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Watch: Kayaker in dramatic near-miss with jetboat on Waikato River

Author
NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Tue, 23 Dec 2025, 1:29pm

Watch: Kayaker in dramatic near-miss with jetboat on Waikato River

Author
NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Tue, 23 Dec 2025, 1:29pm

A video has captured a kayaker and a jet boat narrowly avoiding a collision at Huka Falls.

Experienced kayaker Dan Munroe, 28, said he braced for impact as he came over the eddy, but the Hukafalls Jet Taup艒 boat saw him at the last second and was able to swerve.

Munroe said the river was flowing about 67 cumecs and, although it was not a common spot to paddle, it was safe to do so anywhere under 80 cumecs.

On his fourth lap, Munroe bypassed the eddy below the bridge and proceeded straight down.

鈥淚t was only then that I heard the jetboats and like tried to spin round, tried to look for somewhere to go, but there鈥檚 not really anywhere to avoid it.

鈥淚 was just hoping that they had seen me. But I don鈥檛 think he had until the last kind of second. So yeah, I was kind of bracing for impact, but it all worked out in the end.鈥

The jetboat and kayak narrowly avoided collision on the Waikato River. Photo / Supplied

The jetboat and kayak narrowly avoided collision on the Waikato River. Photo / Supplied

He said he praised the skipper for his quick actions, which might have saved Munroe from ending up beneath the boat.

鈥淗e pulled away like at the last second, so we actually didn鈥檛 even collide in the end. I think he would have seen me like, with maybe half a second to react, so he did pretty well.鈥

Munroe said it was not typically an obstacle they looked out for when paddling the area, and put no blame on the jetboat skipper, who had a talk with them afterwards.

鈥淚 am normally just thinking about kind of like the water and rocks and things like that, like getting in your way, rather than you getting in the way of other things, just because it鈥檚 not common.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not generally paddling where they鈥檙e jetboating, and they鈥檙e not normally jetboating where we鈥檙e paddling.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just that鈥檚 a unique spot where we want to be is exactly where they want to be.鈥

Kayaker Dan Munroe praised the jetboat skipper for his quick actions. Photo / Supplied

Kayaker Dan Munroe praised the jetboat skipper for his quick actions. Photo / Supplied

Munroe said it would not deter him from any future paddling adventures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a freak accident. They鈥檙e generally not right there and we鈥檙e generally not right there as well.鈥

He was given the video by an onlooker after he returned to shore.

After sharing the footage online and looking at other posts of the incident, he said there were some mixed reactions.

鈥淭he young lads think it鈥檚 pretty sick, people like my mum鈥檚 age thought it was pretty bad.鈥

Hukafalls Jet Taup艒 has been approached for comment.

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