Rotorua Rafting

Raft the mighty Kaituna River

Hold on tight, feel your knuckles go white, crouch into the raft … no, go lower. Any second now, you'll feel yourself flying over the seven metre-high Tutea Falls.

The raft bumps along, water rushes around you and — whoosh — you're sitting in the raft at the bottom of the waterfall!

Rafting the mighty Kaituna River, including the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the southern hemisphere, has to be one of the biggest adrenalin kicks around.

Start at the top, where you can feel the pulsing rapids wash underneath the raft, and flow down the first waterfall in preparation for the 'big one'. A grade-five river rafted by numerous professional rafting companies, the Kaituna is surrounded by exquisite natural bush and has huge cultural significance to the tribes that once made this area their home.

Check out the intricate caves that dot the landscape around the river — you can learn more about the myths and legends associated with them as you make your way downstream.

For those more eager to stay on dry land, there are Department of Conservation walkways that can give you an insight to the history behind the land.

Either on foot or within the pulsing water, the Kaituna River is the place to be for any nature enthusiast or adrenalin junkie.