The best of
Rotorua. Ranked.

Tutea Falls, a 7-metre drop that is the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. A standard Kaituna trip runs three waterfalls with Tutea as the last and largest, in a narrow bush-lined gorge fifteen minutes from central Rotorua.

It is run for beginners — no experience is required and every trip is guided — but it is Grade 5 white water, boats do flip on Tutea Falls, and operators enforce a minimum age and a swimming-confidence requirement. If that is not for you, the same operators run Grade 2 scenic family trips on other rivers.

About an hour on the water and roughly half a day in total once you include check-in, the safety briefing, changing and the shuttle. It is short enough to combine with another activity the same day, which is how most visitors do it.

Yes — the Kaituna is spring-fed and runs at a consistent flow year-round, so trips operate all year and wetsuits are provided. Winter trips are quieter and colder; the river itself is not noticeably different.