Jet Boatin' on the Waikato River

When we went to Taupo on the second day of our holiday we went jet boating. When we got down to the river the driver told us his name and told us our seats in the jet boat. Then he told us the rules and sped off. The noise of the 25 cubic inch, 500 horsepower V8 was amazing; you could hear it from all the way down the river. We went up to the Aratiatia rapids and they had just let the dam go so there was only a little bit of water was coming out. The driver said that in a few minutes there would be thousands of gallons of water coming down here in a few minutes so it would be a great time to make an orderly retreat (the guy was a bit of a hard case!). Then the engine roared down the river until we came to a calm spot where we nearly hit the top speed of 80km/h! Then he spun his hand around and we did a 360 degree spin. Everyone got soaked! We carried on down the river, very nearly missing the bank. We came to some huge rapids and that was when he floored it over them. We hit the big wave and then became airborne. It was such a thrill. Then he turned around and went back up the huge rapids. The jet boat sounded like it was struggling but the driver said that it was because there was heaps of air in the rapids and the jet boat pumps air, not water so therefore it does not go fast up the rapids. Then we went back to the dock. It was a great ride.