Lake only
The lake spin
Shortest start
- Length30 min to 1 hr
- WaterLake Wakatipu
- Height ruleNone
Your group, priced
Queenstown jet boat price, ride by ride
Jet boat ride on the lake, the Kawarau and the Shotover, 1 hour
★ 4.8 · 1,959 reviews total
Compare 4 alternatives
Work out the jet boat bill
Set your group size and the calculator multiplies each ride’s starting fare.
- Our river ride1 hour · per person, from $87
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View - Lake jet rideLake only · per person, from $64
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View - Canyon rideArthurs Point · per person, from $117
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View - Skippers CanyonHalf a day · per person, from $123
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View
Currency conversion uses the ECB reference rate on GetYourGuide from-prices. The exact price is displayed when you book.
The Queenstown jet boat price depends on where the boat goes and for how long. Here are the starting fares, the family deals and the small extras that change the bill.
Editorial team, queenstownjetboat.quest · Updated November 8, 2026 · Reading: 8 min
The essentials
- Our river rideFrom $87 for 1 hour on the lake and both rivers, with 1,959 reviews.
- Cheapest startA lake jet ride starts from $64 for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Canyon rideThe Shotover canyons start from $117, about 25 minutes on the water.1
- FamiliesKJet sells a family fare of NZD 397 for 2 adults and 2 children.2,3,4
- Free cancellingOur ride refunds you in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead.
What the ride on this site costs and includes
The jet boat ride booked through this site starts from $87 on GetYourGuide and lasts 1 hour. That Queenstown jet boat price covers a run across Lake Wakatipu and up the Kawarau and Shotover rivers, with 360-degree spins and a top speed of 95 km/h, over 45 km of water. The boats have heated handrails and run rain or shine, every day of the year.
The listing scores 4.7 from 1,959 reviews, guides at 4.9 and value at 4.6. Nothing is paid at booking, and a cancellation made 24 hours or more before the ride brings a full refund. On a trip where wind, rain or a late flight can rearrange a day, that flexibility is worth as much as a small discount elsewhere.
Boarding is on the town waterfront, at the Main Town Pier. If you are staying out at Frankton or on the lakefront, ask about a pickup from the marina or a hotel jetty, offered by prior arrangement when there is space. Treat the starting figure as the minimum: your date, option and party size settle the total once you open the booking box. If you are staying out at Frankton, ask about the marina boarding when you book, since it saves a bus or taxi into town before the ride.
Side by side
Queenstown jet rides by starting fare
| Ride | From | Length | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our river ride | $87 | 1 hour | 1,959 |
| Lake jet ride | $64 | 30 minutes - 1 hour | 218 |
| Canyon ride | $117 | 25 minutes - 1.5 hours | 1,605 |
| Skippers Canyon | $123 | 3 hours | 775 |
| Shark boat | $105 | 15 minutes | 62 |
| Dart River | $187 | 2 - 4 hours | 154 |
Starting fares only: your date, option and party size change the total.
How much is jet boating in Queenstown, ride by ride
How much is jet boating in Queenstown? It depends far more on the kind of ride than on the season. The lowest starting fare in our table belongs to a lake jet boat, from $64 for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The town ride on this site sits next, from $87. A 15-minute jet sprint session starts from $88.
The canyon ride at Arthurs Point starts from $117. Its operator puts the time on the water at about 25 minutes, so the price buys narrow rock walls rather than distance.1 Skippers Canyon by jet boat costs from $123 and takes 3 hours, most of it spent on the road into the canyon and back.
Above those sit the wilderness trips. The Dart River jet boat from Glenorchy starts from $187 and runs 2 to 4 hours, depending on whether you drive yourself or take the transfer. The shark-shaped boat on the lake is a short burst instead: 15 minutes from $105. Set side by side, these fares show a simple pattern. The price climbs with the remoteness of the water and the hours of transport around it, not with the speed of the boat, so decide first how many hours of your day the river should take.
