New Zealand > Funyak on the Dart River

Sleeping right in the center has its advantages, but it also has its drawbacks. The room isn’t very large, and it’s almost essential to keep the window open. This means the sounds from the terraces and the disco carry through the night. We also can’t escape the smells of the restaurant kitchen directly below us. During the night, the street quiets down again. At half past six, the alarm goes off. Today we’re going on a boat trip on the Dart River, which first requires a drive to Glenorchy, about an hour away. We are handed a wetsuit, wet shoes, a fleece, a rain jacket, and a life vest. In the changing room, I swap into the provided clothing. The Jetboat is already waiting in the harbor. Ethan, the skipper, welcomes me. He explains that a Jetboat is specially designed to navigate shallow water. The boat has a draft of only ten centimeters. Nevertheless, we will occasionally hit some stones in the river, he says, but this is no problem. We head out onto Lake Wakatipu. Ethan accelerates, and the boat seems to glide over the water. A rotating hand gesture from him signals a 360-degree turn. Ethan swings the rudder, and the Jetboat slaps against its own wake. Fantastic! The Dart River flows into the lake from the north. It’s a very wide river but with very little water. Stone banks are everywhere, and only heavy rainfall raises the water level. Ethan pilots the boat at high speed over the shallow streams, reaching seventy km/h. He clearly knows the river well; one wrong turn and the boat could run aground.

New Zealand - A tour on the Dart River with a jetboat

We enter the National Park, where the river winds more. Ethan dodges rocks and tree trunks and occasionally performs another 360-degree turn. I don’t stay dry. After about an hour, we get out at a tributary, where the funyaks are waiting. A funyak is a sturdy inflatable kayak. The group is split into three, and each group takes four kayaks with a guide. James accompanies me, explaining how to handle the funyak, paddle, and steer, as well as what to do in case you fall overboard. Today the wind is fairly strong, which means less paddling but rougher water. Paddling is easier than expected. We let the kayak drift with the current, but once the back catches the wind, the kayak quickly turns sideways. At some points, James warns us to keep left or right around bends to avoid the main current. Smoothly, we drift down the river. The sun is shining, and the mountainous surroundings are spectacular. After about forty-five minutes, we stop at a creek and pull the kayaks upstream by hand. At the end, there’s a narrow rock opening, created during an earthquake years ago.

New Zealand - Navigating a rock crevice with the Funyak formed during an earthquake

You can still see how the rocks had fitted together, James explains. Carefully, we navigate the funyaks through the narrow gap. What an amazing experience! After a few bends, we encounter rapids and can’t go further. We exit the cave and go ashore for lunch. Afterward, we paddle a short stretch on the Dart River to Paradise Beach. This area is often used for filming, including scenes from The Lord of the Rings. On the pebble beach, we deflate and roll up the funyaks. A bus takes us back to Glenorchy. Driving back to Queenstown, we reflect on a really enjoyable activity—and fortunately, the weather cooperated. Heavy rain is forecast for the West Coast tomorrow. We have a Milford Sound boat trip booked in the afternoon, so we reschedule it for Thursday morning, giving tomorrow a more relaxed pace, though Thursday will be a long day. We’ll see about that later. We end the day with a ride on the cable car. The gondola takes us to the top of Bob’s Peak, 450 meters above the town. From the summit, we have views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. The gondola area also offers opportunities for luge rides or bungee jumps, which we don’t attempt.

New Zealand - View from the cable car over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu