1/24/25
I went in with pretty low expectations for our day on the Dart River. We started our day around 8 am with an uber ride from the hotel to Queenstown’s downtown where we found the Dart River Adventure (https://www.dartriver.co.nz) check in desk. After arriving early, walking next door to order a coffee, spilling that coffee, it was time to check in. Once again me and Paul were the youngest people by a couple of decades. But we hopped on our bus and headed to the river. With our new old friends.
After getting our river gear on (pants, boots, jackets, life vest, etc), it was time for the first leg of our journey. We hopped in some jet boats that were invented specifically for this river. They were designed so they could operate in very shallow water. I’m writing this 6 weeks later so I don’t remember the details but let’s say as little as 4″ of water.
Our driver gave us some safety protocols that I thought were a bit excessive but whatever. Then the jet boating started and I understood the safety protocols. He would get going pretty fast and whip around and get us into what sure felt like an uncontrolled spin. During our first spin, I really thought we might tip over. I wasn’t brave enough to take a video from the boat but here’s the best I could do from outside the boat.
In between crazy jet boat spins, the scenery was really beautiful.
After the jet boat portion of our Dart River Adventure was over, it was time to get in a kayak. I have never really kayaked before so I wasn’t sure how I’d do. I let Paul take the lead for a while but I got the hang of things pretty quickly.
The views along the river were stunning. We stopped along the beach and had to drag the canoe through a shallow branch of the river. Thankfully, Paul volunteered for the first leg and did a great job. Lol. Once we got through the shallow part it was time for lunch which consisted of sandwiches we made from a table of sandwich fix-ins. It was actually a pretty solid lunch.
After lunch came the highlight of our kayaking adventure, the Rockburn Chasm. We were following a nice couple from a rural community in Australia. We agreed to take some pictures of each other which worked out really well.
After the Rockbun Chasm, we were able to paddle through the portion that Paul had to pull our kayak through. Which was great because I was supposed to pull our kayak back. Thanks, Paul! Paul was getting comfortable enough in the kayak that he did a portion standing. I opted to stay seated. Especially after seeing our Australian friends fall pretty hard during their attempt at standing. Lol
Then our adventure came to an end and we had to deflate and roll up our kayaks. The views were beautiful, but the sand flies were nasty buggers. Worse than mosquitoes. A great experience though. And our ride back to Queenstown provided more beautiful landscapes.
Notebook of a Nomad 
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