![\"P4141878\"](\"http:\/\/www.hodson.ca\/Travel\/wp-content\/pictures\/NewZealand2010\/Day11Glenorchy_12F30\/P4141878.jpg\" "\\"P4141878\\"")
<\/p>\nToday was a day of mixed weather.\u00a0 Mostly cloudy, but with some sunny breaks, and some occasional light rain.\u00a0 However, the weather didn\u2019t stop us from our adventures.<\/p>\n
We drove up to Glenorchy, which is a little town of about 250 people at the head of Lake Wakatipu at the mouth of the Dart River.\u00a0 It\u2019s about a 45 minute drive from Queenstown.<\/p>\n
The sights along the drive were very similar to those we saw on the way into Queenstown.\u00a0 However, the drive was not our reason for going to Glenorchy.\u00a0 Our plan today was to take a jet boat ride up the Dart River into Mt. Aspiring National Park.<\/p>\n
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There are a number of jet boat operators in the Queenstown area, but we choose Dart River Safaris because they offer the longest ride available.\u00a0 The total trip was about 3 hours, of which about an hour was a ride through back country roads to visit some remote places where many famous movies were filmed.\u00a0 The rest of the time was spent racing up and back down the river on an exciting and scenic jet boat ride.<\/p>\n
The ride through the country took us through some fabulous scenery, and some very interesting roads.\u00a0 Even on the main state highways, it\u2019s common for the bridges to be only single lanes.\u00a0 On the remote roads, it seems to be common for the roads to not have bridges over the rivers at all, and you simply drive through the stream, as shown below.<\/p>\n
![\"P4141888\"](\"http:\/\/www.hodson.ca\/Travel\/wp-content\/pictures\/NewZealand2010\/Day11Glenorchy_12F30\/P4141888.jpg\" "\\"P4141888\\"")
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![\"P4141892\"](\"http:\/\/www.hodson.ca\/Travel\/wp-content\/pictures\/NewZealand2010\/Day11Glenorchy_12F30\/P4141892.jpg\" "\\"P4141892\\"")
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Once we got on the jet boat, I put my camera away, so I don\u2019t have any photos to show you.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t want to risk my new camera equipment on the boat, as the risk of it getting soaked, dropped, bumped or lost was too great.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re ever in New Zealand, this is an activity that is simply not to be missed.\u00a0 It is worth every penny.\u00a0 The ride is thrilling as the jet boat speeds up to about 85 km\/h along the river, passing within inches of rocks and riverbanks, in as little as 6 inches of water.\u00a0 Sometimes we scraped bottom, and I\u2019m told they run aground every now and then, as the river is constantly changing as the river rises, falls and shifts course through the valley.\u00a0 The drivers are very skilled.<\/p>\n
And since I couldn\u2019t take my own photos, check out the website of Dart River Safaris<\/a> to see some photos of what you see along the ride.<\/p>\n Again, if you\u2019re ever in the area, do not miss the jet boat ride, and I thoroughly recommend Dart River Safaris.\u00a0 The views on the Dart River are stunning, and the ride is simply the longest in the business.<\/p>\n After an exciting day on the river, we then returned to Queenstown for a nice dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today was a day of mixed weather.\u00a0 Mostly cloudy, but with some sunny breaks, and some occasional light rain.\u00a0 However, the weather didn\u2019t stop us from our adventures. We drove up to Glenorchy, which is a little town of about … Continue reading