Adult, child and family fares at the operators
The operators also publish their own fares in New Zealand dollars, including GST.4 KJet, whose yellow boats leave the Main Town Pier, lists NZD 159 for an adult and NZD 79 for a child.9,10,4 Its child fare covers ages 5 to 14, and the 2 to 4 year olds go free, held on an adult’s knee.8 Those are the fares at the counter; a platform listing shows its own starting price in your currency, and the booking box works out the total for the ages you enter.
At the canyon base, Shotover Jet lists NZD 199 for an adult and NZD 109 for a child, valid for travel up to 30 September 2027.11,12 Its child fares run from age 5 to 15, and adult fares begin at 16.13 Children under 5 travel free there if they reach the 1 metre height line.14 Teenagers are the group that catches families out: a 15-year-old still pays the child fare at the canyon, while at the town pier the child band stops at 14.13,8
Both sell a family pass. KJet charges NZD 397 for 2 adults and 2 children, and the same pass also works for 2 adults with a single child.2,15 Shotover Jet charges NZD 507 for 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 to 15, which it says saves NZD 109 on its regular fares.16,17 Compare those totals with the per-person fares before you book separate tickets.
Pick by budget
Which jet ride fits your wallet
Choose the thing you care about most; the matching ride sits beside it.
If I want the lowest fare
The lake jet ride
It starts from $64 for 30 minutes to 1 hour on the lake.
If I want the most water for my money
The ride on this site
An hour and 45 km on the lake and both rivers, from $87.
If I want rock walls inches away
The canyon ride
It starts from $117 and runs the Shotover canyons at Arthurs Point.
If We are a family with toddlers
A KJet family fare
Children aged 2 to 4 ride free there, on a parent or caregiver lap.8
If I have a whole day
Skippers or the Dart River
Skippers takes 3 hours from $123; the Dart River starts from $187.
Three budgets
A quick spin, the full hour or the canyon
Town pier
The river hour
The ride on this site
- Length1 hour
- WaterLake and rivers
- BoardingTown pier
Canyon
The canyon run
Rock walls close up
- LengthAbout 25 min afloat
- WaterShotover canyons
- Height rule1 m minimum
Deals, promo codes and where to book
Genuine savings exist, but they come from the operators and they change. KJet currently takes $30 off adult fares booked ahead at selected times, with limited seats.20 It also takes $10 off the 10am adult ride and adds a hot drink and a cookie, valid for travel until 10 December 2026.19 Offers like these come and go with the season, so check the operator’s specials page in the week you travel rather than trusting a code you found months earlier.
Be wary of promo-code sites promising more. Shotover Jet states that its price is the same wherever you book.21 Booking through a platform such as GetYourGuide mainly changes the terms around the fare: the listing on this site lets you reserve now, pay later and cancel free until 24 hours before. That matters more than a few dollars in a town where the lake can turn grey and windy within an afternoon, and where travellers often shuffle activities around the weather.
Booking direct has its own rules. KJet adds a 2% fee when you pay by credit card, and a no-show or a cancellation inside 24 hours is not refunded.18,22 If KJet itself cancels for weather, you choose between a new time and a full refund.23 Read the terms of whichever route you pick, since they decide what happens on a stormy morning.
Where the money goes
From booking to the last spin
At booking
Reserve, pay later
Hold a seat from $87 without paying today.
Before the day
Free cancellation
A full refund if you cancel 24 hours ahead or more.
At the pier
Optional poncho
KJet sells an eco-poncho for $7 if you forgot a waterproof.5
On the water
The ride itself
An hour, 45 km and 360-degree spins on the lake and rivers.
Back on shore
Photos and video
Every KJet ride is filmed, and the clips are for sale.6
The Queenstown jet boat cost beyond the ticket
The Queenstown jet boat cost has a few small extras around it. KJet does not hand out spray jackets: bring your own waterproof, or buy an eco-poncho at the pier for $7.5 Every KJet ride is filmed and photographed, and the pictures and clips are sold afterwards, so decide on the spot whether you want them.6
Getting there costs nothing extra on the town ride, since it boards in the middle of Queenstown. The canyon base is 7 km out of the centre at Arthurs Point, and parking there is free.24 Shotover Jet runs a complimentary shuttle from the Station Building for selected departures, so a car is optional there too.25 Bring small change for a hot drink afterwards: in winter the cold on the water is the thing most riders remember, and a warm cup on the waterfront is part of the outing.
