Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River near Tauranga
Overview
Available languages
5 hours
Mobile ticket
Take on the mighty Wairoa River in an adrenaline pumping rafting expedition you'll never forget! The Grade 5 Wairoa River near Tauranga is renowned for having some of the best white water action in New Zealand.
Kaituna Cascades run the whole section of the river including the bottom three rapids and the lower waterfall!
Hold on for dear life as you tackle 'Mothers Nightmare' which has a technical grade 4+ rock garden ending in a sweet 2 meter waterfall.
Experience the thrill of 'The Rollercoaster' - a long bouncing staircase of awesome whitewater that will get a giggle out of the hardest of souls!
Feel the rush of 'The Waterfall' which has an awesome 3 meter drop into a churning pool of white water and then kick back and enjoy the next 4km's of fun grade 3/4 rapids and waterfalls all the way through the Wairoa Rivers boulder-strewn rock canyon - ending with a sweet 5 meter cliff jump for those that want to send it.
Get amongst the action !
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Must be 13+ years old up to 65 years of age
MUST be under 120kgs
No expectant mothers
Must be able to swim
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
• Duration: 1.5 - 2 hours on Class 5 White Water • Availability: 26 days Sundays per year available over summer • Times: One trip per day at 9.30am • Transport: Self drive is recommended or Free transport from Rotorua can be provided. We will pick you up from your accommodation at 8:30am in Rotorua, and you will return by 2pm. • What to bring: Sense of adventure, swimwear & a towel. • What we provide: Custom built rafts, wetsuits, helmets, lifejackets, paddles, fleece tops, wetsuit booties and splash jackets. • Location: The river is located just outside Tauranga at - 1376 State Highway 29, 20 minutes drive from Tauranga or 1 hour drive from Rotorua. • Conditions: 13 - 65 years of age • Also please note – This is an exciting GRADE 5 RAFTING EXPERIENCE and is NOT SUITED FOR OLDER OR BIGGER PEOPLE, or people that aren’t comfortable in the water. We have a weight limit of 120 kgs.
What‘s Included
Wetsuits, Booties, Fleece Tops & Splash Jackets
Photos
Options
9:30am Wairoa Rafting Trip
Some of New Zealand's finest whitewater rapids like the 'Rollercoaster' 'Mothers Nightmare' and the 'Waterfall' provide big drops as the river cascades through a boulder-strewn rock canyon.
Reviews
444 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great fun. A don’t miss experience.
Mark B,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Trip was exhilarating and fantastic. Guide was very experienced and was fabulous. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
absolutely brilliant
davidaF1449RT,,Feb 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Was a wonderful experience our guide Jasper was brilliant ,with his instructions and also made it fun at the same time,i found obviously if you pay close attention to his instructions you can't go wrong,also what makes it fun is some of the experience is down to how you your self perform, like swimming down the water fall then catching up with the raft at the bottom, thank you once again and hope you all continue to have a great time.Best regards David Anslow.
A must experience
T7532AXmarkt,,Jan 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a must adventure if you are visiting Rotorua. The most exhilarating experience we have had on the trip. Jasper made us feel very safe as we negotiated the rapids. The scenery is beautiful and the rapids are scary at the same time great fun. We would highly recommend the team at Kaituna. Thanks guys!
Crazy awesome class 5 whitewater
wunderwo,,Jan 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Phenomenal guides, and crazy white water. Not for the faint of heart. This crew knows their business and take it very seriously!
Great fun trip. Well worth doing.
Z1693CVrachelg,,Jan 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was so much fun. Jasper, our guide, explained everything brilliantly and made us feel really safe. The route down is stunning and we had a chance to swim as well. It’s an exhilarating ride on the rapids! I would highly recommend.
Must do in Rotorua
jonasrU2074JX,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A great experience, super great supervisors. All those who are fit enough should do it! Me and my girlfriend had a great time!
Wairoa River – Technical, exciting, and incredibly fun
lucy e,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00White water rafting on the Wairoa River was such a cool experience and very different from the Kaituna. This river felt more technical, with lots of holes and features that kept things exciting the entire way down. It was challenging in the best possible way and made the rafting feel really dynamic and engaging. Josh, our guide, was excellent throughout the trip. He explained the lines clearly, gave us confidence in each rapid, and kept the energy high while making safety a top priority. His experience and calm approach really showed on this river, especially with how technical it was. I’d highly recommend the Wairoa River to anyone who wants a slightly more technical rafting experience and something a bit different. It was an awesome day on the water and one I’d happily do again. — Lucy
Who gave this a 4 ?????
Explorer36367815686,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This trip is fantastic and well worth the money. Shout out to all the staff - all friendly, engaging, funny and professional. Our raft master Josh - all round nice guy, experienced, competent and with the ability to put even the most faint hearted of our group at ease - was excellent. For all round thrills, excitement, euphoria, bucket listiness, and feeling of accomplishment - I thoroughly recommend you do this - with this company. I guarantee you will not regret it.
One of the best experiences ever!!
Stay45547735452,,Jan 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an incredible experience to do with my 20-year-old kids. It was exciting and Pablo did an amazing job keeping us all safe and having lots of laughs.. Would highly recommend this to all my friends and family and we haven’t stopped talking about it since. It was awesome!! Thanks Pablo 😀
10/10 a Rotorua MUST DO
Navigate47014223376,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Such a great experience and so much fun! 10/10 would do again. Safety briefing was perfect and addressed everything as timely and efficient as possible. Shout out to Cole, Jared, and the rest of the crew, felt totally safe in their hands and they were super welcoming. If you’re not coming to Kaituna Cascades you’re missing out!
From NZ$190.00
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