I did the Shotover Jetboat ride on my second day in Queenstown, as part of a package of both a jetboat ride and white water rafting. You can book these combos from pretty much anywhere in Queenstown, and then they pick you up at the major visitors centre in town and take you on a bus out to the Shotover Canyon.When you get to the Canyon, you are given a lifejacket and a bit of advice on what to do/what not to do (don't take your digital camera, hold on, etc, etc). Then, you are put on a boat with a guy who might be certifiably crazy (but very well trained, even though he feeds you the line that this is his first time to drive a jetboat EVER). He tells you that when he swirls his finger in the air, you're about to do a 360, the Shotover jet's trademark move.Then you go flying down the Shotover, through canyons, with the rocks barely missing the boat, every once in a while doing a 360 when there is enough space.The ride probably lasted about 10 minutes at the most. It was surprising that we even needed life jackets, since the water was sometimes 6 inches deep. You'd think they'd give you protective headgear instead. Overall, I thought it was a bit of a thrill ride, but I wasn't exceptionally scared, but maybe that's because I wasn't sitting on one of the edges. I managed to take a fair number of pictures, even one while we were doing the 360 spin.Overall, it was a good way to see the Shotover Canyon, but it was very expensive for that ($99 on its own if you don't do a combo!!!). I possibly would have paid $40 for it after the fact. If you are looking for a good thrill, Queenstown offers plenty of those, and if you want a water sport, I would much more highly recommend the white water rafting.
From journal Adventures in Queenstown