A magical experience on this river safari! My family had a wonderful time, all thanks to our wonderful guide Ruth. The weather was perfect, and we were blessed with really beautiful views throughout the tour. Can’t recommend this enough!

We went on a wet day, it was actually their first day back after being closed for the winter, but it was fabulous. Ruth, who greeted us at the office, and then later steered the boat, was friendly and very informative. She stopped the boat a few times to give us information of the area. She also provided us with a delicious morning tea which included apricot scones along the way. My husband and I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to everyone.

We really enjoyed this tour. We selected it because of its longer duration and focus on nature compared with the adrenaline seeking nature of many of the other tours I looked at, and we got just what we expected. Our guide Ruth was very knowledgeable about the local area and flora/fauna, and you get several stops along the route where you get to take in the scenery. I also really like that you get to see both the mountains and the beach on this tour, quite unique. We traveled from Wanaka for a day trip, and the drive over Haast pass is well worth it. After the tour, we drove to Jackson Bay and had lunch at the Craypot (Ruth's suggestion), and I'd highly recommend adding that to your plans. Beautiful coastline and the seafood was outstanding. Overall, extremely happy we made the drive over for this tour.

I wish I can give them 10 stars for the review. The boat trip is super fun and informative. And the view along the river is beyond words... Highly recommend!!

We did the Jet boat trip y'day and what a fabulous Valentine's treat. Cheers go out to Wayne our driver who was very informative and supplying the lovely morning tea. It was drizzly rain which added to the ambience. The walk through the forest was stunning and easy walk. The Highlight of our trip to the south island 🤗😎🤩

We didn’t know what to expect from the River Safari, but it was absolutely amazing, a real highlight of our trip! Ruth was so knowledgeable and interesting, as well as being an expert pilot of our boat. The ride was spectacular, so beautiful and fascinating to hear about life in the area.

The Waiatoto River Safari was the hidden gem of our trip! It was a fun ride up the river in a jet boat. The water was amazingly blue, we stopped to take a look at the kiwi sanctuary, we went on a short bush walk, we had tea on the beach area that separated the river from the ocean. My husband and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly, highly recommended.

Museum is great and well worth the visit. However the gardens and water features in particular are in a state of disrepair. A bit sad looking as you walk past it to get to the museum. Hope they can fix water features soon. Used to be a great place to stop for lunch or a break before crossing the HAAST river

From the outside, the building and carpark appear large and impressive, but up close, the entrance feels a bit tired and unkempt. There seems to have once been a water feature surrounding the front of the building, which is now dried up—it’s a little sad, as you can imagine how beautiful it must have looked when it was functioning. Inside, the space isn’t as grand as the exterior suggests, but it’s clean and practical. The staff are friendly and helpful, offering good traveller information and clean restrooms. There’s also a small retail area where you can buy items like t-shirts, bags, and sandfly repellent, along with some informative material about the sandflies, wildlife in Haast and the wider South Island region.

Lovely DOC center. Nice museum in a nowadays retrovibe but well maintained. Friendly staff who can help you out for hikes and weather info. Clean toilets.

The visitor center is very good. So much information about the Haast area, great displays, photos and some gift ware for sale.

A bit of a rare gem I think. Stopped in for a quick look about 4pm and could have spent a while wandering through the exhibitions but for closing time at 4.30pm. Helpful staff greeted and farewelled us, and the exhibitions and displays were interesting on top of the usual maps and guides available. Definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

Friendly helpful staff, clean bathrooms, super interesting museum section! Start here before exploring the area

Really cool little visitor centre. Lots of info about the area. Well worth the stop.

We stopped here on our way to Wanaka as a means to stretch our legs & to have a light snack which we had carried with us. Toilets are available. One could get stunning views of Tasman sea. There are few parking spaces also making it an ideal stop for travelers who have been driving for long.

Nice stop. Has bathrooms. Some shrubby overgrown blocking party of the view. Only a small area to see the coast line.

A good account of the road opening of the West Coast and Otago region back in 1965. The views and atmosphere are panoramic looking down the Coast and upwards towards the mountains. Call in and check out the views and history 👌.

Excellent viewpoint and no sand flies anywhere near you! Also has a toilet which is nice. Would recommend going at sunrise/sunset.

Beautiful lookout worth the stop on the way to Haast, but don't use the public toilets they are aweful.

I went on a very windy and rainy day. So not much of a view. But it was beautiful

If you are using Apple Map to come to this place…. don’t! Took us in a long way in to nowhere on unpaved off-road path. Waze map is fine & accurate. This place is also a toilet break stop with extremely dirty toilet & strong unpleasant smell. View isn’t that beautiful… my personal opinion.

Beautiful Lookout, nice walkway at the beach. But better bathe yourself in insect repellent before exiting your car. We got so many bites in the first ten minutes it took us to apply the insect repellent. So many sand flies.

This is a beautiful area with different biomes, beach and swamp ecosystems next to each other. There are little loops for trails and walking on the beach is very nice. There is a lookout tower up a ladder/stairs to see the area. Parking is tight depending on when you go so you may need to get creative, but there is room for RVs.

Great rest area with stunning view of high waves.small track for beach. good parking place with public toilets. There is a small hut where you can see the all view of beach form high.

Nice beach. Cool rock foundations. Small inlet to stream. Pebbles/ rocks. Sadflies. But if you don't disturb the driftwood that shouldn't affect you.

Splendid place for a short walk. There are public toilets with a sink and several spots for parking. Beautiful wooden lookout tower and 2 tracks. Dune lake walk goes to a two other viewpoints and beach, though the forrest and Swamp track goes under the bridge through series of wooden bridges and sidewalks. Very calm and full of bird wildlife.

Beautiful rough beach with interesting information panels, very windy but that just added to the experience. I was here in the beginning of September and there was maybe 1 other person, so it was not crowded at all and very peaceful.

Good place next to the road to get some walking done and ocean air.

The trip on the river was very smooth. The jet boats were enclosed, as not to get wet. While doing spins.

A beautiful and enchanting short but pleasant walk through a forest of towering ferns and ancient trees draped in moss and dotted with fungi. There’s something almost magical about how untouched and serene the trail feels- it’s like stepping into a fairytale as you make your way toward the falls. The waterfall itself is impressively large, though it sits at a bit of a distance from the trail’s end. What really took our breath away was the expansive, wide riverbed of smooth pebbles stretching out beneath it- a striking and peaceful sight. If you have sensitive skin, I definitely recommend applying insect repellent- those sandflies can be relentless!

This spot is located off SH 6 on one of the best stretches of road in the entire country. It is a short walk from the Carpark to the falls, though in saying that you really need good shoes. Most of the walk is on rocky terrain, small but still… Also, bring insect repellent for this one, as there are sand flies everywhere! Overall, this is another fine spot along with Thunder Creek Falls and Blue Pools.

Could hear the sound of the waterfall from the walking track, suit with the name. After a short walk will reach the river, the water level is very low during our visit and the area without water is very muddy. The waterfall is on the opposite side of the river and quite far.

Very quiet and peaceful. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours at this stop is plenty to enjoy the area

Really short walk, there's not alot between Fox Glacier and Wanaka ( except stunning scenery) so it's a welcome break and a great view

Roaring Billy Falls is well worth the short walk from the car park. Although it is listed as a 25-minute return track, most people will cover it in about eight minutes each way. The view of the falls at the end is spectacular, but the real highlight is the path itself, a beautifully maintained walkway through an extraordinarily lush fern forest.

Personally found it the least impressive out of the falls in the area. The road there is very muddy so good luck navigating the path after the rain. Billy Falls was also located quite some distance from the viewpoint with a river in between. There were also sandflies swarming around the viewpoint. Is it worth the journey? Perhaps for the first time, yes. But I would not recommend a return visit here. The other falls in the area were far better with better close-up view.

Amazing, not to be missed ! We took the 40 min trip including landing on the glacier. Really the only way to experience the grandeur and extent of glaciers is to take a heli trip

I was fluid with the day we flew. Got a brilliant morning where we flew over both glaciers. Unfortunately it was too windy to fly near Mt Cook but the flights are always weather dependant. Great team in the office. Unforgettable experience.

First time helicopter flight, so a little nervous. Nothing to be worried about as every interaction with any team member was personable but professional. They take it seriously & for that I am thankful & grateful. The experience - not to be missed! One of the greatest things my wife & I have ever done. We did the scenic flight which included flying close to Mt Tasman, Mt Cook, & landing on the Fox Glacier. Such an exhilarating experience & one we will never forget. Thanks Heliservices, great job, & we highly recommend.

We had a truly spectacular flight over Franz & Fox Glaciers with a snow landing - this is a must do if the weather is kind. It is not often you can stand high on glacial snow & ice with a view of the sea. Thanks & thumbs up all round to a great team.

Great experience landing on the glacier. First day was cancelled due to bad weather but we were lucky the next day. Helicopter pilot was great with short commentary and even took our pictures. One quick feedback - if you are going to cancel - please notify your customers at least. One short line/automated email works. Even an hour before helps as then we can plan something else.

Our action packed day was finished off with the Grand Tour (3 glaciers + Horokoau (Mt Tasman) & Aoraki). Worth every penny, dollar and cent! If you can aim to be up the front, but it is weight dependant due to safety. I let my partner sit in front as he's never been on a helicopter 🚁 before, but semi-regret it. The snow ❄ landing is quite special. Thanks Kevin and our pilot Asher for an 👏 time.

An unforgettable experience. A must do for your bucket list.

Intense water flow under the bridge. Small downhill wide walking path to view up close. Maybe 2 minutes walk. Worth the stop.

A surprise stop while driving from Wanaka to Franz Josef Glacier. My partner wanted to find a secluded bush to urinate. Then a stunning, majestic turquoise waterfall right after we crossed a one-lane bridge.

You have to stop here. Get out after you cross the bridge (if coming from Wanaka) and walk down the path. The natural rocks and water is an amazing view.

A surprise crossing a river bridge, with a raging torrential beneath it. There's limited parking on the road on the lower side of the bridge, and it's possible to walk down a ramp, under the bridge to get closer to the torrential.

Not always worth stopping for photos as there are Works being carried out at the bridge but we were lucky enough to strike a day with no-one working which meant a great view of the blue river and large boulders. Don't underestimate the power of the rapids and watch your footing around crumbling edges.

Simply amazing. So glad I stopped here Don't get to close to the edge though, you will fall

Very cool. Lots of volume