Schools

Rafting

Rafting is the ultimate team building activity.  Kids come off the river full of confidence, having made new friends, after tackling nature's challenges.  We are often amazed at the transformation of group dynamics, the breaking down of social barriers and the way classmates will look after each other on the river. We can also combine your rafting trip with some water/river safety for the group and can match this with your EOTC requirements.

Whitewater Rafting Options

For children 13 and over we recommend the Rangitaiki River (grade 3-4) or the Tongariro River (grade 3).  Both rivers provide great rafting for school groups.  Depending on your itinerary and river flows, we may recommend one river over another.

For children 12 and under we recommend the Tongariro River (grade 2) section.  This stretch of river has the beautiful scenery that the Tongariro is known for, with gentle waves and rapids that younger children can confidently paddle through.  There is also the bonus stop at the trout hatchery.

Other Activities

Some schools come just for the rafting, others do a rafting, kayaking and mountain biking combination.  The kayaks give children a chance to independently experience the river, while having the support of the group.   Mountain biking provides different challenges and lets kids get into the bush.  Large groups will often split up, with half the group kayaking while the other half mountain bikes, and then swap activities.   KRS is willing to work within your schedule, and combine the right activities for your group.

Kayak Tour

Our Waikato River Kayak Tour is the perfect introduction to kayaking and includes a  swim at the hot stream.  The kayaks are open cockpit with flat, wide, stable bases  making them easy to paddle.  While our standard minimum age for this tour is 8 years old, we recommend that school groups have a minimum age of 10.  For safety reasons, we prefer to have a maximum of 24 kayaks on the river at one time.  If your group is larger than 24, you can do a raft/kayak combination where students can swap places half way down the river.

Waikato River by Raft

We run the same stretch of the Waikato River as the Kayak Tour, but we use our rafts instead.  There is plenty of time for water fights, our guides will let the students have a turn steering the raft, and the trip can be turned into a raft race at any time.  This is excellent for groups with younger students, large groups that want to raft and kayak at the same time or groups that are just looking for a bit of fun on the river.

Mountain Biking

This activity has gained in popularity over the past few years, and there are several great trails around Taupo to choose from.  Our guides give a full safety briefing before hitting the trail, and they keep the focus on having fun.  Unless there is a large amount of parental support, we recommend a minimum age of 13 years old.

Budget

We understand that schools have tight budgets.  By supplying your own transport, providing your own lunch, and making a group reservation, KRS can give schools our lowest rates available.  For larger groups, teachers can often pariticipate free of charge.  Contact us by phone or email to discuss options and prices.

Taupo is also home to many other fantastic activities:  rock climbing, horse riding, jet boating, high ropes course, fishing, just to name a few.  We work with other local operators and are happy to coordinate these activities for you.

Duke of Edinborough

For over 15 years KRS has been tailor making trips to fulfil the DOE awards.  These trips generally take place on the Mohaka River, which provides the ultimate learning platform for rafting, riverside camping and hiking.  We will work with the DOE students before the trip to map their route, plan meals, make equipment lists and plan each day.

Please contact us directly for more detailed information and a price quote.

Skills Active Rafting Qualification

Why just take the students rafting, when they can learn real rafting skills and achieve a Skills Active unit standard?  KRS has in-house Skills Active Assessors who can go on the river and work with your students. 

Students will have the chance to guide their own rafts as well as perform the criteria needed to achieve the unit standard.  We like to run this course over two days on the Mohaka River.  This gives the students plenty of time to practise their skills, do the assessment and  experience some awesome grade 3 rafting. 

There is a beutiful overnight, riverside camp, which separates the two days of rafting.  We encourage school groups to provide their own camping equipment and food in order to keep prices down.  

Please contact us directly for more detailed information and a price quote.