Ultimate Descents Aotearoa — Attraction in Tasman

Do a multi day trip!!! Amazing

We recently did a two-day, overnight rafting trip down the stunning Maruia River with Ultimate Descents, and it was incredible. Our group was two families — four adults and three kids aged between 8 and 11 — meeting up from Australia and New Zealand. From start to finish, Kat and Casey, our guides, were absolute stars.

They struck the perfect balance of fun, attentiveness, and reassurance, especially with our youngest who was a little nervous at first. They kept things light and fun but you could always feel their quiet focus and care behind the scenes, which meant we always felt 100% safe. Watching our 11-year-old flying down the rapids with the biggest smile we’ve seen in years was unforgettable.

The Maruia River is breathtaking — crystal-clear water, beautiful forest, and not a sound of the road for two whole days. The trip wasn’t rushed either: Kat and Casey happily accommodated stop-offs to explore hidden spots along the way. We fed eels by torchlight at night, spotted deer in the forest, and camped under the stars.

Even though we chose a basic campsite on the way down the river, everything was organized and relaxed. Burgers around the campfire, bacon and eggs for breakfast — simple, hearty, and exactly what we needed. Sonny, the owner, has clearly put real thought into making these trips feel welcoming and personal, without overcomplicating the experience.

Ultimate Descents provided all the gear we needed — we just had to show up ready for adventure. It’s not a luxury trip — it’s something way better: real, memorable, and deeply bonding. Honestly, we were surprised to hear that the multi-day trips aren’t booked out more often, because this was easily one of the most special things we’ve ever done as families.

If you’re even slightly considering it — do it. You...

This trip was something special. The guys made us feel like we were friends and almost ""family". We were the only two clients that day, but they bought along another raft to train one of the guides, Quinn. There was lots of laughing and banter between the rafts.

They took us on an upper stretch of the Buller River that they rarely paddle on with clients, but that made it so much more special to us. We went on a smaller sporty raft with Jared which at the biggest rapid did flip, but that was a load of fun anyway. After coming off the river, we sat round having a beer and cake with more laughter and banter. They even gave us recommendations of things to see and do on our journey further south. Local knowledge can be really valuable and it was so worth it.

This company was so much better than some of those companies that deal with mass numbers of clients rafting trips. At Ultimate Descents we were people whom they took a lot of care of. Top class...

We didn’t do the family trip, but the full one. We had a nice young “apprentice” guide and an experienced one as a supervisor. 5 guests on the boat. We had to reschedule on short notice and that was very easy. You have to do some paddling yourself (as usual). The gear was in good condition. The shoes however open themselves a bit with a chance to loose them. I enjoyed having free photos (a link to a file repository was sent on the next day). Everyone was nice, fun and professional. The scenery was very beautiful. The rafting itself was great, there were several good rapids.if you want to get completely soaked go to the front. I loved it. On 2 occasions we had the opportunity to jump from the cliffs. In one case it was right into the white water after a major rapid. The other was calm, but the cliff is higher. Super fun! There was coffee and...