After leaving Queenstown we headed for Te Anau via the Shotover Canyon. A stop at Shotover provided us with some serious thrills in the shape of the Shotover Jet. This is a boat with two 300hp Buick engines that has a New Zealand designed jet propulsion system that allows the boat to do great speeds in shallow water and make incredibly tight turns (it can spin within its own length). These guys are the only operator licensed to operate in the Shotover River Canyons and they are fairly spectacular. The boat carries about 12 people and the driver and zips down the narrow canyon (in places no more than about 15 feet wide) at 85 km/h. The drivers are really skilled (they have to complete 160 hrs solo before they are allowed to take any passengers and for some of the spins they do they have to have been driving passengers for 2.5 yrs). Anyway definifely recommended - this seems to be the best of the jet boat rides on offer.
For those of you that know us, you should be able to spot us in this picture:
