EcoRafting in Hokitika New Zealand

Drive-in, hike in or heli-in on these trips, with half-day and full-day rafting options. We have different rivers to suit everyone’s abilities. These are the most scenic and exciting rafting trips in New Zealand. You have the option of riding all levels of whitewater—from easy to extreme depending on the river you choose. Our most popular trip is the Whataroa river heli rafting just 20 minutes from Franz Josef, 2 hours drive south of Greymouth (also known as the grand canyon of NZ) I reckon this is the best river in NZ hands down. Just let us know what kind of adventure you’re looking for and we will find a river to match. Lunch is provided and photo’s are free (we take excellent photo’s). Minimum age of 5 for family floats, 16 for the more challenging runs depending on the water level. Environment We follow strict environmental guidelines and work closely with the New Zealand Department of Conservation to ensure the places we visit are kept clean and green and in the same pristine condition for the next visitors. We have special permits for all the rivers we raft and we have limited spaces available. we have exclusive permits to run these trips. We are proud to say we can drink the water from every river that we raft and we want it to stay that way. Safety We are a registered New Zealand Rafting Association company, and are certified under Maritime Safety Authority New Zealand as an approved commercial rafting operator. New Zealand is the leading country in the world for rafting safety standards. All of our guides have Grade 5 licenses, and there is a senior guide and safety kayaker on every trip. We are experts in managing risks in the outdoor environment. We have river specific safety plans and emergency procedures for every river we run, these are reviewed and checked on a regular basis to ensure our operations run smoothly and safely. We carry a satellite phone and/or a satellite emergency locator beacon with us at all times. Before getting on the water we give a comprehensive water and rafting safety briefing and paddling lesson. We use the highest quality self-bailing rafts, which means that collected water automatically drains out the bottom. We inspect all of our equipment on a weekly basis, and it is inspected/audited once per year by Maritime New Zealand, a government authority on water safety. Josh Marcotte, EcoRafting’s owner and head guide, is a Grade 5 senior guide and an trainer/assesor for the International Rafting Federation and the New Zealand Rafting Association, rated as the the highest rafting qualification in the world. All of our guides hold their NZ National Whitewater River Rescue certification, rated as the leading swift water rescue course in the world, and attend rescue courses bi-annually to ensure we are up to date with global developments and rescue techniques. We are professionals and are very good at what we do. With that said, rafting is an adventure activity with a degree of risk, participants should be aware that EcoRafting cannot completely guarantee your safety.