Sunday, 19 October 2025
A couple of days ago the forecast was promising us a perfect day for this morning’s Dart River Jet Boating experience. Well, that was a couple of days ago. How things change, especially the weather!! Today dawned cloudy and wet, with fresh snow on the mountains surrounding Queenstown. Oh well, what can you do? We bundled ourselves and plenty of warm and waterproof gear into the car and set out for Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu, at 8.15am.
As with our drive to Milford Sound, we had no time factored in for sightseeing and photography stops on our way to Glenorchy. We were going to have all afternoon for a leisurely drive back to Queenstown and … maybe the weather would be finer after lunch for photos?? It could hardly be worse, ha, ha.
We pulled in at Glenorchy just after 9.00am and checked ourselves in for the jet boating. Ahem, before checking us in the lovely girl on reception warned us that the forecast was for showers and asked if we still wanted to go out on the boat? Again, what can you do? When you are travelling, you pretty much have just the one chance at doing things, so you go ahead … whatever the weather.
While we were waiting for departure time to roll around we donned our waterproof overpants and zipped up our ski coats over our base and mid layers. Even so, on our way out to the bus we were issued with another waterproof layer and a life jacket, both of which had to be added to our ensemble before boarding the bus. Gosh it’s uncomfortable sitting on a bus dressed like the Michelin Man.
Fortunately, it was only about a five minute ride to the boat. We waddled from the bus to the boat with everyone trying to avoid the two seats at the front next to the driver, since we had been told that if anyone comes out of the boat on a spin, it’s usually from one of those seats.
Our driver, John, introduced himself and ran through a few safety basics: here’s the radio if I come out of the boat, here’s the fire extinguisher, this is the signal that I’m going to do a spin, hold on with both hands and push your butt into your seat! Are you ready to go?
We motored across the head of the lake with John introducing us to the 360° spin before we even entered Dart River. Soon after, we entered the river, another braided river made up of many shallow channels rather than a wide, deep, single flow. This is what jet boats are made for, as they can be operated in water as shallow as four inches deep. In fact, they run more smoothly in shallow water and bob about all over the place in deep water.
OMG, I love a jet boat and have very fond memories of a jet boat excursion we did on the Rogue River in Oregon many years ago. We had a cold, but dry, start that day and then the weather warmed up quickly, so the experience just got better and better as we jetted up the Rogue River. Today, it was just wet, wet, wet and COLD. I was also having problems with my attire.
Everyone else seemed to be just peachy, with their hoods covering their heads snuggly. I, on the other hand, was struggling to keep my fleece beanie and my two coat hoods actually on my too-small head. And then, when I got all my head wear over the top of my head, everything pitched forward over my eyes! I spent a considerable amount of the ride will a limited, to non-existent, view of the scenery. Ah well, it was so foggy anyway that we only glimpsed the top of a few of the mountains, so it could reasonably be said that I didn’t miss much??!
Jetting upstream, John pointed out the dusting of snow on Mount Alfred, telling us that you know it’s cold when snow falls on Mount Alfred. Yeah, thanks for that, ha, ha. Continuing upriver we saw Paradise, well, the area that was given that name by the European immigrants that settled this area of the lake anyway. Interesting aside, a man named William Gilbert Rees was one of the first settlers in this area and our next door neighbour at home is one of his descendants. John also pointed out scenery that stood in as Isengard, Lothlorien and Amon Hen in The Lord of the Rings.
Arriving at the point in the river where the multiple channels start to resolve into a single flow, John pointed out some orange inflatable canoes lined up on a rocky berm for the tourists doing the ‘other’ jet boat experience. The one where you jet boat to this point and then canoe back to the lake. All I could think about was that I was very glad that I only had to be out in this weather for two hours. I don’t know how long it takes to canoe back to the lake head, but I’m thinking TOO LONG on a day like today.
Our experience took us a bit further along the Dart River, now through temperate rainforest reminiscent of the forest around Milford Sound. John told us that we were, in fact, only about 21 kilometres from Milford Sound … as the crow flies. However, a three hour fifty minute drive from Queenstown and a five hour drive from where we were on the river, because there are mountains in the way.
All to soon, or should I say, Thank God, it was time to turn around for the return journey. We had one crazy participant aboard who was egging John on to do more spins. Now, I’m all for a 360° spin … on a warm day. Today, however, I was thinking that it maybe wasn’t so much fun to be repeatedly showered with really cold – think ice-melt – river water?? John said he would do what he could, but needed to find deeper water to execute spins. Not sure if that was just a diplomatic compromise to do enough spins to placate the crazies without antagonising the rest of the passengers? I think John managed to do four or five spins and plenty of swishing backwards and forwards through the shallow channels so (I think) it was plenty exciting enough for a jet boating experience.
