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Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

4.9
17
Take on the mighty Wairoa River in an adrenaline-pumping rafting expedition you'll never forget! Make sure you're one of the lucky few that get to experience this rafting trip of a lifetime.

Take on the mighty Wairoa River in an adrenaline-pumping rafting expedition you'll never forget! Make sure you're one of the lucky few that get to experience this rafting trip of a lifetime.

Highlights

  • Take on some of the best white-water action in New Zealand!
  • Experienced and safety assured guide.
  • Don’t miss this experience that’s only available 26 days a year!

The Grade 5 Wairoa River is renowned for having some of the best white water action in New Zealand.

Kaituna Cascades is the only company to run the whole river - including the bottom 3 rapids and lower waterfall!

Hold on for dear life as you tackle 'Mothers Nightmare' which has a technical grade 4 rock garden, closely followed by a tight 2 metre drop.

Experience the thrill of 'The Rollercoaster' - Consisting of the aptly named 'Devils Cauldron' and the breathtaking 'Bottom Drop'.

Feel the rush of 'The Waterfall' which has an awesome 3 metre drop into a churning pool of white water through the Wairoa Rivers boulder-strewn rock canyon.

Make sure you're one of the lucky few to experience this rafting trip of a lifetime as the Wairoa River is only open 26 days a year!

Per Person $170.00 (13 years +)

What's included

  • The best guides on the river!
  • Custom built rafts for your experience.
  • Helmets, Lifejackets, Paddles, Wetsuits, Fleece tops, Wetsuit Booties and Splash Jackets.

Duration

  • Allow approx 3.5 hours for the whole experience

Location

  • 1378 State Highway 29 - Tauranga.
  • The river is located just outside Tauranga on highway 29, 20 minutes drive from Tauranga or 1 hour from Rotorua.

Restrictions

  • Minimum age: 13
  • All you need is a reasonable level of fitness.

    This experience is NOT suitable for pregnant women.

    Recommended maximum weight is 120kgs - must be fit and healthy.

    Not suitable for people with heart problems.



Bad Weather Refunds

  • If your experience is cancelled by the operator (because of the weather or anything else out of your control) you will be entitled to a full refund.

Notes

  • Your safety is our No.1 priority at Kaituna Cascades. If for any reason we feel safety is compromised we reserve the right to cancel any trip or person.

    Any river trip carries a degree of risk - participants must be aware that while safety is paramount Kaituna Cascades cannot 100% guarantee your safety.

    Cancellations within 24 hours and "no shows" are non-refundable. A 20% cancellation fee applies to any booking cancelled prior.

Available Bookings from 29 Mar to 11 Apr 2024

Change Dates

All prices are shown in NZD ($)

Fri 29 Mar
Sat 30 Mar
Sun 31 Mar
Mon 1 Apr
Tue 2 Apr
Wed 3 Apr
Thu 4 Apr
Fri 5 Apr
Sat 6 Apr
Sun 7 Apr
Mon 8 Apr
Tue 9 Apr
Wed 10 Apr
Thu 11 Apr

  • Per Person$170.00

  • Per Person$170.00

Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme

4.9

17 reviews

Showing all 17 authenticated Bookme reviews

Stephanie Parmenter from New Zealand wrote on 18 October 2021

Had a blast

We were lucky enough to go rafting yesterday with Kaituna Cascades. So much fun! Due to level 2 restrictions our bubble of 2 got a raft of our own, a VIP experience. Elvis our guide knew the river inside out and we felt super safe. Great photos we love them. Thanks for a wicked experience!

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From Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

Great to hear you loved the Wairoa river trip with Elvis & the photos we take !!

Frank Jacobs from Netherlands wrote on 26 March 2018

Great rafting experience, bad comms

Great tour on the Wairoa. Nice guides, skilled and some nice (and fishy) lunch afterwards. They charge $50 for 1 or 5 pictures. In the car I was shown them and was told it would be easy to get them (or buy). Follow-up on my mail was poor (basically: others are happy to pay $50 for a picture), so sad you think it’s weird. The trip was amazing, the after-care or comms pretty lousy. For me the reason to do another rafting/kayak adventure with another company.

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From Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

Hey frank Thanks for the review. Yip that was a great day out on the Wairoa river. $50 is the cost for the whole Photo Album of our Rafting trip. You probably get at least 70-80 professional photos for that price. Sorry mate but we just don't sell them Individually !! We did also email you back asking if you would like to discuss this matter further by phone !! but unfortunately we never heard back from you. Cheers Kaituna Cascades

Mack Varnosafaderani from New Zealand wrote on 20 March 2022

Thank you 🙏🏽

This was my first time whitewater rafting and thanks to the Kaituna Cascades crew I’m hooked…Absolutely loved it.

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From Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

Nice One Mack. Hope to see you again on the river

christinab6 from New Zealand wrote on 22 March 2021

What a Blast!!

The whole trip was so much fun. Guides had awesome humor and made sure all safety and instuctions was clear but not dull. Rapids were thilling!

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From Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

Cheers for the mint review - the Wairoa is the best ate !!

Blake Weston from New Zealand wrote on 28 December 2020

Amazing Experience! Definitely recommend!

LOVED our trip down the Wairoa River yesterday! My girlfriend and I went rafting with Kaituna Cascades as a Christmas gift and loved every minute of it – some amazing rapids, great raft guides (always felt in safe hands) and so much fun!! Thanks to Rob and the team for having us yesterday! Will be back some time soon to explore Okere Falls with you guys!

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From Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River

Awesome present to get !! The Wairoa is one of NZs best 1day rafting trips. Looking forward to taking you guys down the Kaituna river in the future.

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This award identifies a business with a high level of professionalism, a keen awareness of the impact it has on the environment and a commitment to a customer centric approach.

This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business's focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.

This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.

When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism's official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It's your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.

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