Two Ngāi Tahu Tourism businesses are set to soon reopen РHukafalls Jet in Taupō and Shotover Jet in Queenstown.
Due to the significant impacts of COVID-19, operations at 10 of NgƒÅi Tahu Tourism’s 11 businesses had been temporarily paused beyond the nationwide lockdown until conditions allowed them to reopen.
The jetboating attractions are the first of the 10 to reopen, joining Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters, which has remained in operation. Ngai Tahu Tourism says they will continue regularly assessing conditions for reopening their remaining businesses.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai says the reopenings firmly demonstrate how committed the iwi remains to the tourism industry.
“We are delighted we are now in a position to reopen these businesses and we are looking forward to supporting the regeneration of tourism in Queenstown and Taup≈ç, where our partners and the communities have been very supportive of us resuming operations.
“The towns and regions in which we operate our tourism businesses are deeply important to us, so we are excited to return to these communities, to start welcoming manuhiri again and to share our amazing experiences with New Zealanders.”
Ngāi Tahu Holdings chief executive Mike Pohio says he is thrilled that Hukafalls Jet reopened on Saturday, May 30, followed by Shotover Jet on Friday, July 3.
“There has been a surge in support from our valued partners, especially in Queenstown, and from Kiwis wanting to and being able to travel, as well as greater potential for the trans-Tasman bubble, so our jetboats are returning to the water.
“We had always intended to reopen Shotover Jet and Hukafalls Jet earlier than our other businesses, so our recent staffing restructure took that into account.”
Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult says he is delighted Shotover Jet will soon be counted among the activities open for business in Queenstown.
“Shotover Jet is an iconic tourism business that represents innovation and adventure in our stunning natural environment. I am confident Kiwis, and soon hopefully visitors from our trans-Tasman bubble, will jump at the opportunity to experience Shotover River canyons,” he says.
Both attractions will be open four days a week, Friday to Monday, with opening specials, a lighter schedule in line with domestic demand and limited passenger numbers in order to adhere to Alert Level 2 requirements.
