Take a jet boat on the Waikato River past Tutukau Gorge to ‘The Squeeze,’ a narrow section where you’ll wade in shallow water to a waterfall. Reward your adventurous spirit with a soak in the thermally heated waters of a natural spa in the river, then hang on for an adrenaline-fueled ride as your driver kicks into high gear and expertly maneuvers the jet boat into hair-raising spins and turns.

This adrenaline-packed jet-boat adventure on the Waikato River includes a water walk through The Squeeze to a nearby waterfall and natural thermal spa.

Make your own way to the jet boat office located approximately 30-minutes outside Rotorua at your selected departure time. Following a safety briefing and orientation, snap on the provided life jacket and dry top or wetsuit as needed. Your 2.5-hour starts with a relaxing ride through the steep walls of Tutukau Gorge and past the Orakei Korako geothermal park.

Relax as you listen to commentary on the remarkable landscape before the jet boat drops anchor. Then hop out and wade through the warm, shallow water, following your guide into The Squeeze, where sheer rock walls create a narrow gap in the cliff. 

From here you’ll climb over boulders, shimmy through wedges and step around natural obstacles until you emerge near a cascading warm-water waterfall surrounded by thermal waters. Enjoy free time to wallow under the falls or soak in its warm pools before you retrace your steps to the jet boat for a return ride at high speed, full of 360-degree spins and twists all the way to the dock.