Heart of Adventure
We’re in Queenstown, heart of adventure in New Zealand. Exactly what I love. Everything that has to do with speed, adrenaline and adventure sounds fun to me. We got a few things booked in Queenstown and one of it is the Shotover Jet.
The shotover River is the famous river that runs through Queenstown. The river has carved out a gorgeous canyon over thousands of years by the fast flowing water. There’s tons of activities to do there. Activities vary from kayaking to bungee jumping, from rafting to Jet boating, like we’re going to do.
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Preparing for take off
We’re staying in Queenstown centre but there's a shuttle bus taking us to the river which is included in the package deal. One less thing to worry about :).
It’s a bit of a rainy day but that doesn’t really matter luckily. We’ll get wet anyway! Once we arrive at the river we get raincoats and protective glasses to protect our eyes from the water splashing in. So charming!
Beast boat
I’m thrilled to go in the boat, feeling the 700 horsepower underneath me, the V8 engine warming up to take us for a spin. It actually kinda feels like you’re in a little cart, drifting corners, or when you’re in your car drifting on ice or snow. I’m sad I can’t do it myself and take over the wheel, but that’s probably a bad idea anyway. The driver (Mike) of the boat knows every little bump/stone/turn in the river, knows exactly how far the rocks are sticking out onto the water and how close he can go to the walls in the gorge.
We gotta hold on tight when Mike spins us around in a 360 and everyone in the boat gives ‘oohs and aahs’. We blast trough the Gorge and sometimes my heart skips a beat when we’re getting so close to the rocks, with up to 90 km/h. I know we’re in good hands though, and I like the adrenaline.
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Views for days
Besides the adren
aline I’m super impressed by the gorge. Mike takes us under the famous, epic Edith Cavell bridge that crosses the canyon. It looks spectacular from underneath. Also the rock formations are beautiful. The canyon winds, turns, and beautiful blue water rushes through it. I wish it was sunny out today!
Mike tells us how the tours always run, throughout the whole year, even in the middle of winter when everything is frozen and minus I don’t know how many degrees. I can’t imagine doing this with minus 15, but I guess excitement keeps you warm?! And also the hand rails on the boat…they’re heated! Smart little detail.
What I do imagine though, what a winter wonderland it must be during winter. Imagine everything around you being white and frozen, except for the water the boat takes you on… pretty cool I’d say!
Ah well, the activity lasts for about 20 minutes but it’s definitely one that wakes you up and gives you a boost for the rest of the day. We’re pumped!
Wanna get your adrenaline pumping as well? Check out our adrenaline activities now!
