Excursion with the Jet Boat

Today we are heading south on the island to Wanaka to a holiday apartment. After 60 km, we meet Ian, Duncan's brother, who kindly invited us on a tour with his jet boat. Unlike an outboard motor, a jet engine generates thrust through an impeller that pushes the surrounding water backwards. This makes the draft of the boat very shallow, around 20 cm of water is sufficient, perfect for the shallow rivers in NZ with shallows and obstacles. Ian has brought some friends along, and with 11 people and 3 boats, we finally race upstream on the Rakaia River. The built-in 6-cylinder provides a great sound and thrust even in the stronger current sections, but as we veer into a side arm, we get stuck on a small sandbank. We have to get out and push; shorts would have been better for this. Snow-capped mountains on the horizon, colorful gorse bushes along the riverbank and on the gravel banks, along with the familiar hilly landscape, what a beautiful setting. After about 10 km upstream, we moor at the shore and take a break. Beer and cola are passed around, along with sandwiches and pies, coffee and cookies; everyone brought something. Truly a very nice group, unfortunately, I didn't take a group photo. They talk about the surrounding farms, and we get asked about Germany; many have been to Europe before. The return journey, now with wind and current, goes even faster; at the starting point, we load the boats and bid each other farewell. A great group, a lovely tour, we had a lot of fun. I can quickly change at the bus, and then we head 350 km further towards Wanaka. We enter Mackenzie Country, with snow-capped mountains, past Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki. Probably the most photographed spot in New Zealand, Mount Cook, is slightly reflected in the water. We will come back here again, with more time. Continuing south, cows are showering in the irrigation system, and soon we arrive at the holiday apartment in Wanaka. An impressive view of the mountains promises many beautiful impressions for the next days.