Mohaka Rafting
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Mohaka Rafting
Whitewater rafting adventures in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Based on State Highway 5 just 45 minutes from Napier and an hour from Taupo, Mohaka Rafting provides guests with an amazing North Island rafting experience.
We offer half day Grade 2 trips, full day Grade 3 trips and the infamous Grade 4/5 that started the whole company. Contact us about our multi-day expeditions through the Kaweka Forest Park and trout fishing.
Young families can experience scenic half-day raft and ducky (inflatable kayak) trips down the Grade 2 section of the Mohaka River. A great float trip for 5 years and older who wish to sit back and relax with a great scenic back drop. Give the children confidence in and around water.
$115 per adult and $95 per child
For great fun raft the stunning Mohaka River gorges of the Grade 3. This is our most popular full day trip. For $165, our guests enjoy 4 to 5 hours on the water as well as cliff jumping, swimming through rapids, stunning views, exciting whitewater, and a walk into an abandoned gold mine.
For serious rafting the Grade 4/5 section provides a full day wilderness adventure for $210 per person. This is our most stunning trip and is a serious Grade 5 in high flow or a great interesting Grade 4 at low flows. No playing on this trip but the scenery more than makes up for it. It's wilderness with huge gorges, house size boulders, geological oddities, beautiful waterfalls and great white water. It is a trip to remember.
Minimum numbers apply - we need 8 people to run this trip.
For the ultimate "chill-out" try our multi-day trips. Expeditions take you into the heart of untouched New Zealand back-country. You can relax on the side of the river, in hot pools, or cast for that trophy trout. Take an extra day and take a walk away from the river and into the Kaweka Forest Park.
Whether you choose to take part in a single day trip, or drop into the back-country by helicopter, Mohaka Rafting has the ability to meet your thrill - or trout seeking needs!
Visit our website now for more information, or contact us today to book your trip. Our trips do fill up quickly, so book early!
Details
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Organisation |
Mohaka RaftingCommercial organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Napier |
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Operating Season And Hours |
We operate from the 1st of October to the 30th of April. Open everyday but Christmas day. Grade 2 and Grade 5 trips meet at our base at 9:00am Grade 3 trips meet at our base at 9:30am |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Rafting
Reviews
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5.0/5
Great company with great people, the experience was fantastic.
We can definitely recommend and we will return again.
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5.0/5
We (2 adults, one 6-year old) had a great time on the Mohaka River.
Thank you, David, for a beautiful trip on the grade 2 section. There was so much to look at, that we forgot to paddle most of the time :-) Great scenery and many birds and even a pair of Blue Ducks! An experience that will stay with us for sure! We really recommend going rafting.
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5.0/5
I was fortunate enough to be invited for a day of rafting with the Mohaka Rafting team for the first day of the rafting season.
Rafting the Mohaka river has to be one of the best outdoor activities I have experienced during my time in New Zealand. The rapids were grade 2-3 which made traversing them thoroughly enjoyable. Next time I will try the grade 4-5 rapids further down the Mohaka.
The team were very professional throughout the day and placed the upmost priority on safety. The scenery along the river was diverse and incredibly beautiful. The trip was a total of 5 hour including a stop for lunch on the river bank. All clothing was supplied, all I had to bring with me was lunch and water.
In rafting over one of the rapids, I fell out of the raft and was thrown a rope almost instantly, then towed back into the raft. I was surprised at how quickly the team responded, and felt completely safe under their watch. Nick and Dave were the guides on my trip, I will try to raft with them again.
Thanks John for those words. I will let the guides know that you had a great trip, it is always great to get feed back. Just call when you are back in NZ and we will arrange a grade 5 for you.
Norm Brown
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5.0/5
I spent last weekend rafting the mighty Mohaka with the crew at Mohaka Rafting, and I'm pleased to say that it was a fantastic experience.
I'm a confessed whitewater junkie, and the Mohaka clocked in as the 9th river I've rafted on in New Zealand.
I had planned on coming down for a trip down the grade 5 section, but decided to make a weekend of it, rafting the grade 3 section in order to see as much of the river as I could. Norm, the owner/operator, was very communicative and great in helping me plan my trip.
