The Shotover River: Canyons, Rapids, Gold and How to Get There

Shotover River quick facts

Where is the Shotover River?

The Shotover is in Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island, immediately north and east of Queenstown. It flows south out of the Southern Alps through the high country between the Richardson and Harris mountains, cuts through Skippers Canyon and then the Arthurs Point canyons, and spreads into a wide braided bed before it joins the Kawarau east of town.

It helps to think of it in four sections:

Why is the Shotover River grey-green and milky?

The Shotover carries a lot of sediment. Its catchment is steep, mostly schist and easily eroded, and Otago Regional Council material shows the Shotover running visibly darker with suspended sediment than the Kawarau where the two meet. After rain it can turn muddy grey within hours. In settled, low-flow spells it clears to the emerald green you see in rafting photos. The colour comes from rock flour ground off the mountains, and the gravel that keeps moving is also why the river’s gauged flow ratings keep shifting.

To see the contrast for yourself, stand on the Old Lower Shotover Bridge or walk the Twin Rivers Trail near the confluence. The Shotover’s murky water meets the clearer blue-green Kawarau, which drains Lake Wakatipu.

How big does the Shotover get? Floods and freezes

The Shotover is a flashy alpine river: its normal flow is modest, and it rises fast and high. A flood-risk assessment prepared for the council puts the mean flow at about 41 m³/s and the mean annual flood at about 420 m³/s. It lists major floods in 1863, 1878, 1919, 1949, 1957, 1969, 1978, 1984, 1987, 1994, 1995 and 1999. In the November 1999 flood the Shotover was assessed as contributing not less than 1,000 m³/s at the Kawarau confluence, and that flood is still the “historical flood” benchmark on the regional council’s Peats Hut flow page.

It also gets very cold. The river froze bank to bank near Skippers in July 1991 and June 1992, and blocks of ice the size of car tyres disrupted tourist trips in July 2007.

After heavy rain, trips can be cancelled or rerouted, riverside trails that cross the bed (parts of the Lower Shotover Conservation Area, for example) can close, and the water is never safe for a casual swim near the canyons. Check the regional council’s live “Shotover River at Bowens Peak” and “Peats Hut” flow pages before any do-it-yourself river trip.

What does Kimiākau mean? The Shotover’s Māori name

The Shotover’s Māori name is Kimiākau, usually translated as “looking for the coast”. Heritage New Zealand notes that early Māori knew the river as Kimi Ākau, which “may indicate an attempt to reach Te Tai o Poutini / West Coast through this route”, a reference to the inland trails Ngāi Tahu travelled in search of pounamu (greenstone).

That connection is still alive. Nohoanga (seasonal camping) entitlements at the Kimiākau / Shotover River are recognised at Māori Point, near the old Skippers settlement. Shotover Jet itself is owned by Ngāi Tahu through Ngāi Tahu Tourism, and Ngāi Tahu leader Tā Tipene O’Regan has described buying the business as a way to “tell our own story, of our own heritage, in our space.”

Heritage New Zealand and Ngāi Tahu Tourism both write “Kimiākau / Shotover River”, and this page uses “Shotover River (Kimiākau)”.

Why is it called the Shotover?

William Gilbert Rees, Queenstown’s founding runholder, who arrived around 1860, named the river after Shotover Park, an estate in Oxfordshire linked to his business partner George Gammie. Early miners sometimes called it the “Overshot”, but Shotover stuck, and it happens to suit a river that shoots through canyons.

The Shotover gold rush: “the richest river in the world”

The rush began in November 1862, when two shearers working for Rees, Thomas Arthur and Harry Redfern, found gold at the spot now called Arthurs Point. Heritage New Zealand records that they won about £4,000 of gold in under two months, and that a thousand miners had arrived on the river within a month. Arthur gave his name to Arthurs Point; Redfern got a footnote.

