Best Time to Ride the Shotover Jet: Season, Weather & Time of Day
The Shotover Jet runs almost every day of the year, so the best time to ride depends on what you want from the trip around it: warm weather for the ride, autumn colour in the canyon or snow on the mountains. This guide compares the seasons, suggests a ride time for each and lets you check your exact date.
The Shotover Jet runs every day except Christmas Day, weather permitting, with departures from 9.30am to 4pm all year. The ride is about 25 minutes in an open boat through the canyons at Arthurs Point, and it feels colder at speed than on the riverbank. Heavy rain or flooding can postpone or cancel a trip, so check with Shotover Jet on the day if heavy rain is forecast. A high river can also raise the minimum height for children to 1.2 metres.
There is no single best month; if your dates are flexible, choose by what you want. For the warmest rides, choose December to February, when average highs are about 20 to 22°C, and book ahead: Shotover Jet recommends it from October to March. From mid-April to May the trees along the river change colour, and in May and June far fewer visitors are staying in Queenstown, though it is cold. The ride is coldest from June to August, with average highs of 8 to 10°C, but snow often settles on the canyon tops.
Once your dates are fixed, choose the ride time. From May to September, a late-morning or early-afternoon ride is usually warmer than the first; from October to April, pick a time that suits your day. On a short stay, ride early in the trip: if Shotover Jet cancels for river or weather conditions, it offers a refund or a free reschedule, and an early ride leaves more days to use it.
- Warmest rides:
- December to February
- Autumn colour at Arthurs Point:
- Mid-April to May
- Far fewer visitors in Queenstown:
- May and June, but cold
- Ride time from May to September:
- Late morning to early afternoon
- A short stay in Queenstown:
- Ride early in your trip
- Check on your date:
- Rain and the day’s departures
- 9.30am to 4pm Shotover Jet departures, in every season
- 22°C / 8°C average high in Queenstown, January against July
- About half visitors staying in Queenstown, May and June against January
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How the ride changes through the year
The canyon run itself is the same in every month: the same stretch of the Shotover River below Arthurs Point, the same 360-degree spins, the same 25 minutes on the water. What changes is how cold the air feels at speed, what the canyon walls and the mountains above them look like, and how many other people are in Queenstown.
December to February
These are the warmest months to ride. Average highs in Queenstown are about 22°C in January and February and 20°C in December, so the spray is more refreshing than chilly, although you still feel cooler at speed than you do on the jetty. Shotover Jet asks riders to book ahead in its busy period, October to March, and the summer school holidays run from mid-December to the end of January. January has been the busiest month for visitors staying in Queenstown in each of the last three years. In 2025, nearly a fifth fewer stayed in February than in January. The Shotover Jet does not run on Christmas Day.
March
March is a little cooler, with an average high of about 19°C, and just as busy as February: visitor numbers in Queenstown were almost the same in the two months in 2025. It still falls in Shotover Jet’s busy period, so book once your date is fixed.
Mid-April to May
Destination Queenstown puts the best of the autumn colour along the Shotover River at Arthurs Point between mid-April and May, when the deciduous trees on the canyon sides change colour. The air is cooler, with average highs of about 15°C in April and 12°C in May, so bring a warm layer. The April school holidays fall in this window, from 10 to 26 April in 2027. By May, far fewer visitors are staying in Queenstown: in 2025, about half as many stayed in May as in January. May also has the most days with rain of any month in Queenstown, about 10, so check the forecast close to your date.
June to August
These are the coldest months to ride. Average highs in Queenstown are about 8 to 10°C, and average lows are about 0°C in June and −1°C in July. The handrails are heated, and Shotover Jet’s advice is to wear warm layers, a hat, gloves and a waterproof outer layer. Shotover Jet says snow often settles on the canyon tops in winter. It is a possibility rather than something you can book. June is one of the quieter months in Queenstown, with about half as many visitors staying as in January in 2025. Numbers rise again in July and August, when the ski fields are open and the July school holidays run, from 3 to 18 July in 2027.
September to November
Spring warms up slowly, with average highs of about 13°C in September, 15°C in October and 18°C in November. Shotover Jet describes spring as crisp and bright, with snow lingering on the peaks early in the season. The September to October school holidays run from 25 September to 10 October in 2027, and Shotover Jet’s busy period starts again in October.
