Shotover Jet Tickets

A Shotover Jet ride costs NZ$199 an adult and NZ$109 a child (5–15) booked direct, or NZ$507 for a family pass covering two adults and two children. The operator says the fares are valid for travel up to 30 September 2027. On GetYourGuide the same ride is listed from US$113 per person, which is the NZ$ fare in your own currency: the operator’s FAQ says “the price is the same wherever you book”. That puts the savings in the family pass, free tickets for under-5s, the free town shuttle and the two combos that cost less than their parts, not in promo codes.

What the price includes

The fare covers about twenty-five minutes on the water, a professional driver with live commentary on the local history, geology and Māori culture, the safety briefing and life jackets, heated handrails through the winter, free parking at the base and lockers. The return shuttle from the Station Building at 25 Shotover Street is free on selected departures; on the others you drive the ten minutes to Arthurs Point yourself. The shuttle costs nothing extra, so choosing it changes how long the outing takes, not the price.

Photos and videos of your ride are not included. The operator says it is “updating our photo packages” and that availability may vary, so ask at check-in.

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.

How it compares

The direct fares are each operator’s own adult price for 2026–27; the GetYourGuide column is that listing’s per-person from-price in US dollars. All of them are per person, not per boat.

Read against that table, the Shotover Jet is not competing on time or on price. Thunder Jet gives you five more minutes for NZ$80 less at its 30-minute fare, and KJet gives you an hour, from a pier you can walk to, for NZ$40 less. Per minute on the water, only Skippers Canyon Jet costs more, and its fare includes a three-hour trip up the canyon road. The Dart River’s peak fare runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 April 2027; our Dart River Jet vs Shotover Jet guide compares the two rides in full, and what a jet boat is explains the boats themselves.

The cheapest jet boat in Queenstown at list price is Thunder Jet’s Rise & Ride: NZ$99 an adult and NZ$45 a child for 45 minutes, leaving Frankton Marina at 9am and back by 9.45am. For a family of four, KJet’s NZ$397 family pack is the cheapest, and KJet takes children from age 2 with no height limit, which matters if you’re travelling with a toddler.

Where the money goes

The fare buys the canyon. The Shotover Jet runs inside the Shotover canyons on shallow water with rock close on both sides, and the operator’s FAQ calls it “the only jet boat permitted to operate in these canyons”. Nothing else in the catalogue runs that stretch. KJet and Thunder Jet work the lake and the lower rivers, which is open, scenic water with spins in it, and Skippers Canyon Jet reaches the narrower upper river by driving you up the old gold-mining road first.

So the price pays for a specific piece of river, not a number of minutes. If the canyon walls are what you came for, the cheaper boats are not a substitute. If you want speed, spins and a view, they are, and they cost less.

Has the price gone up?

Yes, steadily. Older pages still online, including a legacy Shotover Jet page and some reseller listings, show NZ$159 an adult, NZ$89 a child and NZ$407 for a family, then NZ$169, then NZ$179, before today’s NZ$199. If a blog quotes a Shotover Jet price under NZ$199, it’s out of date. Bookme’s listing still showed Adult $169, Child $95 and a NZ$528 family fare in October 2026; that NZ$528 is higher than the operator’s own NZ$507 family pass.

GST, fees and currency

New Zealand activity prices are quoted with GST included, and the official site adds no separate booking fee. Resellers build their margin into the converted price instead of adding a visible fee. New Zealand’s International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy is charged with your visa or NZeTA, not on activity tickets.

When a checkout shows your home currency, pay in NZD if your card has no foreign-transaction fee. Letting the website or card terminal convert for you (dynamic currency conversion) almost always uses a worse rate. Reseller prices in US dollars move with the exchange rate, so the same NZ$199 can show anywhere from about US$102 to US$118 across booking sites.

Cheaper ways to do it

There is no promo code on this site and none that we can vouch for elsewhere. The operator’s FAQ answers “Is it cheaper to book through Viator, Bookme or GrabOne?” with “No — the price is the same wherever you book.” These are the savings that do work, largest first.