The moments people still tell:

• 1862–63, Māori Point: Rāniera (Dan) Tāheke Ellison of Te Āti Awa and Hakaraia Haeroa took about 300 oz (8.5 kg) of gold from a single spot. In the well-loved local story it happened after their dog was swept downstream and they swam across to rescue it. Heritage New Zealand dates the find to 1862 and Te Ara to 1863.
• Skippers: named after “Skipper” Malcolm Duncan, who found gold at Skippers Creek. The settlement reportedly peaked at around 1,000 people before settling to about 200 by 1864.
• Mt Aurum: Te Ara notes that miners believed this upper-Shotover peak (Latin aurum, gold) was the source of the gold in “the richest river in the world”.
• The dredging era: Te Ara records that the first successful bucket dredge was “immediately successful on the lower Shotover River”, and later large diggers fed floating gold-recovery plants on the Shotover and the Kawarau.
• Still going: small-scale gold seekers still work the Shotover and its tributaries, Moke and Moonlight creeks. Local families keep ties to the river, among them descendants of Chinese miners such as Tony Sey Hoy, whose great-grandfather Choie held a Shotover claim.

Was it really the richest river in the world? Read it as a gold-rush boast. An archaeological study in Antiquity says the river “became known in hyperbole as ’the richest river in the world’”, and the Lakes District Museum used the nickname as the title of its history of Shotover gold mining (A.J. De La Mare, 1993). KJet’s blog calls it the “second richest” without a source. “Nicknamed the richest river in the world” is the version the record supports.

The Oxenbridge Tunnel: a brilliant failure

The Oxenbridge Tunnel is a tunnel of about 170 m blasted through a rock bluff just upstream of Arthurs Point, started in 1906 by the brothers Bert and Edmund Oxenbridge. They planned to divert part of the Shotover through it and dry out a stretch of rapids miners called the “Jeweller’s Shop”, supposedly paved with gold. Heritage New Zealand records a planned length of 550 ft (168 m). The work ran to about 1910, the company had failed by 1912, and Te Ara calls it a “spectacular failure”: little gold turned up once the bed was exposed.

The tunnel now earns more as a tourist attraction than it ever did as a mine. Commercial rafts paddle through it in the dark and burst out into Cascade Rapid at the end of every Shotover rafting trip.

Historic bridges you can see

The Edith Cavell Bridge is named after the British nurse executed by German forces in 1915 for helping Allied soldiers escape occupied Belgium. Local councillors reportedly wanted to call it “Cooper’s Crossing” after the mayor. A goldminer named Jack Clark, who lived in a sod hut above the old bridge, painted “To Cavell Bridge” on a sign before the opening and then “Edith Cavell Bridge” on the bridge itself. The name stuck.

Shotover River canyons and rapids explained

Shotover River canyon (Arthurs Point)

The “Shotover canyons” most visitors mean are the narrow schist gorges just upstream and downstream of the Edith Cavell Bridge. This is the only place you can ride a jet boat between the canyon walls. The Lakes District Waterways Authority (Shotover River) Empowering Act 1985 lets the council make bylaws for this stretch, mainly for safety, and under them the council grants one operator an exclusive concession. Shotover Jet holds it, and the council’s 2024 renewal runs to 31 March 2029. The operator’s own history page dates its sole concession to 1987. No other jet boat company is allowed in.

Skippers Canyon

Skippers Canyon is the deeper, wilder gorge further upstream, reached by the gold-rush Skippers Road. The road was built between 1883 and 1890, and one 3 km section was hand-drilled and blasted into a platform 183 m above the river at Pinchers Bluff and the Devil’s Elbow. It is spectacular and dangerous, and most rental car insurance excludes it, so nearly everyone visits on a guided 4WD, jet boat or rafting trip.

The road, the jet boat and the closure are covered in depth in our Skippers Canyon guide. The jet boat trip is Skippers Canyon Jet, from US$118 for three hours, 4.9 from 795 reviews.

Skippers Bridge closure (2026)

Skippers Bridge is closed to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians until further notice. The council says the bridge “is inspected annually due to its age and risk profile”. The Otago Daily Times reports it was first closed after the October 2025 inspection, and follow-up investigations finished in late December. In January 2026 the council confirmed failures of the wires in the suspension cables, which meant engineers could not safely assess what load it can carry. The Stantec engineering report warned that load testing itself “runs the risk of causing a catastrophic cable failure”, and set out three options: re-anchor the cables, replace them (either repair likely to cost more than $1 million), or abandon the bridge for “a shorter, lower pedestrian bridge 300m downstream”. On 19 September 2026 the Otago Daily Times reported “no update” and “no timeframe” on the bridge’s future.

