River Valley Lodge

A warm welcome followed by friendly inclusive hospitality. Fantastic food prepared by Chef Miranda. Dinner on our second night was delicious along with great company. Worth staying just for the food. Very enjoyable scenic rafting trip with Finn down the river and we experienced some of the most spectacular scenery in NZ. Thanks Janie and Brian

What an unbelievable experience. We were made welcome by Jacob and looked after from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. We had our motorhome on the field and were welcomed to use all the facilities, bar and restaurant with a great breakfast provided by Miranda. Janey, Tom, Brian and the whole family and staff could not have been nicer and happily chatted with us about their amazing business and the love they all have for it. Now onto the rafting itself! Wow what an adrenaline fuelled few hours. It was fantastic from start to finish and despite one of our party being a little nervous Tom was our guide and was encouraging, funny and professional throughout. At no time did we feel unsafe. The river itself is truly beautiful and it felt like there was no one else around for miles, which there probably wasn’t. If you have any doubts about this experience with this team, don’t, they will look after you throughout. Finally to cap it all as our motor home was unlikely to get back up the steep hill out Brian, who had to be elsewhere just left us the keys to his 4x4 to tow ourselves out. Thoroughly recommended and would love to visit again. thanks to all of you for such great memories.

My wife and I experienced the half-day rafting trip on the Rangitikei River the week before Christmas. It is a world-class experience. Our guides (Tom, Janey, Sean) were fantastic - highly experienced, fun and professional. We were first-time rafters amidst a broader beginner group (~11 people), and the River Guides ensured a safe and highly enjoyable adventure. The guides somehow convinced my typically risk-adverse wife to jump into the river from a ~20 foot cliff! This is a clear testament to the confidence they inspire in their guests! All of the staff at the lodge were friendly and welcoming. This was one of the clear highlights of our New Zealand trip, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Our son is in NZ for a couple of years so we decided to visit and tour the North Island. We had accommodation booked in Whanganui and looking for things to do I found River Valley Lodge advertising white water rafting. I sent e-mails from the UK and got good info from Janey so booked in 3 for rafting. We arrived for our session and were greeted by Tom who explained everything clearly. My 3 family members went off to raft and although a knee injury kept me out of the boat the staff were great and I went in the bus to the start point and when I got back was looked after at the lodge by Luke and Miranda in the kitchen even though they were preparing for a birthday bash. When my crew got back Miranda prepared some tasty sandwiches to keep us going. This family run activity centre is impressive. All the staff are well trained safety is clearly paramount but not overbearing. I highly recommend it. If I had realised there were rooms we would have stayed. Thanks for a great time, amazing memories and fab photos. Julie, Dave, Sam and Mary. Xxxx

5 stars is not enough, much more than a rafting experience. It's checking in to a "Family ". Can't signal out a staff member because everyone is so knowledgeable,professional but most of all so friendly you really do appreciate sincere people who obviously love their work. Location beautiful , Accommodation beautiful, people beautiful what more can you ask for? You can ask for the best cooked food of your life and you get it here! Fresh from the land around you harvested then cooked to perfection. We can honestly say our best experience whilst visiting NZ for the last 6 years 3 months at a time , that's a lot of places visited to compare but none as good as River Valley. Visit NZ but don't come without going here!

Great experience. Peaceful environment. Garden room accommodation was lovely. Meals delicious & plentiful. Rafting experience amazing, especially the enthusiasm of the staff. I'm thinking of returning to do the white water experience.