• The family pass saves NZ$109. Two adults and two children pay NZ$507 instead of NZ$616. Two adults and one child already pay NZ$507 on separate tickets, so for a family of four the second child effectively rides free.
• Under-5s ride free if they are at least 1 m tall. There is no minimum age, only a minimum height of 1 m, which can rise to 1.2 m on high-river days. You must add the free infant ticket when you book, because the FAQ says it “cannot be added at check-in”. Infants ride in the same boat as a fare-paying adult.
• Pick a combo that saves money. Swing + Jet and Essential Queenstown cost less than their parts; the helicopter and Milford combos don’t. The numbers are in the next section.
• Take a boat that leaves from town. Thunder Jet and KJet both board in central Queenstown, so there is no transfer to arrange and no drive to make.
• Check the transport option. The Shotover Jet shuttle from Queenstown is free on selected departures, so pick a shuttle time if you have no car. Parking at the base is free too.
• Book the length you want. Thunder Jet sells a 30-minute and a one-hour ride on the same listing, so the hour is a price step, not a different product.
• Count the whole outing, not the fare. Skippers Canyon Jet looks dearer at US$118 until you notice return transport is in the price and the trip runs three hours.
• Locals Day, for residents only. The operator runs occasional NZ$69 Locals Days for Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago residents, with proceeds going to local conservation efforts. The most recent was on 17 October 2026; the next date has not been announced. You need proof of address, tickets are non-refundable and transport isn’t included.
• The ski-season Superpass credit. In the 2026 season NZSki’s Superpass let adults swap a ski day for NZ$105 of off-mountain credit, and the Shotover Jet was a listed partner, which cut an adult ride to about NZ$94 out of pocket. That credit lapsed on 11 October 2026 and the 2027 terms are not yet published. You give up a ski day, so it suits only skiers who want a rest day; see jet boating in winter.
• Groups and private boats. No group rate is published. The FAQ asks groups to email reservations@shotoverjet.com with the group size and date. A private boat takes up to 14 passengers plus the driver, priced on request.

Gift vouchers carry no discount and can only be redeemed on shotoverjet.com, not on booking sites. Coupon sites advertising “45% off” or “80% off” the Shotover Jet don’t match any offer on the operator’s site. Bookme discounts many Queenstown operators, but we found no discounted Shotover Jet fares there. We found no published student, senior, YHA, BBH or AA fares either; ask when you book, but don’t count on one.

Which combos save money

The operator’s combos page lists four packages, all sold direct and none on GetYourGuide. Compared with each operator’s own standalone 2026–27 prices:

• Swing + Jet, NZ$489 adult / NZ$399 child (10–15): saves NZ$19 an adult. The Shotover Canyon Swing lists a solo swing at NZ$309, and NZ$309 plus NZ$199 is NZ$508. One shuttle covers both. A non-swinging partner can take Spectator + Jet at NZ$215 (NZ$125 a child), NZ$9 less than a NZ$25 spectator pass plus the ride. Booking the two separately here means the Shotover Canyon Swing (from US$167, 5.0/5 from 7 reviews, a new listing) plus the Shotover Jet.
• Essential Queenstown, NZ$449 adult / NZ$244 child: saves roughly NZ$65. The jet boat plus a 3-hour Nomad Safaris 4WD tour of the Arrow River goldfields and Lord of the Rings locations. The 4WD part isn’t sold on its own, so the saving is estimated against Nomad’s NZ$315 Skippers Canyon and Lord of the Rings tours.
• Remarkables Scenic + Shotover Jet, NZ$594 adult / NZ$399 child: saves nothing. Glacier Southern Lakes lists the Remarkables flight at NZ$395 an adult and NZ$290 a child for 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, and each pair adds up to exactly the combo price. Glacier counts children as 0–11, so a 12- to 15-year-old pays the adult helicopter fare if booked separately.
• Milford Sound Cruise + Shotover Jet, NZ$378 adult / NZ$188 child: saves nothing. A Southern Discoveries nature cruise at NZ$179 plus the ride comes to the same NZ$378. If your Milford date is flexible, a discounted cruise on Bookme plus a standard Jet ticket can beat the combo.

Bigger jet, helicopter and rafting bundles are sold by a few Queenstown resellers and pay off only if you want every activity on the same day. Rafting itself is covered in our Shotover River rafting guide, and the bundles, with what each one saves against booking the parts yourself, are compared on the combos page.

Booking direct or through a reseller

The ticket costs the same everywhere. Booking direct makes the shuttle and any changes simpler; the booking sites give you pay-later options and your own currency.

Book direct if you want the shuttle confirmed in one step and the simplest changes. Use GetYourGuide or Viator if you want to reserve now and pay later, or prefer paying in US dollars, euros or Australian dollars. The operator’s FAQ confirms third-party bookers can still use the free shuttle, but you must call 0800 SHOTOVER or email to reserve a seat.

Extra costs

Very few. The main extras are optional photos and video, plus fuel or a taxi if you skip the shuttle.