Check your date
Pick your date to see if the Shotover Jet is running that day, if it falls in the school holidays, the weather for the ride, what to wear and which ride time suits the season.
Choose a date to see if the Shotover Jet is running that day, if it falls in the New Zealand school holidays, the likely weather for the ride, what to wear and which ride time suits the season. Within about two weeks of the date the card shows the forecast; further ahead it shows long-term averages.
In general, the Shotover Jet runs every day except Christmas Day, weather permitting, with departures from 9.30am to 4pm. Heavy rain or flooding can postpone or cancel trips.
Operating days and departure times are Shotover Jet’s own published information. The forecast is from Open-Meteo for Arthurs Point, in New Zealand time; averages are NIWA figures for Queenstown. For weather warnings, check MetService’s Queenstown forecast.
Which time of day to book
The Shotover Jet has departures from 9.30am to 4pm, seven days a week, and the operator publishes no separate summer or winter timetable. Every departure runs in daylight in every month: even in midwinter the sun rises before 8.30am and sets after 5pm.
From May to September, book a ride between late morning and early afternoon if you can. The air is usually at its coldest early in the day, and in June and July the average low in Queenstown is about 0°C or just below, so the 9.30am ride is usually the coldest choice. The last ride, at 4pm, also has the least daylight left for the drive back in midwinter.
From October to April, the time of day makes less difference to how warm you are, so book the time that suits the rest of your day. A morning ride leaves the afternoon free for Arrowtown or the lake; an afternoon ride suits a morning on the gondola or a walk. Shotover Jet’s own guide says morning rides often have the calmest conditions in spring.
If your stay is short, ride early in the trip. Heavy rain or flooding can postpone a ride. When Shotover Jet cancels for river or weather conditions it offers a full refund or a free reschedule, and a ride booked for your first or second day leaves more days to reschedule into, if a time is still free.
Getting there. If you drive, arrive at the river base at 3 Arthurs Point Road 30 minutes before your ride and allow about an hour in total. The free shuttle leaves the Station Building at 25 Shotover Street for a selection of departures through the day: check in 45 minutes before your ride and allow about 1 hour 45 minutes in total. Our guide to the Arthurs Point base has parking and directions.
Rain, high water and cold
Shotover Jet says that in the event of heavy rainfall or flooding, trips may be postponed or cancelled for safety reasons, and that when it cancels for river or weather conditions you can have a full refund or reschedule at no extra cost. Queenstown has no rainy season to plan around: there are about 7 to 10 days with rain in every month, so a wet day can come at any time of year. Check the forecast, including the day before your ride, because heavy rain upstream raises the river.
The minimum height is 1 metre, and the operator says it may be extended to 1.2 metres in higher river conditions. If a child in your group is between the two, check with Shotover Jet on the day and read who can ride the Shotover Jet before you book.
On the river, the chill you feel at speed comes mostly from the boat’s own movement, not the wind. Shotover Jet does not supply spray jackets and recommends bringing a waterproof layer. In winter, add a hat, gloves and warm layers. Our guide to how wet you get on the Shotover Jet covers what to wear, and jet boating in Queenstown in winter covers the cold months in more detail.
If your booking has free cancellation, check the forecast before the cancellation deadline, and read the terms of your own booking.
Queenstown month by month
Long-term averages for Queenstown, with the number of nights visitors spent in the district’s commercial accommodation in 2025. The visitor figures describe Queenstown as a whole, not how full any one boat is.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Days with rain | Sunshine hours | Visitor nights in Queenstown-Lakes, 2025 | Along the canyon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°C | 10°C | 8 | 237 | 534,200 | Summer school holidays; busy period |
| February | 22°C | 10°C | 7 | 209 | 436,100 | Busy period |
| March | 19°C | 7°C | 7 | 180 | 437,600 | Busy period |
| April | 15°C | 5°C | 7 | 136 | 417,000 | Autumn colour from mid-April |
| May | 12°C | 2°C | 10 | 84 | 259,100 | Autumn colour |
| June | 9°C | 0°C | 9 | 69 | 258,200 | Snow often on the canyon tops |
| July | 8°C | −1°C | 8 | 85 | 395,200 | Snow often on the canyon tops; ski season |
| August | 10°C | 0°C | 8 | 120 | 377,700 | Snow often on the canyon tops; ski season |
| September | 13°C | 2°C | 8 | 151 | 366,800 | Spring |
| October | 15°C | 4°C | 8 | 197 | 356,900 | Busy period starts |
| November | 18°C | 6°C | 8 | 218 | 406,900 | Busy period |
| December | 20°C | 9°C | 9 | 213 | 491,300 | Closed 25 December |
If you are planning a wider Queenstown trip
Choose your month for Queenstown as a whole, then fit the ride around it. For lake swims, walks and long evenings, December to February is the warmest time; for autumn colour around Arrowtown and Lake Hayes as well as the Shotover canyon, come from mid-April to May; for skiing, come in winter. The Shotover Jet keeps the same timetable in all of them, so the month changes how you dress for the ride, not whether you can book it.