For now you cannot cross to the Skippers schoolhouse, cemetery or DOC campsite. Tour operators have changed their routes: Nomad Safaris, for example, now runs to “permitted points within the canyon” with extra stops. Ask any Skippers operator exactly where the tour ends before you book.

Shotover River rapids

Shotover rafting is grade 3–5, run commercially from Deep Creek in Skippers Canyon down to Arthurs Point, a stretch of roughly 14 km; our Shotover rafting guide covers prices, age limits and the gentler Kawarau. The named water:

• The “Mother”: a long grade 4–5 sequence of named rapids, including Aftershock, The Squeeze, The Toilet and Pinball
• Mother-in-Law: the natural channel the left half of the river follows around the tunnel
• Oxenbridge Tunnel (170 m) and Cascade Rapid: the dark tunnel run and the drop that ends the trip

Challenge Rafting’s season runs November to April. Both main operators take rafters from 13 years old and 40–120 kg, and you need to be a confident swimmer. Our pick on GetYourGuide is the Shotover whitewater rafting trip, from US$169, 4.9 from 79 reviews; the Shotover whitewater rafting adventure (also from US$169, 4.8 from 343 reviews) runs about 4.5 hours.

If you want gentler white water, the Kawarau River is the usual alternative: the Kawarau River whitewater rafting trip is from US$141, 4.6 from 46 reviews. The Shotover is the more demanding river.

Things to do on the Shotover River

Follow the links for full reviews and prices.

If you only do one thing on the Shotover, make it the Shotover Jet. It is the only way into the Arthurs Point canyons, it takes about an hour door to door if you drive, and it suits almost everyone. If you are fit and adventurous, rafting shows you far more of the river, but it takes half a day and only runs in summer. If you are weighing the other jet boats in town, our guide to which Queenstown jet boat to book compares all of them, and Dart River Jet vs Shotover Jet covers the Glenorchy alternative. New to jet boats? Here is how a jet boat works.

Arthurs Point: where the Shotover Jet is

Arthurs Point is a small village suburb of Queenstown on a sunny terrace above the Shotover canyon, about 7 km north of town on the back road to Arrowtown and Coronet Peak. It is named after the gold-finder Thomas Arthur. Here you find the Shotover Jet base, the Edith Cavell Bridge, the Oxenbridge Tunnel Track, the start of the Wharehuanui and Shotover Gorge trails, and a handful of pubs, hot pools and places to stay.

Shotover Jet location and contact details

From Queenstown, drive up Shotover Street onto Gorge Road towards Arthurs Point and Coronet Peak. Cross the single-lane Edith Cavell Bridge, and the Shotover Jet entrance is immediately on your left; if your GPS gets confused, enter “3 Arthurs Point Road Queenstown”. Parking, the base and what to bring are on our Arthurs Point page, and fares are on Shotover Jet tickets and prices.

How to get from Queenstown to the Shotover Jet (and Arthurs Point)

Since 30 June 2025, Route 4, not Route 2, has served Arthurs Point, so ignore older operator pages that still say “catch bus #2”. The Arthurs Point (Coronet Hotels) and Atley Road stops are the closest; from Atley Road it is about a 700 m walk back towards the river and the jet boat base. The regional council’s July 2026 fare consultation included a two-zone Queenstown option under which “if you travel from either Queenstown or Arrowtown to Arthurs Point in the overlap area, you will only pay for one zone.” The Queenstown decision had not been confirmed when we checked, so look up the current fare on the Orbus site before you travel.

Is the Edith Cavell Bridge safe? (2026 update)

Yes. It is open, inspected and in daily use, but it is old and busy. After two earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 or more near Milford Sound on 2 September 2026, the council closed the bridge for an engineering inspection and reopened it the next morning. On 14 September 2026, 1News reported that a council report describes the 1919 crossing as “reaching the end of its serviceable life”. Mayor John Glover called it “much loved and it’s old, like quite a few of us.” A replacement two-lane bridge just downstream is in the council’s long-term plan for around 2031, with costs estimated at about $80 million, and the 2026–27 Annual Plan includes $840,080 for the Arthurs Point bridge. If the bridge closes on your ride day, Shotover Jet will tell you; Arrowtown is still reachable by State Highway 6.

