Shotover Jet vs KJet
Shotover Jet runs 25 minutes through a gorge from Arthurs Point. KJet runs an hour from the town pier for less. How the two Queenstown jet boats differ.
These are the two jet boat rides most Queenstown visitors end up choosing between, and the choice is less about which is better than about which of two quite different things you want.
Shotover Jet is twenty-five minutes inside a gorge, from a base ten minutes out of town, for $113. KJet is an hour across a lake and two rivers, from a pier you can walk to, for $84. One of those is not a cheaper version of the other.
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The short version
| Shotover Jet | KJet | |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the water | 25 minutes | 1 hour, about 45 km |
| Starting price | $113 | $84 |
| Departs from | Arthurs Point, 10 min drive | Main Town Pier, Queenstown |
| Where it runs | Shotover canyons | Lake Wakatipu, Shotover, Kawarau |
| Top speed quoted | 90 km/h | 95 km/h |
| Minimum height | 1.0 m, up to 1.2 m in high water | None; minimum age 2 |
| Camera on board | Head-mounted GoPro only | Own camera or GoPro |
| Reviews | 1,672 | 1,987 |
What Shotover Jet has that KJet does not
A gorge. Shotover Jet runs the Shotover canyons, where the schist walls stand close enough that the driver’s line is the whole experience, and the operator describes its access to that stretch as exclusive. No other ride in this catalogue goes there — the closest is Skippers Canyon Jet, which runs a different, narrower section of the upper river.
That is the entire case for paying more for less time, and for a lot of people it is a good one. Twenty-five minutes of continuous canyon is more memorable than an hour of mixed water. If you have seen a photograph of a red jet boat a metre from a rock wall and decided you want to do that, this is the ride in the photograph.
What KJet has that Shotover Jet does not
Almost everything else.
More time, for less money. An hour against twenty-five minutes, at $84 against $113.
No transport problem. It leaves from the Main Town Pier on Marine Parade. You walk there. Shotover Jet’s base is at Arthurs Point, ten minutes out, and the shuttle is a booking option you have to remember to select.
No height restriction. This is the one that decides it for families. KJet takes children from age two with no minimum height, provided they fit the smallest life jacket. Shotover Jet requires a metre, and the operator says that can rise to 1.2 metres when the river is running high — so a family that books in spring can be turned away at the base.
Your own camera. KJet lets you bring a camera or GoPro and hold onto it. Shotover Jet permits only forehead-mounted hands-free cameras; phones and handhelds go in a locker. If photographing the ride yourself matters, that is decisive.
Range. The KJet route takes in Lake Wakatipu, the Kawarau and the shallow channels of the Shotover, so you see considerably more of the landscape.
So which one?
Book Shotover Jet if the canyon is the point, if you have specifically come for the gorge, and if twenty-five minutes of it is what you want. Book it knowing the clock: the ride is short and the trip is about two hours.
Book KJet if you want the most water time for the money, if you are travelling with small children, if you would rather not organise transport, or if you want to take your own photographs. It is also the one to pick if you are only doing one jet boat ride and want to see the most.
If you can do both, do both — they are different enough to justify it, and the combined cost is still less than most helicopter flights here.
A third option people miss
If the canyon is what you are after but three hours is available, Skippers Canyon Jet runs the upper Shotover, which is narrower than the stretch Shotover Jet runs, for $118. Thirty minutes on the water, wrapped in a guided drive down a gold-miners’ road that rental cars are not insured to use. See the Skippers Canyon page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shotover Jet or KJet better for first-timers?
Either works, but KJet is the softer landing: longer, cheaper, no transfer, and it takes children. Shotover Jet is more intense and more confined, which some first-timers love and others find is over before they have settled.
Which is scarier?
Shotover Jet, because of proximity rather than speed. Running a metre from a rock wall reads as far faster than the same speed on open water, even though KJet quotes a slightly higher top speed.
Can you do both on the same day?
Yes, and it is a reasonable double because they are so different. Nothing prevents it, and both run frequent departures through the day in season.
Which has better reviews?
They are close, and they split the two measures. KJet holds more reviews, 1,987 against 1,672. Shotover Jet holds the higher average, 4.9 out of 5 against KJet’s 4.8. Both are strong scores on large samples, and the gap is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Does either run in winter?
Both do. KJet states it operates 365 days a year, and both fit heated handrails for the colder months. Dress for it — you are travelling at speed in the open.
Ride the Shotover Canyons
Twenty-five minutes between rock walls, at speeds the river was never meant to allow. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go.
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