Canyoning in Gibbston, near Queenstown, is one of many extreme activities available in the region.
In this post you’ll read about:
But first, addressing the thing I was worried about before joining Canyoning New Zealand in Gibbston…do I need to know how to swim?
It’s fair to say I’m not confident in water. I can barely swim a 25 metre lap of a pool. And it’s definitely not pretty.
I’ve been canyoning previously so knew it’s unlikely you’ll need to swim at all. And I can confirm this is the same with canyoning in Gibbston. Yes you will launch yourself off a couple of features into a pool of water at the bottom, but it’s shallow. And the guide will make sure you’re safe at all times.
I did let our guide, Ross know I’m not a strong swimmer in advance. If you’re not a strong swimmer you should do the same, there’s no harm.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get onto the rest of the post.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Details About Canyoning in Gibbston
2. How To Get There
3. My Experience Canyoning in Gibbston
4. Canyoning FAQ’s
1. DETAILS ABOUT CANYONING IN GIBBSTON
When did I go on the tour?
I joined the tour on April 30th, 2022, the last tour of the season. The first trip back is in November.
How hard is the tour?
Overall, easy. If you’re looking for harder day of canyoning, book the Mt Aspiring canyoning tour.
For me, abseiling was the hardest part of the tour, and the initial adjustment to walking in a wetsuit.
There is a couple of sections where you’ve got to take some awkward steps, but the shoes are super grippy and at any point where you could fall you’ll be clipped onto a fixed-line.
How far do you walk?
I’m not 100% sure, but it’s not more than 2km in the canyon, then it’s the same on the way back. There’s a hill to get back to the starting point at the end, but it’s nothing major.
How long does the tour take?
We left the meetup point, Eichardt’s Hotel, at 9 am on the dot and I got out at Frankton (rather than back in Queenstown) at about 12.10 pm meaning the other two on the tour would have been in Queenstown by 12.30 pm.
The website says to plan for a four-hour trip, returning to Queenstown at 1 pm. Given there was only three of us on the tour, we were able to move through the canyon a lot faster.
What do you need to bring?
Swimwear and a towel are all you need. It’s a good idea to bring some water though.
What does the tour include?
- 1 to 2 hours of canyoning which includes abseils, natural water slides, and down climbs
- high quality wetsuits, shoes, socks, helmets, and harness/li>
- a small group with no more than 10 people
- a qualified guide
- a thorough safety briefing
- lunch if your on the 9 am departure
2. HOW TO GET THERE
You’ve got two options when you go canyoning in Gibbston with Canyoning New Zealand:
- Self Drive
- Pick up from Queenstown
Self Drive: If you’re not staying in the centre of Queenstown and/or have other Gibbston activities on your to do list (and have your own vehicle), then do consider the self-drive option. Being able to leave the tour and go straight to whatever is next on your Gibbston itinerary (or move on to your next destination) will save you a lot oft ime.
Pick Up: if you’re staying at a hostel, airbnb, or hotel in Queenstown and are within walking distance of the waterfront, then choosing the pick up option is the way to go.
3. MY EXPERIENCE CANYONING IN GIBBSTON
After a couple of chilly days in the proceeding weeks, I was glad the Saturday morning of the tour wasn’t cold, cold. It probably doesn’t play a role in the temperature of the water, but it sure did in my mind. The idea of walking through cold water doesn’t float my boat…lucky the wetsuits were going to be super high quality.
I spotted the other two people on the tour just before 9 am in front of Eichardt’s, and our guide Ross found us shortly afterward. After a quick introduction, we were in the van driving to Gibbston. If you’ve flown into Queenstown Airport and haven’t driven past Lake Hayes/Gibbston, it’s a sneaky gorgeous drive.
We pulled into Gibbston Tavern which is where we would be getting changed, and have our safety briefing before walking over to the canyon where the tour would begin. If you’re not used to putting on a wetsuit, like me, you’ll have a bit of a laugh as you attempt to get yourself sorted. It’s not easy. I think Ross mentioned that the wetsuit pants and jacket would give us 13mm of protection, meaning any fears about getting cold were all in the mind. That’s a thick wetsuit!
The safety briefing was great. There were a couple of times where I thought things might get confusing on the tour, but it all made perfect sense once we were out there doing it. The guides have done this plenty of times before, listen in and you’ll be good to go.
