Queenstown and Jet Boating

Now I don’t want to start this blog off by saying FINALLY WE ARE GOING TO QUEENSTOWN, but well I just did… I mean really even though it is just another city, it is the adventure capital of New Zealand from what we had heard and we were definitely going to get our fill of adrenaline filled activities whilst there.

After arriving in town we first went to check out the centre and get some lunch. We had heard it was a must to visit FergBurger whilst in town, so we went there. We firstly waited in a very long line that went out the shop door and down the street. We then ordered a burger each and waited. It didn’t take very long and once they were ready we went across the road and sat in the park. Now they were giant sized burgers and tasted alright, but really they were nothing special. I know every New Zealander probably hates me saying it, but we have better burgers in Australia, more specifically Alfred’s Kitchen in WA. Get yourself there if you are in the state, seriously that’s a burger to queue for.

Anyways after our lunch it was time for the first adventure, Jet Boating!

We had done some investigating and located the ‘best’ jet boat company in Queenstown; Shotover Jet Boating. They operated on the Shotover River and were the only company that operated there, they were also the longest jet tour in regards to time in the water. So as you can imagine we were stoked! In addition to these details, we were also able to book over the phone without paying, enabling us to pay when we got there, or if we were late or needed to cancel, we could call up within a few hours prior and cancel without any cost. We didn’t cancel but it was a nice easy process we found useful.

We drove ourselves there and being a little eager, arrived about an hour before our turn. Not to worry though, we were able to walk down to the boat dock, see the famous bridge that many have seen in YouTube and Facebook videos, and watched another tour take off.

Our excitement was just a little too much for the time we had to wait but we made it thankfully!

Once our time came, we checked in and donned our protective gear. That involved a black watcher proof coat, which was advertised to be full body but really only covered up to Bob and Alex’s thigh’s, a life jacket that would have been too big for Leonne and I, and some super un-stylish see through glasses that only Leonne and I grabbed. We definitely looked awesome don’t you think?!

Ready to go, we just waited for the rest of the passengers to arrive. We were joined by a very large group of Portuguese nonna’s and they couldn’t be cuter! They all posed in a big grup for pictures and then given there were so many of them they had to be divided into two boats. They were asked if they wanted to go in the fast or slow boat, the fast one being the boat we would  be jumping into.

With everyone settled into their seats, and Leonne and I donning the front of the boat with the driver the tour began!

It began with some showing off, some twirls and water splashing. But that was really nothing compared to then the rest of the tour. We went in a few different directions up and down the river, all the while with the driver getting more than comfortably close to the edge of cliffs and giant rocks, as well as doing some EPIC 360° turns.

Now Leonne had been seated closest to the side of the boat, and after the first close encounter with a cliff face she let out a very amazing and loud scream. This got the drivers attention and from then on, he made it his priority to get close to the cliff on her side of the boat. It’s only fair really don’t you think?!

Either way, her screams were enjoyed by everyone, including her I believe.

Throughout the tour our guide also stopped on occasion to explain the process of learning to drive the boats and the rules they had whilst on the river. After all the boat was driving through very small amounts of water at times and it all came down to driver capabilities.

At the end of the tour we were so high on excitement, adrenaline and screaming, but we also thoroughly enjoying learning a little more about the skill that goes into the activity.

We would definitely go again and definitely recommend anyone to give it a try when they are in New Zealand!

After our tour we watched another tour complete part of the circuit, taking pictures just to showcase what we had done for future reference.

The rest of our first day in Queenstown was spent cooking in our hotel apartment and vegging out on the couch watching TV. After all the next day contained some terrifying and exhilarating activities that would require some relaxed bodies.

And there is more to come…

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