Frequently Asked Questions

It might when going down Tutea Falls and could even flip on some of the other rapids. That said, all the rapids on the Kaituna River are immediately followed by gentle, calm water, giving everyone plenty of time to get back in. Your guide will look after you too.

We don’t call this one of the best adventure activities for nothing, or one of the top cool things to do in and around Wellington, Auckland, or anywhere else in North Island, NZ.

It’s better. Our guides have been riding the Kaituna River rapids for years and have lost count of the number of times they have dropped down Tutea Falls, but they still love it. You will too. It really is one of the must-do things to see and do in New Zealand, wherever you are on North Island, including Wellington.

You just need to bring your swimwear, shorts, and a towel. We will provide you with the rest of the gear which will include wetsuits, fleece tops, wetsuit booties, and splash jackets depending on the weather conditions. Our life jackets, helmets, and paddles are the best you can buy and are are provided to everyone.

No experience on your part is necessary as full and comprehensive training will be given. You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness, and a sense of adventure.

Ideally you will know how to swim, but it’s not necessary. Our life jackets are also to the highest industry standard.

A professional photographer will be taking photos along the way, and photos are available by the raft full for an additional charge. We are GoPro friendly, if you have one feel free to bring it along. Please bring a chest mount or alternatively we have a limited few chest mounts at our base to rent out.

Kaituna Cascades is located right next to the Okere Falls scenic reserve and the Okere Falls walking track. Stretch your legs and watch the rafts tumble over the falls. You can walk with our photographer to the two viewing platforms before walking back to our base. The walk will take you around 30 minutes.

Kaituna Cascades designs and hand builds custom rafts specifically for running the big waterfalls on the Kaituna. All our rafts are self bailers with three thwarts and, exclusively to us, we had handles built into the floor to help us keep you safely in the raft.

Yes, we have many different types of bookings for each tour ranging from bookings for 1 person to group bookings. You will be in a raft with up to 6 others and have plenty of opportunity to make new friends.

Rafting in the rain is the best wet weather activity ever – Your gonna get wet anyways!

The Kaituna River drains the two big lakes in the area, Rotorua and Rotoiti & is dam controlled at the source. This means the flows are regulated and man controlled so even after hard rain the river will normally still be the same flow (the lakes just fill up a bit…).

In the event of a flood – we will contact everyone and 100% refunds are given.

See you here singing in the rain