Free things to do along the Shotover River

1. Watch the jet boats near the Edith Cavell Bridge. The boats pass beneath the 1919 arch, and it costs nothing. Stay off the single-lane carriageway: it has little room for pedestrians, and the council’s own business case notes a “perceived safety risk” that puts walkers and cyclists off.
2. Walk the Oxenbridge Tunnel Track. It is a short, easy track of about 1.4–1.7 km return. Coming from Queenstown, turn left just before the Edith Cavell Bridge and drive down to the car park at the end. You will see the tunnel and an old steam-engine relic in the river; it is lovely in autumn.
3. Ride or walk the Shotover Gorge Trail (Queenstown Trail, opened 2025). It runs about 5.5–6 km one way from Arthurs Point to Tucker Beach, through the historic Hugo Tunnel and across the 90 m Kimi-ākau suspension bridge. It is grade 3 (intermediate), with short grade 4 sections near Hugo Tunnel. Locals like the 6.7 km Hugo Tunnel Loop from Arthurs Point.
4. Bike the Wharehuanui Trail to Arrowtown: 13 km, grade 2 (easy), starting beside Gantley’s Tavern in Arthurs Point, with wide views across the Whakatipu Basin.
5. Cross the Old Lower Shotover Bridge (1915) and follow the Tucker Beach Trail or the Twin Rivers Trail to the braided lower river and the Kawarau confluence.
6. Try gold fossicking. New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals designates a public Shotover River gold fossicking area (GFA 23), where you can pan with non-motorised hand tools only and must stay in the active river bed. Check its map for the exact boundaries first: much of the Shotover and its tributaries is under private mining claims, and you cannot fossick on someone else’s claim.

Best photo spots

• The Edith Cavell Bridge approaches: jet boats under the arch. Late morning is best, when the sun reaches the canyon floor.
• The Kimi-ākau bridge on the Shotover Gorge Trail: the lower gorge from 90 m of swaying deck.
• The Old Lower Shotover Bridge: braided channels with the Remarkables behind, best at golden hour.
• Skippers Road, on a tour: the Pinchers Bluff and Lighthouse Rock lookouts.

Where to eat, soak and stay at Arthurs Point

Arthurs Point is small, but it has enough to turn a jet boat ride into a half day:

• Gantley’s Tavern: a historic stop and the start of the Wharehuanui Trail.
• Canyon Food & Brew Co.: craft beer and food near the Shotover Jet base, listed by Queenstown’s tourism board as a trail stop.
• Onsen Hot Pools: cedar hot tubs looking over the canyon on Arthurs Point Road. Book well ahead.
• Places to stay: Arthurs Point has holiday parks, hotels and holiday homes. It is quieter and often cheaper than central Queenstown, and handy for Coronet Peak in winter.

Opening hours and menus change, so check each business directly before you go.

Shotover River safety: what visitors should know

• Do not swim in the canyon sections. The water is cold snowmelt, the flow can rise quickly after rain, and the canyons are the jet boats’ operating area.
• Respect closures. Skippers Bridge is closed, and riverbed trail crossings can shut when the river is high.
• Leave the rental car off Skippers Road. Most rental insurance excludes it, and the road has sheer drops and narrow passing bays.
• Jet boating is regulated but not risk-free. In February 2025 the Skippers Canyon jet boat Discovery 2 hit the canyon wall after its engine shut down, injuring passengers. In 2026 the Transport Accident Investigation Commission recommended that Maritime NZ review the safety standards for commercial jet boat passengers. Choose an established operator and follow every safety briefing.
• Weather: spring brings snowmelt and higher flows, winter brings ice, frosty roads and short days, and summer (November to April) is rafting season.

