Shotover Jet or KJet?
Shotover Jet runs 25 minutes inside the canyons from Arthurs Point. KJet runs an hour across a lake and two rivers from the town pier. Which one suits you.
These are the two rides most people end up choosing between, and they are less alike than the comparison suggests. The Shotover Jet is twenty-five minutes inside a canyon; KJet is an hour across a lake and up two rivers. One is an enclosed, high-walled ride you drive ten minutes out of town for. The other boards at a pier you can walk to.
If you want the thing Queenstown is famous for, it is the Shotover Jet. If you want more water, more view and less hassle for less money, it is KJet.
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What the Shotover Jet is like
A concentrated ride. The boat works a narrow, shallow stretch of the Shotover with rock close on both sides, and the spins happen between those walls rather than out in the open. The operator describes its access to the canyons as exclusive, and no other jet boat in this catalogue is sold on that water. Twenty-five minutes is short, and it is short on purpose.
What KJet is like
A broader trip. It starts across Lake Wakatipu with the Remarkables in view, turns into the Kawarau past rocks and under bridges, then works up the shallow channels of the Shotover, covering about forty-five kilometres in the hour. The operator describes itself as the world’s first commercial jet boat company. There are spins on both rivers, but the ride is also a tour of the water around the town.
Side by side
| Shotover Jet | KJet | |
|---|---|---|
| From | $113 | $84 |
| On the water | 25 minutes | 1 hour |
| Boards at | Arthurs Point, 10 min from town | Main Town Pier, central |
| Water | Lower Shotover canyons | Wakatipu, Kawarau, Shotover |
| Distance | Not stated | About 45 km |
| Top speed quoted | 90 km/h | 95 km/h |
| Rating | 4.9 from 1,672 reviews | 4.8 from 1,987 reviews |
| Height limit | 1.0 m, may rise to 1.2 m | None |
| Cameras | Head-mounted GoPro only | Bring your own |
The four things that usually decide it
Getting there. KJet boards at the Main Town Pier on Marine Parade. The Shotover Jet is at 3 Arthurs Point Road, a ten-minute drive, with free parking or a paid transfer. If you have no car and are staying in town, that difference is worth more than the price gap.
Children. KJet has no height restriction and takes children from two years old, provided they fit the smallest life jacket. The Shotover Jet’s one-metre minimum, and the high-river clause that can push it to 1.2 metres, is the most common reason a family books the other boat. Full detail on the age and height limits page.
Photographs. KJet invites you to bring a camera. The Shotover Jet permits only a head-mounted GoPro and puts everything else in a locker, then sells photos of the ride.
What you want to look at. Canyon walls or mountains and open water. That is the real question, and neither answer is better.
About the ratings
KJet has the larger review count in this catalogue — 1,987 against 1,672 — and the Shotover Jet has the marginally higher rating, 4.9 against 4.8. Both figures are healthy and the gap is not large enough to decide anything. Treat the review counts as evidence that both operations run at scale and consistently, and choose on the route.
Can you do both?
Yes, and they do not overlap as much as the price suggests. An hour on KJet in the morning and twenty-five minutes on the Shotover Jet in the afternoon is two different rivers and two different kinds of ride, for $197 in total. That is still less than the full-day Dart River trip.
If the budget only stretches to one and you are still undecided, the which jet boat to book guide brings the other seven rides into it, and is the Shotover Jet worth it takes the price question head on.
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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