Queenstown Jet Boat - RealNZ — Attraction in South Island

I'll start this off by saying the one star isn't 110% on them, a big portion is Bookme (and also myself), but they could've easily have really saved the day if they wanted to.

Essentially I went to book some tickets via Bookme as it made them a bit cheaper, I'm currently trying to take my sick dad on one last south island road trip around NZ on a budget. I saw the boat tours on Bookme and thought that would be great for him. Before booking I just wanted to double check how much time we would need to allow before the boat came in, once I learnt that I filled out all of the info online, our names, contact info etc. I got to the payment screen and hit process, but the deal had been taken off within seconds of me booking, so it didn't go through (it seems bookme takes deals off an hour and 5 mins before the time of the event you're booking) I showed the ticket amount/transaction amount, but because it had lapsed (the tickets hadn't sold, the seats were going to be empty) I was told it would be the full amount, they wouldn't price match.

Like I said, I do get it - but what I don't get is leaving empty seats when you have someone there showing you a price on a website you actively, daily advertise on. Rather than price matching or even offering a partial discount to help someone who's just missed out due to sheer badluck you left the seats empty instead.

It worked out in the end, someone else helped us getting seats on the shot over jet instead. But genuinely, I can't say I've felt that gutted in a while. I would completely understand this situation more if you guys were busy, but the boat before us was...

Whitewater Rafting on Shotover River - April 2023

A horrific near-death experience for a strong swimmer. Even though the guide provided ample safety and risk information and training, what happened was not expected. At the first level 5 rapid, the raft dropped down the 3-metre-high rapid, flipped up and over due to the force of the water resulting in the 6 of us either thrown into the vigorously turbulent water or holding on under the raft. Due to the turbulence, I was held under water for about 30 seconds not able to see or determine which way was up. Eventually I surfaced and caught my breath, only to find myself soon dragged underwater again by the fall of the second level 5 rapid. After surfacing and catching my breath a second time, the experience was repeated at the third level 5 rapid. I eventually entered a fast moving rapid-free stretch of water where I was able to see and reach for a rope attached to a raft and pull myself to the shore, gasping for air and coughing up water I had swallowed during this ordeal of several minutes and several hundred meters. Luckily the 6 of us were left without series injury, however we were very much in shock. Unfortunately, the only way out of the canyon was to return to the raft and complete the journey that included 2 more level 5 rapids, which we managed without further incident. I would recommend this activity for only those who are extremely strong swimmers and are willing to...

The 25mins Jet boat is not worth it. Overall, I don't think this tour is worth the money. I booked the 11:30am tour online, thought give it a try first. We arrived the front desk on time, but waited about 10mins for our boat to return, then finished our tour at 11:57am. Considering it still takes about 3-5 mins to leave the port to the safety water zone, the real tour length is only about 15mins long. We did reached the bridge on Kingstone Rd and did 5-6 spins and the driver is very nice and kind(the picture in the ads is fake, it will never go to the shallow river). Most of the time we just drove straight and that was no fun at all in the strong lake wind! I would suggest the company changed the route of this 25-mins tour, simple just do 10 spins in the open water instead of driving that far to the Kingston Rd bridge. Most of the people chose this tour just want to feel the strength of the boat and enjoy the many spins. If they want to see the natural in jet boat, they will choose the longer length tour with extra activity. Finally, when we reach the port around 11am, we found out that it's even cheaper to purchase ticket on port - "Two kids ride FREE with one adult ticket". Again, if you want to have some great experience of the jet boat, I would recommend you do the longer length tour, or a tour combined with kayak...