Huka Falls Jet Boat Ride in Taupo

The Waikato River north of Taupo

The Waikato is the longest river in New Zealand, flowing about 425 kilometres from Lake Taupo to the Tasman Sea south of Auckland. It leaves the lake right in the town of Taupo, and for the first few kilometres it runs fast and astonishingly clear, a deep turquoise shade over the pale volcanic pumice of its bed. Along the banks you see native bush, steep pumice cliffs and, in places, wisps of geothermal steam.

This upper stretch of the river is where the jet boat operates, between the Huka Falls and the Wairakei area just downstream. The jet boat base sits on Karetoto Road in Wairakei, about 10 minutes' drive north of central Taupo. If you are wondering how to get to the Huka Falls jet boat, you need your own car, a taxi or a shuttle, as hotel pickup is not part of this ticket.

Huka Falls, the most famous natural sight in Taupo

At Huka Falls the wide Waikato is suddenly squeezed from about 100 metres across into a narrow rock channel only around 15 metres wide, before dropping roughly 11 metres into a churning pool. Up to 220,000 litres of water per second pour over the falls, enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool in about 11 seconds. The name comes from the Māori word huka, meaning foam, after the brilliant white water at the base.

Most people see the falls from the footbridge and lookout above, but the jet boat gives you a completely different angle, holding position in the spray just in front of the falls so you feel their power. Is Huka Falls worth visiting? Absolutely, and seeing it from the water is the most memorable way. The falls flow strongly all year, so there is no bad season.

The jet boat ride: spins, cliffs and speed

Jet boats were developed in New Zealand in the 1950s to run shallow, fast rivers, and instead of a propeller they use a powerful waterjet, which lets them skim through water only a few centimetres deep and turn on the spot. Your professional driver uses this to full effect, racing along the river, sweeping close to the cliffs and suddenly throwing the boat into 360-degree spins that send spray flying.

Between the thrills the driver slows down to point out the scenery and explain the river. The highlight is the run up to the falls themselves, where the boat edges into the white water at the base. Expect to get a little wet. Photos and videos of your ride can be bought at the base after the trip, so you can keep both hands on the rail.

Around Wairakei: geothermal sights near the jet boat base

The jet boat base sits in Wairakei, the geothermal heart of the Taupo area, so it is easy to combine the ride with other sights. A few minutes away, Huka Falls has a free car park, lookout and footbridge over the channel. Nearby Craters of the Moon is a steaming geothermal field with boardwalks between bubbling mud pools and vents, and the Wairakei Terraces offer natural thermal pools.

Downstream, the Aratiatia Rapids are released from a hydro dam several times a day, when the dry riverbed fills with rushing water in minutes. A good plan for a day out from Taupo is to do the jet boat in the morning, visit the falls lookout and Craters of the Moon around midday, and relax in hot pools in the afternoon. The best time to visit Huka Falls is mid-morning, before the busiest hours.