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Story: Canoeing and rafting

White-water rafting

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White-water rafting

Tourists hurtle down the turbulent Shotover River in Otago on a raft. Commercial white-water rafting on New Zealand rivers began in the 1970s. Popular rivers include the Mōtū and Rangitīkei in the North Island, and the Buller, Landsborough, Kawarau and Shotover in the South Island.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Canoeing and rafting – Rafting and kayaking since the 1980s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13083/white-water-rafting (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 2 March 2009, updated 18 July 2016.