How we know
Temperatures, days with rain and sunshine hours are NIWA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the Queenstown Aero station at Frankton, about 6 km from the Arthurs Point river base; days with rain count days with at least 1 mm. The station is a reference for the town, not a measurement in the canyon, and an average is not a forecast for your date.
Visitor numbers are guest nights in commercial accommodation in the Queenstown-Lakes District from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Accommodation Data Programme, read on Figure.NZ for 2024 to 2026. January was the busiest month in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and May and June were the quietest in 2024 and 2025. The district includes Wānaka, and the series leaves out holiday homes and day visitors. It is a proxy for how busy Queenstown is and does not measure how full a particular boat is: Shotover Jet publishes no passenger numbers by month.
Operating days, departure times, the busy period, the weather and refund policy, the height rule and what to wear come from Shotover Jet’s FAQs and departure-times pages, and the seasonal descriptions from its year-round jet boating guide, all read on 10 November 2026. The autumn-colour window is Destination Queenstown’s, for the Shotover River at Arthurs Point. School holidays are the Ministry of Education’s 2026–2027 term dates; summer holiday dates vary by school. Sunrise and sunset are calculated for Queenstown in New Zealand time and are accurate to a few minutes. The date checker’s forecast is Open-Meteo’s, for Arthurs Point.
Shotover Jet timing questions
Does the Shotover Jet run in winter?
Yes. Shotover Jet runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, weather permitting, with departures from 9.30am to 4pm in winter as in summer. Average highs in Queenstown are about 8 to 10°C from June to August, and the ride feels colder at speed, so the handrails are heated and the operator recommends warm layers, a hat, gloves and a waterproof outer layer. A late-morning or early-afternoon ride is usually warmer than the first departure.
Does the Shotover Jet run in the rain?
Shotover Jet says that in heavy rainfall or flooding, trips may be postponed or cancelled for safety reasons. If it cancels for river or weather conditions, you can have a full refund or reschedule at no extra cost. Spray jackets are not supplied, so bring a waterproof layer on a wet day, and check with the operator on the day if heavy rain is forecast.
What is the best time of day to ride the Shotover Jet?
From May to September, book a ride between late morning and early afternoon, because early mornings are the coldest part of the day and the first ride is the coldest choice. From October to April, the time makes less difference to how warm you are, so book the time that suits the rest of your day. Every departure, from 9.30am to 4pm, runs in daylight in every month.
When is the Shotover Jet busiest?
Shotover Jet names October to March as its busy period and recommends booking ahead then. For Queenstown as a whole, January is the busiest month for visitors staying in town, and about half as many stay in May and June. Visitor numbers rise again in July and August with the ski season and the July school holidays.
When is the best time to see autumn colour on the Shotover Jet?
Destination Queenstown puts the best of the autumn colour along the Shotover River at Arthurs Point between mid-April and May, when the deciduous trees on the canyon sides change colour. Average highs in Queenstown are about 15°C in April and 12°C in May, so bring a warm layer.
Can a high river change who can ride?
Yes. The minimum height is 1 metre, and Shotover Jet says it may be extended to 1.2 metres in higher river conditions. If a child in your group is between the two, check with the operator on the day. Our who can ride the Shotover Jet guide has the full rules.
Ride the Shotover Canyons
Twenty-five minutes on the water, 360-degree spins between the canyon walls, and a ten-minute drive from Queenstown. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go.
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