On our way back we made one quick stop where John showed us a really picturesque chasm in a lovely, sheltered cove. After looking at the chasm created by an earthquake, we were able to disembark on the other side of the cove for photos and a comfort stop … if you really needed the bush toilet. Apparently, we were lucky to see the chasm because often the water level is too low to allow even the jet boat to make it in through the shallow opening.
Arriving back at the dock, we transferred to the bus for the short drive to Dart River Adventures HQ. We shed our life jackets and our extra waterproof layer and found that we had managed the elements this morning without getting too damp. They handed out complimentary/souvenir neck warmers at check-in this morning and I think I should have removed my bulky scarf and just gone with the neck warmer/face protector, so that I could have zipped my fleece and ski jacket up higher/tighter around my chin for a more ‘watertight’ seal?? The collar of my fleece and my scarf were slightly damp, but not too bad considering the amount of rain and river water that was dumped on us.
Did we have fun?? Hmmn, it was exhilarating BUT I’m not sure that it was exactly fun today in the sh … shocking weather conditions. Bernie says it was FUN and he had a good time. I’m not saying I had a bad time BUT, it would have been a much better experience on a warm, sunny day. Not actually sure that they get many of those here though? John told us it is always a good day when you don’t have to put in the call to have the boat pulled off a rock berm with the tractor. I’m sure that is a good day for John, because I suspect the drivers stir each other heaps when they stick a boat on a rock bank.
Next on the agenda, a quick look at the restored Glenorchy Wharf which was technically a railway station attached, as it was, to New Zealand’s shortest section of working railway line, back in the day. We then looked at the food offerings at Mrs Glen’s Café and found them uninspiring, so drove around to Mrs Woolly’s General Store. I would have loved a warming bowl of soup, but settled for a very tasty, very hot mince and cheese pie with the flakiest pastry.
Of course the weather was much more pleasant now. We even had some blue sky and sunshine. If only it could have been like that three hours ago. Unfortunately, there is no ordering the weather to suit, you just have to take what you get.
Heading back to Queenstown along the Glenorchy – Queenstown Road (aka Tommy Thomson Scenic Drive) in much finer weather than we had this morning, we took the opportunity for some sightseeing and photography along the picturesque shores of Lake Wakatipu.
We stopped in at: the Stony Creek Amenity Area opposite Pigeon Island and Pig Island, Lake Face Creek, Twenty Five Mile Creek, Bennets Bluff and Bobs Cove. At Bobs Cove we decided to do the walk to the Jetty and Lime Kiln. The sun was shining, so it was a lovely walk through the forest BUT the touted destinations were somewhat anticlimactic. The lime kiln has had a whopping big eucalypt fall over it and the jetty is not original. We were thinking of a lovely, old, wooden jetty, but it was a contemporary jetty overlooking a couple of old wooden pylons, that may or may not have been part of an historic jetty?
I was overheating on the walk back to the car park so, as soon as we arrived, I took my hiking boots off so that I could strip my overpants off. Too this point I just hadn’t felt warm enough to face the rigmarole of removing my overpants. It has been a bit of a Goldilock’s day for me. I started out too cold, had a small amount of time after lunch where I felt just right and later in the afternoon I was much too hot!
With the afternoon getting away from us, we declared it ice-cream o’clock and headed back into town to try out a different gelato shop. After parking the car, we wandered down to the harbour to buy today’s ice-cream at Patagonia Chocolates – Ice Creamery & Chocolaterie. We were both happy. I was able to have a single coffee & cream and Bernie ordered his No. 1 fave, a double lemon. Phew, we just fitted our ice-creams in before it was too late to be considered afternoon tea.
Before returning to our room, we made a quick run over to the Woollies in Frankton to buy enough fruit for the next few morning’s breakfasts and Bernie stocked up on Coke Zero, because they had a really good special on. It is much cheaper for him to buy it at supermarket prices than at servos or takeaways.
Back at the Garden Court, we drove to the bottom of Adelaide Street to take a blue sky photograph of The Remarkables, before driving back up the hill to park the car in the spot that corresponds with our apartment. We sat around digesting ice-cream for a couple of hours, processed some photos and recorded a few memories of the day in the travel diary.
At dinner time we walked down into the CBD one more time, heading again to the Steamer Wharf, where we ate on Friday night. Tonight we headed to Flame Bar & Grill feeling like steaks. This is a very meat focussed restaurant and we could see HUGE slabs of ribs coming out. The patrons on either side of us were working their way through veritable mountains of meat. We scoured the menu looking for the smaller options, settling on tiny steaks (150g eye fillets) with fries and a small apple slaw to share. Nothing about this restaurant is small, so a small salad was more than large enough to share.
Steps: 17,780 (11.74kms)