• Return shuttle from town: free. Check in at the Station Building, 25 Shotover Street, 45 minutes before your ride and allow 1 hour 45 minutes in total.
• Parking at the river base: free, at 3 Arthurs Point Road, about a 10-minute drive. Check in 30 minutes before.
• Lockers: free, shared with others on your boat, so leave valuables behind.
• Photo and video packages: price on the day; the operator is updating them.
• Head-strap camera: GoPro-style head or hat mounts only, for a small fee. Chest mounts and selfie sticks aren’t allowed.
• Spray jacket: not provided, per the FAQ, so bring your own.
• Food and drink: optional; Canyon Brewing is next door.
• Travel insurance: useful, because cancelling inside 24 hours costs up to 100% of the fare.

What a day costs, by traveller

• Solo: NZ$199 with the free shuttle. On a tight budget, Thunder Jet’s Rise & Ride is NZ$99.
• Couple: NZ$398. Add the canyon swing as Swing + Jet and two of you pay NZ$978.
• Family of four, children 5–15: NZ$507 on the family pass, NZ$109 less than four tickets.
• Two adults and one child: NZ$507 on separate tickets, so a second child would ride free on the family pass.
• Family with a toddler under 1 m: NZ$398 if the two adults ride in turns, since the toddler can’t ride. Ask about the operator’s “flexible solution” for parents, or choose KJet, which takes children from age 2.
• Family with a 4-year-old over 1 m: NZ$398, with the free infant ticket added when you book.
• Group of 10 adults: NZ$1,990. Email reservations about group options or a private boat for up to 14.
• Adrenaline day: NZ$489 for Swing + Jet; add a morning on the river from our rafting guide.
• Scenic splurge: NZ$594 for the Remarkables helicopter and the Jet, the same as booking them separately, so choose whichever times suit you.

How to book

1. Pick your date and time. Rides run from 9.30am to 4pm, every day except Christmas Day. The FAQ recommends booking ahead from October to March.
2. Choose your ticket: adult, child, family pass, or the free infant ticket, which must be added now.
3. Choose your check-in: the free shuttle from the Station Building (check in 45 minutes before) or self-drive to 3 Arthurs Point Road (30 minutes before). Your booked time is the departure time, not the check-in time.
4. Pay in NZD, and redeem any gift voucher in the “promo or gift voucher code” box on shotoverjet.com.
5. On the morning of your ride, check the website or call, because heavy rain can cancel or change trips.

Shotover Jet’s contact details: +64 3 442 8570, NZ freephone 0800 SHOTOVER (0800 746 868), reservations@shotoverjet.com. The river base is Shotover Jet Beach, 3 Arthurs Point Road; shuttle check-in is at the Station Building, 25 Shotover Street, on the corner of Camp Street.

Changing, cancelling and weather. Cancel or change 24 hours or more ahead and there’s no fee. Inside 24 hours, or if you don’t show, the fee is “up to 100%”. If the operator cancels for weather or river conditions, you get a “full refund or the option to reschedule at no extra cost”; if you booked through a reseller, the reseller handles the refund.

Price questions

How much is the Shotover Jet?

NZ$199 an adult and NZ$109 a child (5–15) for 2026–27, or NZ$507 for a family pass of two adults and two children. The operator says these fares are valid for travel up to 30 September 2027.

Is it cheaper to book the Shotover Jet on Viator or GetYourGuide?

No. The operator says “the price is the same wherever you book”. Reseller prices differ only because of currency conversion.

Are there Shotover Jet discount codes?

There are no public discount codes on the operator’s site. The real savings are the family pass (NZ$109 off), free tickets for under-5s who are 1 m or taller, and the Swing + Jet and Essential Queenstown combos.

Do kids ride free on the Shotover Jet?

Children under 5 ride free if they are at least 1 m tall (1.2 m on high-river days). You must add the free infant ticket when you book.

What’s the cheapest jet boat in Queenstown?

Thunder Jet’s Rise & Ride, at NZ$99 an adult and NZ$45 a child, is the cheapest at list price. KJet’s NZ$397 family pack is the cheapest for a family of four. Our Queenstown with kids guide lists the free under-5 tickets across Queenstown.

Do Shotover Jet combos save money?

Some do. Swing + Jet saves NZ$19 an adult and Essential Queenstown roughly NZ$65. The Remarkables helicopter and Milford combos cost the same as buying the parts separately.

Is the Shotover Jet worth NZ$199?

Yes, if you want the narrow canyon, since no other boat is allowed in. If you only want speed and spins, KJet or Thunder Jet give you more time on the water for less.

If you are weighing the canyon run against the alternatives in more detail, the which jet boat to book guide sets all of them side by side, and is the Shotover Jet worth it deals with the question this page skirts.