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River Rats

Kayaking & White Water Rafting in Rotorua

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WELCOME TO RIVER RATS ROTORUA RAFT & KAYAK

River Rats was established in 1982 and we are proud to be celebrating over 40 years in business. It is family-owned, Justin & Jo purchased the business 25 years ago.

In Māori culture, there is a strong traditional value known as Manaakitanga. It is the belief that your own well-being, integrity, and standing in society (your Mana) can be enhanced by how well you treat your visitors. It is the Māori principle of hospitality – that every guest is treated with the highest respect and made to feel welcome, safe, and comfortable.

For New Zealand’s Māori people, looking after visitors and caring about how others are treated – no matter what their standing in society – is of prime importance.

While we have staff from all over the world, we believe that encouraging staff to embrace this concept will enhance the experience we give our customers. In 2018, we were very proud to achieve Tripadvisor’s Hall of Fame which is awarded for achieving a certificate of excellence 5 years in a row, and this year we agian received a Peoples Choice Award.

We are lucky to live in a very unique and special part of the world and it is an honour to be able to show off our unique environment, history, and culture by sharing it with our visitors. Most of all we believe in having fun. If we are enjoying ourselves we hope that this will flow through.

• OFFERING QUALITY ADVENTURES FOR OVER 40 YEARS •

a group of people riding on the back of a boat in the water
WE TAKE YOU DEEP INTO THE HEART OF 100% PURE NEW ZEALAND
a group of people riding on the back of a boat in the water
A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS, GROUPS AND FAMILIES!
River Rats Base interior
FREE SHUTTLES FROM OUR ROTORUA BASE AND CENTRAL ACCOMMODATION

MEMBERS OF TRIPADVISOR'S HALL OF FAME!

tripadvisor hall of fame
The best experience!

After 10 days of different adventure experiences, I can truly say River Rats is worth every dollar! You will remember this adventure your whole life! The team of River Rats are awesome and we felt safe the whole time. Thank you River Rats! We can't wait for our next experience. Keep the adventure going!

– Claudia G. | TripAdvisor
tripadvisor hall of fame
Adventure of a lifetime!

Couldn't stop smiling from the moment we started. An adventure of a lifetime, filled with thrills and surprises. The crew were as incredible as the scenery. Accommodates for all ages from the casual to the extreme. I couldn't believe it, what a wonderful experience. Would do it 100 times over!

– Riley R. | Tripadvisor
tripadvisor hall of fame
Great Kaituna River rafting

Justin, Neville, Matt & Dave were a fantastic team to take us on our adventure. My family had ball! River Rats were incredibly professional and we had such great fun with them. Highly recommend this as an activity for the family - really great value and, especially in this COVID-19 time, a great local Kiwi business to support!

– Andrea K. | Tripadvisor
tripadvisor hall of fame
Such a wonderful time!

First time white water rafting ever and what a way to do it with the wonderful crew at River Rats! Even for first timers like me the Grade 5 waterfalls were amazing fun. We were apparently one of the first to tumble over on the first waterfall but it was the best way to get wet! It's safe and exhilarating! Thanks again for a wonderful time!

– Yvette K. | Tripadvisor