The grade 3 trip on the upper section was great - a scenic trip complemented by a handful of fairly exciting rapids. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a taste of what rafting has to offer. Our guide, Drew, was friendly, competent, and made the trip quite enjoyable.
I have to say, however, that the grade 5 run down the lower section absolutely blows the upper section out of the water (excuse the pun). It was, to put it simply, technical rafting at its finest. Boulders the size of houses everywhere, large drops, mean holes, burly rapids with must-make moves, and stunning scenery and wildlife (whio, wild horses, and much more).
It is a class 5 trip for a reason, as it is a river with some serious consequences - some obvious, many not. However, expert guidance from our trip lead Gywn (as well as Lu's spot-on safety kayaking) never once put me out of my comfort zone.
It was without a doubt one of the best stretches of river I've had the privilege of rafting, and would recommend it to anyone passionate about rafting in a heartbeat.
In short, the folks at Mohaka Rafting are a class act. Do yourself a favor and get out there - you won't regret it.
-Mitch
Hi Mitch and to all those that have sent in a review. Thanks for all the reviews. Thanks for taking the time to help other travellers as others have helped you. It was great to have you all come out rafting with us - without you we would not have the great experiences we have.
On behalf of all the guides and myself it was great to meet you all
Regards
Norm
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5.0/5
What a fantastic day.
Real value for money. Went on the grade 2-3 trip last weekend with a group of around 30 of us from my husbands work, one of the best outings we have done. We had Dave as our guide and he was brilliant, great sense of humour. Thanks so much for the great time you gave us, would love to do it again with you as our guide Dave!!! All the guides were great, but I am bias and think we had the best LOL. Anyone thinking about doing this trip should just do it!!! We are all keen to do the grade 4-5 trip next (hopefully at the end of this year). Thanks guys, you really gave us value for money.
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5.0/5
Superb rafting; grade 3 family day: excellent instruction, beautiful river; obvious concern for your needs eg my partner feels the cold; gloves provided and FREE photographs.
Great safety gear.
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5.0/5
Did the Grade 5 today , Awesome awesome time had by the group.Guides were excellent and very reassuring for us as first time rafters, would strongly recommend the team at Mohaka Rafting for a bloody good
day out.
Chur fullas...
GWENDOOORR !!!!!!!!!!
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4.5/5
We could jump from the cliffs, visit caves, went swimming and of course, good rafting.
It was an awesome day!!
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4.5/5
Awesome rafting, but make sure that you have at least difficulty 4 otherwise it might be a little bit too boring.
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5.0/5
Great company with great people, the experience was fantastic.
We can definitely recommend and we will return again.
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5.0/5
We (2 adults, one 6-year old) had a great time on the Mohaka River.
Thank you, David, for a beautiful trip on the grade 2 section. There was so much to look at, that we forgot to paddle most of the time :-) Great scenery and many birds and even a pair of Blue Ducks! An experience that will stay with us for sure! We really recommend going rafting.
-
5.0/5
I was fortunate enough to be invited for a day of rafting with the Mohaka Rafting team for the first day of the rafting season.
Rafting the Mohaka river has to be one of the best outdoor activities I have experienced during my time in New Zealand. The rapids were grade 2-3 which made traversing them thoroughly enjoyable. Next time I will try the grade 4-5 rapids further down the Mohaka.
The team were very professional throughout the day and placed the upmost priority on safety. The scenery along the river was diverse and incredibly beautiful. The trip was a total of 5 hour including a stop for lunch on the river bank. All clothing was supplied, all I had to bring with me was lunch and water.
In rafting over one of the rapids, I fell out of the raft and was thrown a rope almost instantly, then towed back into the raft. I was surprised at how quickly the team responded, and felt completely safe under their watch. Nick and Dave were the guides on my trip, I will try to raft with them again.
Thanks John for those words. I will let the guides know that you had a great trip, it is always great to get feed back. Just call when you are back in NZ and we will arrange a grade 5 for you.
Norm Brown
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4.5/5
Awesome rafting, but make sure that you have at least difficulty 4 otherwise it might be a little bit too boring.
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4.5/5
We could jump from the cliffs, visit caves, went swimming and of course, good rafting.
It was an awesome day!!
