspoiled magic and untouched world of this valley. Feel special, feel privileged.

With the majestic backdrop of Mount Aspiring National Park surrounding it, the Waiatoto drains the Volta Glacier on the Western side of Mount Aspiring, then travels for over 40 km out to the ocean, below the township of Haast on the beautiful and wild west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

The Waiatoto trip is one of our more remote trips and the river is seldom rafted, increasing the sense of awe and wonderment that you'll experience. Beginning with a stunning flight in over the majestic mountains of the Mount Aspiring National Park, we begin our journey with some challenging rapids (grade 4-5), but follow these with some seriously calm water in which to drift and take in the untouched, spectacular wilderness ... big water falls that drain the high hanging valleys that surround you. Deep in the heart of South Westland, removed from any sign of civilisation, life regains its perspective as you revel in the best that nature has to provide.

Suggested Itinerary

The day before departure, travel to Makarora and stay the night so that you're nice and close: ready for the start of your amazing river journey. Makarora is approximately 45 mins drive from Wanaka and 1 hour from Haast on the West Coast of the South Island.

Day 1

Begin your journey with a stunning flight into the mouth of the Drake River, where water cascades over big rock slabs into a deep pool and where you'll find one of the nicest camp sites you'll ever see, and one of the most peaceful. Once there, you can paddle, walk, swim or fish the afternoon away, waiting for your guides to prepare your sensational evening dining experience.

Day 2

Raft through a gorge of exhilarating white water stretches in the morning. In the afternoon, paddle through some long, serene, flat stretches of water, interspersed with some boulder-choked rapids, until you reach camp at one of the many great, grassy river flats you pass. Relax and stretch out in the last rays of the day's sun, as your hosts prepare an awesome meal.

Day 3

Begin your day with a couple of good, big rapids before a scenic and tranquil paddle out to the bridge, where you arrive around mid-afternoon at the road bridge south of Haast, the finish point of your unforgettable journey. Relax, confident and content in the knowledge that you're one of the very few people ever to raft the Waiatoto.

Look to stay the night in spectacular Wanaka, or travel north up the West Coast to either Fox Glacier or Franz Joseph Glacier, just a couple of hours away.

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