Think also about what you would otherwise pay to see the same water. A lake cruise with a guide starts from $41 for 1.5 hours, but it never leaves the lake. The jet boat covers the lake, the Kawarau and the braided Shotover in a single hour, and that route is what the fare pays for. Seen that way, the extra over a lake cruise buys the rivers, the spins and the speed, while the cruise buys a calm seat and time to look around.
Video
A jet boat adventure on the Kawarau River near Queenstown
NZTODAY RV Lifestyle on YouTube · Until you tap play, no video is loaded.
All prices are listed in New Zealand dollars (NZD) and are inclusive of GST.
Before you pay
Paid at booking, paid on the day
In the fare3
- An hour on the lake and both rivers
- Heated handrails in the boat
- A live guide who speaks English
On top3
Which price suits which traveller
On a tight budget, the lake jet boat from $64 gives the speed and the spins for the least money. For the longest time on the water per dollar, the hour-long town ride is the stronger buy: 45 km and both rivers for a starting fare of $87. It also needs no transfer, which keeps the rest of the morning free for the gondola, a lake walk or a long breakfast in town.
If the image in your head is a red boat skimming a rock wall, pay the extra for the canyon ride, which starts from $117. It is shorter, but the walls are the point. Families should price the family passes first, and note that KJet carries 2 to 4 year olds free on a parent’s knee.8 Add up the whole party before you choose: with small children the family fares can change which ride is the cheaper outing.
Travellers with a full day to spare can treat Skippers Canyon or the Dart River as an excursion rather than a ride. Both cost more, from $123 and $187, but they include the drive into country you would not otherwise see. Pick by the hours you have, then by the scenery you want. Whichever you choose, book a morning slot early in your stay, so a cancelled ride can move to another day without squeezing your plans.
When a higher price is worth paying
Price alone is a poor guide on this river. The cheapest ride keeps you on the lake, while the town ride on this site turns into the Kawarau and then the shallow braids of the Shotover, water less than 5 cm deep in places.26 That change of water is what most riders remember: the lake gives speed, the rivers give the sense of skimming over stones.
The canyon fare buys something else again. Shotover Jet holds the sole concession for the Shotover canyons, granted in 1987 by the Shotover River Empowering Act, primarily for safety, and its boats run between walls that the town ride never enters.27 If that is the picture you came for, the higher fare is the cost of being in the only boat allowed there.
For some travellers the best value is a combination. A jet boat ride paired with Kawarau River rafting starts from $187 and fills 4.5 hours. That is more than twice the cost of the town ride, but it replaces two separate bookings and shows the river from a raft as well as from the boat, and our combos page compares it with the other pairings.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
How much is a jet boat ride in Queenstown?
From $64 to $187.
The lake ride starts from $64, the town ride on this site from $87 and the Dart River trip from $187.
What is the cheapest jet boat in Queenstown?
The lake jet ride.
It starts from $64 for 30 minutes to 1 hour, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Do children pay less on a jet boat?
Is there a family pass for jet boating?
Are photos included in the price?
No, they cost extra.
KJet films every ride and sells the photos and videos afterwards.6
Is it cheaper to book direct with the operator?
Not at Shotover Jet.
Shotover Jet says its price is the same wherever you book; the listing here adds pay-later booking and free cancellation.21
What happens if I cancel my ride?
Yes, until 24 hours before.
The ride on this site refunds you in full if you cancel 24 hours or more ahead.
Sources
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · What to Expect During a Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Terms & Conditions ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Individual Pass ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Individual Pass ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Jet Boat Ride FAQs ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Jet Boat Ride FAQs ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Family Jet Boat Special ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Family Pass ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Family Pass ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Terms & Conditions ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · KJet Queenstown Specials ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · KJet Queenstown Specials ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Jet Boat Ride FAQs ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Terms & Conditions ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Terms & Conditions ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Jet Boat Ride FAQs ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · Jet Boat Ride FAQs ↩
- KJet (Kawarau Jet), kjet.co.nz · Queenstown Jet Boat Ride ↩
- Shotover Jet, shotoverjet.com · History of Shotover Jet ↩
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