Riverbug Bay of Plenty

 
  Choose your Adventure

Kia ora 

Welcome to our awesome riverbug adventures!

The funky riverbug is the fun new way to discover the Bay of Plenty's special places. Ride the rapids through hidden canyons and drift past cascading waterfalls as you connect with nature from a riverbug perspective.

Riverbug.NZ offers first-timer and family friendly riverbug tours, courses and school programmes around Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne, catering for groups and individuals from age 5 years upwards. Simply choose your adventure level and get ready for an unforgettable experience.



Kia ora Kia ora 

TARAWERA RIVERBUG – New Adventure on the Tarawera River

**Winter Special** $99

Join us for some awesome Riverbug fun on the Slalom Section of the Tarawera River in Kawarau, Bay of Plenty. 😀 Guided Riverbug Tour 😀 First-timer Friendly 😀 Fun, Grade 2 Whitewater 😀 Great activity for families & friends 😀 3 hours total time

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Tours and Courses

Scenic or Whitewater?

We've rated our riverbug tours from Mild to Wild to help you choose your adventure level. All our tours are first-timer friendly and run on fun low-risk whitewater. Our Grade 1 (Mild) riverbug tours are easy moving water suitable for participants 5 years or older. Our Grade 2 tours (Wild) are exciting, fun whitewater suitable for participants 1.25m or taller.

**SPECIAL WINTER TRIP** Riverbug the Tarawera River at the site of the 2013 IRF World Rafting Championships in Kawerau. 3 HOURS. $99

Riverbugs mixed with generous portions of whitewater in a breathtaking gorge on the Rangitāiki river in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. HALF DAY TOUR from $119.

Experience a roller-coaster rapid ride and surf the “Wairoa Wave“' during the Sunday water releases in the Wairoa Gorge near Tauranga. 3 HOURS. $99.

Explore the scenic Wairoa river valley near Tauranga from a riverbug perspective. Great for families with younger kids. Minimum age 5 years. HALF DAY from $89.

Take a riverbug course and become self-reliant in whitewater. Course content, location and duration tailored to your needs. Contact us for details.

★★★★★

Sally Corlson

 Had a great morning on the river with Don, a great experience and beautiful scenery. Fun for the whole family, and challenging for those less coordinated in our group.

Sally Corlson: Trip Advisor Jan 2021
Dan Joines

 We had the best time ever. This is a MUST DO family activity for loads of fun. The bugs are safe, easy and lots of fun. Don our expert guide is informative and friendly - we had the best time. The high-light of our North Island trip and a must do activity. AAA+

Dan Joines: Google Reviews Jan 2021
Angela Seaton

 Great adventure down a river, encountering small rapids and beautiful scenery aboard a "bug". Thoroughly recommend for something unusual and fun. Owner-operators are very friendly, very experienced, safety-oriented and professional.

Angela Seaton: Google Reviews Dec 2020
Ciska De Jong, New Zealand Adventures

 BEST TRIP EVER!! What an adrenalin rush this is.. The tour guides Don and Sabine are absolutely wonderful, fun and also make you feel really safe! When you fall in they just seem to be right there to help you! The bugs are super high quality and really comfy too. The rapids were SOOO fun!!! We were laughing the whole day. Already booked for their other tour on the Rangitaiki!

Ciska De Jong, New Zealand Adventures: Google Reviews April 2021
Carol Herbert

 Riverbug Adventure was the Highlight of our holiday A fantastic day on the river in our Riverbugs. It was the highlight of our holiday. We were treated to a wonderful experience while really enjoying the great outdoors. Thank you Don and Sabine for creating great memories!

Carol Herbert: Trip Advisor April 2021
  

School Programmes

INSPIRE. MOTIVATE. CHALLENGE.

Great value educational programmes for students from age 5 years upwards, with river, ocean, lake & swimming pool options tailored to your needs. Choose from our standard programmes or build a combo package with other activities.

With safe, fun whitewater, easy access, and amenities onsite, the Tarawera awa in Kawerau ticks all the right boxes. Tour duration flexible (up to 3 Hours). Minimum age 10 years.

A truly off-the-beaten-track action packed wilderness experience through a stunning gorge in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. 3.5 Hours. Min age 10 years.

Riverbug the scenic lower Wairoa near Tauranga. An easy float trip that's a fun and educational experience. 3.5 Hours. Minimum age 8 years.

Fun games and initiative challenges on sheltered water at Pilot Bay Tauranga. Can also be run at swimming pools or suitable lake of your choice. Minimum age 5 years.

BUG SUNDAY

Returns 09/2021 $99

Meet the Team

Riverbug is our passion that we love to share.

We love our mahi (work), and supporting community and healthy lifestyles through enjoyment of the outdoors is at the heart of what we do. We run guide training and riverbug programmes for rangatahi (youth) and Riverbug activities for community groups under the guidance of riverbug pioneers Don (Ngāti Kahungunu), and Sabine (Germany). When you join us on the water you'll be helping us to help support our community.

“te tautoko ngātahi i te hapori“ supporting the community together

Safe Hands

Don and Sabine have been "Team Riverbug" since bringing the sport to Austria in 2007. Together they grounded riverbug tour and riverbug manufactur company riverbug.me and established a growing riverbug community in Europe and other countries around the world. They are the riverbug experts, and have developed Safe Operating Procedures and guide training programmes for riverbug operators.

With over 50 years of combined whitewater experience between them – you know you'll be in safe hands

Do something different for your Christmas Party or special occasion...

with a GIFT VOUCHER or BOOK A RIVERBUG TOUR

Simply choose a Riverbug Tour or dollar value and send us any text as you'd like to it appear on the voucher, along with any special wishes and the address to send it to. We'll print the voucher and post it to you or email it as a pdf. Or if you already have a tour and date in mind you can just book it in.

Order a Gift VoucherBook a Tour