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5.0/5
Did the Grade 5 today , Awesome awesome time had by the group.Guides were excellent and very reassuring for us as first time rafters, would strongly recommend the team at Mohaka Rafting for a bloody good
day out.
Chur fullas...
GWENDOOORR !!!!!!!!!!
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5.0/5
Superb rafting; grade 3 family day: excellent instruction, beautiful river; obvious concern for your needs eg my partner feels the cold; gloves provided and FREE photographs.
Great safety gear.
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5.0/5
What a fantastic day.
Real value for money. Went on the grade 2-3 trip last weekend with a group of around 30 of us from my husbands work, one of the best outings we have done. We had Dave as our guide and he was brilliant, great sense of humour. Thanks so much for the great time you gave us, would love to do it again with you as our guide Dave!!! All the guides were great, but I am bias and think we had the best LOL. Anyone thinking about doing this trip should just do it!!! We are all keen to do the grade 4-5 trip next (hopefully at the end of this year). Thanks guys, you really gave us value for money.
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5.0/5
I spent last weekend rafting the mighty Mohaka with the crew at Mohaka Rafting, and I'm pleased to say that it was a fantastic experience.
I'm a confessed whitewater junkie, and the Mohaka clocked in as the 9th river I've rafted on in New Zealand.
I had planned on coming down for a trip down the grade 5 section, but decided to make a weekend of it, rafting the grade 3 section in order to see as much of the river as I could. Norm, the owner/operator, was very communicative and great in helping me plan my trip.
The grade 3 trip on the upper section was great - a scenic trip complemented by a handful of fairly exciting rapids. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a taste of what rafting has to offer. Our guide, Drew, was friendly, competent, and made the trip quite enjoyable.
I have to say, however, that the grade 5 run down the lower section absolutely blows the upper section out of the water (excuse the pun). It was, to put it simply, technical rafting at its finest. Boulders the size of houses everywhere, large drops, mean holes, burly rapids with must-make moves, and stunning scenery and wildlife (whio, wild horses, and much more).
It is a class 5 trip for a reason, as it is a river with some serious consequences - some obvious, many not. However, expert guidance from our trip lead Gywn (as well as Lu's spot-on safety kayaking) never once put me out of my comfort zone.
It was without a doubt one of the best stretches of river I've had the privilege of rafting, and would recommend it to anyone passionate about rafting in a heartbeat.
In short, the folks at Mohaka Rafting are a class act. Do yourself a favor and get out there - you won't regret it.
-Mitch
Hi Mitch and to all those that have sent in a review. Thanks for all the reviews. Thanks for taking the time to help other travellers as others have helped you. It was great to have you all come out rafting with us - without you we would not have the great experiences we have.
On behalf of all the guides and myself it was great to meet you all
Regards
Norm
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5.0/5
I did two runs with Mohaka Rafting, had great time both times!
Great, experienced, friendly guides; felt very safe...
There is something for everyone here, first time rafters or experienced, they have everything from grade 3 to 5; go out and try! Thanks to Norm, Gwynn, Georgie, Drew and Marilyn I had a great time :)
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5.0/5
9th February 2011.
We had a great time on the Mohaka. Gwyn, John and Tyler were excellent instructors - patient, polite and clearly very experienced. The river was in full flow, but we felt really safe as the staff assessed each obstacle and guided us around the dangers. Awesome fun!
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5.0/5
SUPER DUPER FUN!
Thanks to the guys at Mohaka for a refreshing escape from the region's tourist machines!
The river is stunning with beautiful cliffs and limestone formations and the water is a great vantage point for the towering scenery, even on a rainy day like we had. The owner clearly focused on selecting the absolute best staff he probably could find : all were friendly, patient and caring about each person's well being and at the same time very experienced and knowledgeable about the river.
It was great fun to be able to trust them completely while paddling, jumping off cliffs and swimming in the rapids! I would recommend Mohaka to anyone who appreciates a truly personalized experience and simply a beautiul journey. Kudos!
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5.0/5
8th January: Had a great day rafting!
I have done several other rafting trips in the North Island and this was the best! A friendly team, awesome scenery and cool things to stop and see along the way!