Best time to visit the Shotover River

• Summer (December to February): everything runs, rafting is at its best and the evenings are long. It is also the busiest time, so book jet boat and rafting places ahead.
• Autumn (March to May): our pick. Golden poplars and willows line the canyon, there are fewer people and the light is good for photos.
• Winter (June to August): Shotover Jet runs all year with heated handrails; it does not supply jackets, so bring warm layers and a waterproof one. Combine it with Coronet Peak, and watch for icy roads.
• Spring (September to November): higher snowmelt flows and green trails. Rafting usually starts again in November.

Related guides

• Is the Shotover Jet worth it? The full review of the canyon ride.
• Which Queenstown jet boat to book, every ride compared.
• Skippers Canyon guide: the road, the bridge closure and Skippers Canyon Jet.
• Shotover Jet at Arthurs Point: parking, check-in and the base.
• Shotover Jet tickets and prices.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Shotover River?

In Otago on New Zealand’s South Island, just north and east of Queenstown. It flows south from the Southern Alps through Skippers Canyon and Arthurs Point and joins the Kawarau River near Frankton.

How long is the Shotover River?

About 75 km (47 miles). It drains a catchment of roughly 1,100 km² between the Richardson and Harris mountains.

What is the Māori name for the Shotover River?

Kimiākau (Kimi-ākau), meaning “looking for the coast”. The name probably refers to a Ngāi Tahu route towards the West Coast in search of pounamu (greenstone).

Why is it called the “richest river in the world”?

After gold was found at Arthurs Point in November 1862, the rush was so rich that miners nicknamed the Shotover “the richest river in the world”. Historians treat the title as gold-rush hyperbole, not a measured ranking.

Who discovered gold on the Shotover River?

The shearers Thomas Arthur and Harry Redfern, at what is now Arthurs Point, in November 1862; the story says about 4 oz in three hours. Arthurs Point is named after Thomas Arthur.

Where is the Shotover Jet located?

At 3 Arthurs Point Road, Arthurs Point, Queenstown 9371, about 7 km (ten minutes’ drive) from central Queenstown. The entrance is immediately on the left after you cross the Edith Cavell Bridge.

How do I get from Queenstown to the Shotover Jet?

Drive ten minutes via Gorge Road, take Orbus Route 4 to Arthurs Point (NZ$2.50 with a Bee Card), or book a ride time that includes the free shuttle from the Station Building at 25 Shotover Street. Shuttle passengers check in 45 minutes before their ride.

What is Shotover Jet’s phone number?

The international number is +64 3 442 8570; within New Zealand call 0800 SHOTOVER (0800 746 868).

Can other jet boats go into the Shotover canyons?

No. Under bylaws made through the Lakes District Waterways Authority (Shotover River) Empowering Act 1985, the council grants Shotover Jet the exclusive concession for the canyons at Arthurs Point, mainly for safety. Other operators run in Skippers Canyon, on the lower Shotover or on the Kawarau.

What grade are the Shotover River rapids?

Commercial Shotover rafting is grade 3–5, including the grade 4–5 “Mother” sequence and a run through the 170 m Oxenbridge Tunnel into Cascade Rapid. Challenge Rafting runs it from November to April, and the minimum age is 13.

Is Skippers Canyon open in 2026?

Skippers Road is open as far as Skippers Bridge. The council has closed the bridge to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians “until further notice” because of failing suspension cables, and there is no reopening date. Guided tours still run to permitted points in the canyon.

Can I drive my rental car to Skippers Canyon?

Not with cover: most rental insurance excludes the narrow, unsealed Skippers Road, so book a guided 4WD, jet boat or rafting trip instead.

Can I pan for gold in the Shotover River?

Yes, but only in the designated public Shotover River gold fossicking area (GFA 23), and only with non-motorised hand tools within the active river bed. Most other stretches are private mining claims.

Can you swim in the Shotover River?

We do not recommend it near Arthurs Point or in the canyons. The water is cold and fast, flows rise quickly after rain, and the canyons are an active jet boat area.

Has the Shotover River ever frozen?

Yes. It froze bank to bank near Skippers in July 1991 and June 1992, and large blocks of ice disrupted tourist trips in July 2007.

River, bridge and transport details were checked against Heritage New Zealand, Te Ara, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Otago Regional Council, DOC and the operators’ sites in October 2026. Bridge closures and bus fares change, so check them again close to your trip.