The Tour Begins…
Walking in the wetsuit did feel awkward at first, but it became a non issue soon enough. One thing I noticed early on was how good the boots you’re given are. As a regular trail runner, I’ve seen plenty of sketchy looking rocks and some of the rocks in the canyon looked slippery. But the boots stuck to the rocks like glue and gave us all a lot of confidence while moving (of course, you’ll want to be careful still).
As a small group of four (including the guide), we were able to move reasonable quickly as we clambered through the canyon. At times we were cruising along, other times we were holding a rope as we eased our way down, and a couple of times we clipped our harnesses onto the rope if we could potentially fall.
That all led to the first obstacle where we plummeted down a waterfall. It’s not that high, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t feeling nervous as I saw one of the others disappear over the edge. But once I was in the shotgun position, it was all go and felt smooth. The fall was over before it began as I floundered to the edge to watch the guide weave his own magic down the jump.
Ross made us feel at ease.
After some more hiking we came to the next obstacle, a sweet little jump that would require us to do the cannonball maneuver we were shown in the safety briefing. Once again this wasn’t as bad as it looked upon first impression, but gave a little rush that’s for sure.
And after a bit more hiking through the canyoning, including a couple of steps that really tested my balance, we had the abseil to navigate. It’s about a 10-metre abseil with an overhang and some waterfall action. I’ve done some abseiling in the past and it’s felt natural.
I’m not sure what it was on this particular section, but me and the other two on the tour didn’t feel like we were even close to looking graceful. It was fun, and we were never in danger but we weren’t exactly abseiling…in our minds at least.
After another short walk, we exited the canyon next to the Kawarau River. I’ve got no idea how long we were in the canyon, but it felt like we covered plenty of ground, had fun but were now ready to move on. There’s a bit of a walk back to the starting point, but you get some nice views along the way before arriving back at the van.
We managed to get changed, and luckily no one had pee’d in the wetsuits (DON’T PEE IN THE WETSUIT) making an easy job for Ross later on.
Once we were back in the van to head back to Queenstown, we were given the low down on the lunch. We were given a voucher that could be used at three different restaurants:
- Erik’s Fish & Chips
- Wild Thyme
- Caribe
I went to Wild Thyme and paid $2 extra to get one of their $12 lunch specials (mmmmm, falafel). This was actually really awesome, would 10/10 recommend it.
You’ll also get a chance to look at the photos that your guide will take throughout the trip. They’re not the greatest photos…try and see if you can split the cost with others on the tour, and get them to forward the photos to you. $30 is overkill on top of what you’ve already paid for the tour.
And then it was on with the rest of the day after a great morning and some new friends 😀
4. CANYONING FAQS
Do I need to know how to swim?
As mentioned earlier, no. There’s a couple of spots where you’ll jump down a waterfall, but you’re in safe hands.
Do I need canyoning experience?
Nope!
Will I get wet?
Yes. While you’re in a thick wetsuit, you face and hands will get wet for sure. And if you don’t have your wetsuit zipped up completely you may feel the water a bit more.
Will I get cold?
Possibly? I went at the end of April when the weather had been getting chillier, but with the wetsuit on it was not an issue at all. They’re a wicked invention!
Are kids allowed on the tour?
As long as they’re 10 years old or above they can join the tour.
Can I bring my camera?
You can, but you’ll want to be 100% sure it’s waterproof (a.k.a. GoPro). A phone camera isn’t really practical for this.
Are the photos you can buy any good?
Meh, as you can see from this post, they aren’t high quality crisp photos that’ll go on your curated Instagram feed. That said, they’re fun photos. For $30 though, make sure to ask the others on your tour if they’re willing to transfer you money and you can email a copy of the photos. That’ll make them cheaper and much more reasonable.
The Gibbston canyoning tour with Canyoning New Zealand is great!
If you’ve got any questions, you’re probably best to ask them, but feel free to drop a comment below or email jub@churnewzealand.com and I’ll do my best to help.
Book with Canyoning New Zealand here.
RECOMMENDED READING
The Mt Rosa Track
A hike up to Mt Rosa is a great way to spend a few hours in Gibbston.
How To Get From Queenstown to Gibbston
There are a few fun options!
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.