Built on the Lake
One crew. Four adventures. Every day on Wakatipu.
How We Got Here
From One Boat to a Crew
The Beginning
It Started With Jet Boating
Watersports Ltd began the way most good Queenstown stories do - with a boat, a river, and a slightly unreasonable idea of what counts as fun. Thunder Jet put us on the Kawarau, blasting visitors down 47km of braided river, and taught us the craft we still run on today: serious safety, unserious fun.
The Shark Arrives
Hydro Attack Joins the Family
Then came the shark. Hydro Attack brought the world's only commercial Seabreacher experience to Lake Wakatipu - diving, breaching and rolling across Queenstown Bay - and proved there was room on the lake for adventures nobody had ever seen before.
Taking to the Sky
Paraflights Lifts Off
Queenstown Paraflights added the gentle giant of the collection - parasail flights 600 feet above the lake from the deck of The Red Dragon. Fly high, stay dry, and see Wakatipu the way the keas do.
Keeping Queenstown Moving
Ferries, Charters & Marine
Along the way we became part of the lake's daily rhythm - Queenstown Ferries connecting the bays on scheduled sailings, private charters carrying groups to the water's remote corners, and Queenstown Marine keeping local boats sold, serviced and lake-ready.
Handlebars for Everyone
Jet Ski Tours Round It Out
Jet Ski Tours completed the set - guided summer safaris where you take the handlebars yourself. Four ways to experience one lake, each completely different, all run by the same crew.
2026
One Dock, One Name
Today it all comes together as watersports.nz - one kiosk on Steamer Wharf, one booking, one crew that knows every mood of this lake. Four brands, side by side, the way they've always really operated.
What We Stand For
The Crew & The Code
Skippers, pilots, guides and kiosk crew - most of us came for a season and never left. A few things hold it all together.
Safety, Then Everything
Every driver, pilot and guide is trained past the standard, not to it. The thrills feel wild because the operation behind them isn't.
Locals on the Water
We read this lake every morning - its winds, its moods, its 27-minute heartbeat. When we say the weather call is right, it's because we've made ten thousand of them.
One Crew, Your Day
Because all four adventures share one dock and one team, your day flows - we juggle timings, weather and combos so you just turn up and enjoy it.
Looking After the Lake
Tiaki - Our Promise
Lake Wakatipu isn't our venue - it's our home, and we only get to share it because we care for it. As part of the Tiaki Promise, we commit to protecting the water, the shoreline and the wildlife that make this place extraordinary, and to helping every visitor do the same.
That work is practical: modern, efficient engines across the fleet, careful fuel and waste management on the wharf, and a carbon offsetting programme that backs our operations. The goal is simple - the lake we hand on should be better than the one we found.
Read more about the Tiaki Promise, the Tourism Sustainability Commitment, and our environmental practices on our Sustainable Tourism page.
Come Meet the Lake
Four adventures, one dock, one crew that can't wait to show you around the backyard.
Book Your Adventure