Ken and Josephine Haworth started Whanganui River Adventures in 2003 and in 2019, they experienced a 20 per cent increase in activity compared to the previous season. Photo / Bevan Conley
Ken and Josephine Haworth started Whanganui River Adventures in 2003 and in 2019, they experienced a 20 per cent increase in activity compared to the previous season. Photo / Bevan Conley
Some tourists taking a tour with Whanganui River Adventures will soon feel the wind blowing through their hair aboard a new jet boat.
Building started on the 20-seat twin commercial jet boat at Jetseeker Ltd in Christchurch at the start of June.
The owners of Whanganui River Adventures, Ken andJosephine Haworth, ordered the new boat to replace an existing vessel.
Ken Haworth said they were increasing their capacity to keep up with the demand for business.
"We knew over the last few years that the weather had been holding us back a bit, but this season was a nice dry one," Haworth said.
"We had three wet years in a row before that, three wet summers, so to get a good dry one in, our business certainly increased over that period."
The Haworths hope that this 20-seat twin commercial jet boat will be in the waters of the Whanganui River by October. Photo / Supplied
The business experienced about a 20 per cent increase in tours this season compared to last and the Haworths hope the new boat will be operational by October.
Before that time it will need to be transported to Whanganui, surveyed by Maritime NZ, painted and fitted-out.
Whanganui River Adventures started in 2003 when Ken and Josephine purchased Riverspirit Jet Boat Tours and combined it with their own Pipiriki Jet Boat Tours.
There are eight different tours available involving jet boat rides, canoeing, tramping and mountain biking at various locations along the Whanganui River Rd.
There is something for everyone, with short activities for the speedy traveller and overnight tours for those that want to see all of the sights on offer.
They have varying degrees of difficulty as well as different prices, the details of which can be found on their website.
The main tour is a four-and-a-half hour trip to the Bridge to Nowhere which includes a jet boat ride, guided walk and tales of the bridge's history.
The new boat will join three others, one that was built two years ago with a roof on it for rainy days, another 20-seater and a nine-seater.
"This one's also a twin, which means two jet units and two engines which increases the safety of the boat overall," Ken Haworth said.
"It's also about increasing capacity without increasing traffic on the river. There's no point running four 10-seater jet boats which create just as much wake as a 20-seater."
Haworth comes from a commercial jet boating family. His parents Ken and Raewyn Haworth ran local businesses from the late 1970's through until the late 80's.
He began driving for his parents after leaving school in 1985.
Josephine is third generation in her family to be involved in jet boating on the Whanganui River and they have been involved for more than 50 years.
The Haworths now employ several seasonal staff, some are drivers, while others clean and take bookings at their Pipiriki Camping Ground on the Pipiriki Raetihi Rd.
Haworth said he would like to see the river road build up as a top destination for people travelling north or south.
"That's one of the key factors, coming up with a brand for it like the Forgotten World Highway, we need to be able to brand the road so it's appealing to people.
"It's about enjoying a bit of back-country tourism, that's what we are. We're not mainstream. You can still come up here and not be part of a large crowd."