17th January: I did the Grade 3 trip just 10 days ago, and had such a great time that i came back again to do the Grade 5 trip! It was an exciting challenge, i had such an awesome day and i highly reccomend it!
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5.0/5
I had the pleasure of taking a trip with Mohaka rafting.
As we were just a group of 4 it was suggested we take the 2 man kayaks. This turned out to be a great idea. We had great fun and our guide, John was very helpful and informative. We would certainly recommend this as a great family outing. Photo's were taken on the trip and then emailed to us later that day. - great service.
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5.0/5
I cecommend it to everyone to do this rafting, because it was safe, really cheap and just so much fun!
The guides were brilliant and the gear was really good.
I loved the cliff jumps the most especially the 10 meter one :)
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4.5/5
7 of us did a grade three 20 km river run.
We had a great time rafting with brilliant guides, excellent value for money. The gear was in pefect order. The experience is for the whole day , not just a few hours in some of the best scenery in the N.I.
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5.0/5
We used Mohaka Rafting for our end of year staff Christmas function we had 22 rafters on the day and we all loved it, excellent photos and perfect weather.
I would suggest this to anyone. Excellent scenery and clean swimming water. Cheers Norm.
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5.0/5
Just wanted to share my amazing experience with Mohaka Rafting.
This was one of the best trips I've ever been on! The guides Norm, Jon, Kendall and Gwyn where great. They were experienced, safe and full of information on the local area.
The landscape as you float down the river was stunning. The rafting was awesome and the cliff jump on the grade 3 should not be missed. I did both the grade 3 and the grade 5 sections and both were breathtaking.
Anyone looking for something to do in the Hawkes Bay area should definitely check this place out. You won't regret it.
Thanks again boys.
Cheers.
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5.0/5
One of the best experiences I had while traveling in NZ.
Our guide, Jon, was full of information about the area we were in, and is a really great guy as well. He was very polite and always made us feel like we were taking part rather than just riding a boat down a river. I couldn't imagine a better guide. We did a grade 3 trip, and will definitely be back in the future for some more. If you're still umming and ahhing about this, go ahead and do it. You'll have an amazing time.
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5.0/5
Fantastic day out!
Jon and Kendall were brilliant guides, will defo be back to do the grade 5 and higher cliff jumps!defo worth a trip and great value for money.
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5.0/5
We did the grade-3 rafting and it was so great!
Since that day we can`t wait to raft again and to do some more cliff jumps:)
We learned a lot about the nature in this beautiful scenery.
So, many thanks to Jon, Kendall and Norm for a perfect day with a lot of fun!
Do not hesitate to do a trip with these guys, you will love it. Go for it!
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4.5/5
Thank you for a wonderful day out on the Mohaka River!
An energetic, friendly and professional team, a fun activity and a superb setting combine for an inforgettable kiwi experience. Will be back for grade 3!
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4.5/5
choice trip thannks heaps guys ,jon ,kendall and norm all very experienced and confident guides felt very safe even let my 10 yr old do it the next day .cant wait to see the new facilitys when theyre
up and do the grade 4/5 churr
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4.5/5
Had an absoluetly AMAZING time.
The guides were fantastic and we all had an absolute blast!
Highly reccommend this trip to anyone and everyone!
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4.5/5
Very good value for money.
$98 for 4 hours of rafting. John and Norm are great people and we had lots of fun!!
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5.0/5
Very nice day on the river and a very good guide, I would love to go for the grade 5 after that !
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5.0/5
An awesome trip!
The guides were excellent, particularly John who was always polite, cheerful & entertaining. We went rafting for a corporate team building exercise, and John & Bill ran a number of challenges for us to compete in, adding to the enjoyment. It was the first rafting experience for most of us, and we did the grade 3 section. It was challenging and a whole load of fun. Great value for money. I can't wait to go again!
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5.0/5
AMAZING FUN experience!
Fantastic scenery, surfing whitewater, excellent jump offs, great guides, nature at its best!
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5.0/5
We did the grade 3 run with two adults and two teenagers.
A really fun and challenging day for everyone, beautiful scenery, Norm and Dave were great guides and put us all at ease. The photos were a real bonus, we felt the whole day was excellent value for money. Big thanks to Aunty Di for making us go!!
