New Zealand 2006

Last Stand on the Nevis

2006-12-28T02:35:00.000Z

Robin is a mate we've been paddling with on and off since we first arrived in Hokitika. He really REALLY likes kayaking and after 3 seasons in NZ the one river that has escaped his grasp is the infamous Nevis river. So it was that he came storming into the room to order us out of bed and inform us that, contrary to forecast rain, the river was at a high but do-able level. We picked up Scottish Paul on the way, dropped a car at the take out and made the 1 hour drive to the put in, a drive that involves rather a lot of climbing!

What can I say, this river is intense - just dropping out of the mountains with a vengence. The day is a blur of endless class 5 rapids, stacked with real difficulty and real consequence. Good lines, bad lines and everything in between. With none of us having done the river before, it was 8 hours before we reached the take out, absolutely destroyed! I've never felt like puking with fatigue on a river before. A great run to finish my trip. Such a great day in fact that we decided to drag it right up till 5am with a flat battery / low fuel / no call credit fiasco. But that's another story...

That's the end of my NZ trip and probably the end of this blog. It's been a great trip with some super paddling and a really solid crew. If anyone is interested in doing a kayaking trip out here I will do a full article on the main website www.rivernomad.com with all the info you need to get you going. Thanks to all the folk who help me out along the way (Dagger, Palm, Rough Stuff, Great Outdoors). Thanks to Rob for taking such cool pictures and to Jimmy for being such a culchie...

Shotover for Stephen's Day

2006-12-28T02:32:00.000Z

James (we forgive you for nearly ruining Christmas) Foerster

Dr Robin (who really likes kayaking) Scott

The Shotover is the local run here in Queenstown. Running at a high water 85 cumecs in a cool valley, it's a nice way to spend St Stephen's Day.

Christmas in Queenstown

2006-12-28T02:23:00.000Z

Dr Robin Scott

James Key Breaker Foerster

So wild places are all well and good but for Christmas you gotta go where the craic and banter is and meet up with whatever friends you've made along the way. Besides, there's only so much of Rob's company a man can take! So, a bus back to Queenstown on Christmas Eve where the young Yankie lad James prompty snapped our only key to the Serena. It didn't stop us scoring some big vol fun on the Kawarau Christmas Day though, before partying it up at a bbq with the Scottish boys into the wee hours.

Doubtful Sound

2006-12-28T02:04:00.000Z

Ferrying across Lake Manapouri

The head of Doubtful Sound as seen from the pass.

Getting a weather forecast on the VHF

Sandfly shelter

Our hike had taken us into Fiordland - a wild and very beautiful area in New Zealand's South West. We decided to make for Doubtful Sound, hiring sea kayaks for a 3 day trip exploring the fiord's many arms. It rains 2 days out of 3 here and winds can reach over 100 knots. Somehow though we scored 3 sunny days with light breezes. The area is completely uninhabited, with lush green temperate rainforest and steep cliffs dropping right into the water. Just getting there requires a boat trip across Lake Manapouri and a bus ride over a pass. A class trip shared only with dolphins, seals and about 3 billion sandflies!

Routeburn Track

2006-12-28T01:53:00.000Z

With just myself and Rob left in our trusty wagon, we decided to hit the road and see some more of the country. First mission - a hike along the Routeburn track into Fiordland. The Routeburn is one of New Zealand's Great Walks, which means the track is well maintained, there are huts and campsites along the way and the scenery is top class. It took us 2 days.

Hokitika

2006-12-14T00:52:00.000Z

Jimmy drops into the entry drop on the first Gorge

I do likewise.

Rob on yet another no-way-out rapid.

Jimmy in the spectacular and (thankfully) flat water Gates of Arganoth gorge.

Jimmy and Hugh's last day so we decided to have a crack at the famous Hokitika gorges. This is one of the most intimidating and committing sections of river I have ever been on. On the fly in all we could see was flashes of white, white and more white, buried in 4 deep canyons. Linking the canyons were steep boulder rapids, choked with sieves. There is no trail whatsoever - just dense bush. To add to the drama, on occassions you can't see fully around the corner and have to take several leaps of faith. Not the place to mess up or break gear. After 5 hours of intense class 5 boating we reached the confluence with the Whitcombe, exhausted but very happy! We've enjoyed a tight crew with Rob, Jimmy, Hugh and myself and scored some world class paddling with the weather finally coming good. Now in Christchurch enjoying some urban pleasures (like showers) and seeing Jimmy and Hugh off. I will stay till New Years and Rob is here indefinitely.

Whitcombe

2006-12-14T00:51:00.000Z

When the weather is good, just keep on flying. The Whitcombe was the target this time - bigger volume but easier gradient - another class day of wilderness kayaking. Pictures are Hugh, myself and Jimmy - captions welcomed for Jimmy's photo...

Arahura

2006-12-14T00:50:00.000Z

The classic heli trip of the west coast at a beautiful level on a sunny day. It doesn't get much better than this.

Crooked

2006-12-14T00:44:00.000Z

Time to step things up again with a gruelling 1 1/2 hr hike into the Crooked river with some Scottish boys, through muck and undergrowth. Well worth it as we were rewarded with some super boating - steep but clean. Photos show Rob ducking into another knuckle scraper, Scottish Colin hitting his line and everyone enjoying the hike in!

Toaroa

2006-12-14T00:35:00.000Z

After some lengthy, ice cream fuelled decision making, we decided to head back to Hokitika and the wet and wild west coast, hoping that the rain would hold up long enough to do some heli-boating classics. With levels still not there we flew higher up the Toaroa for some easy but fun boating. The picture shows how Bruce (our pilot) deals with 8 kayaks and not enough landing space - tie 'em on with a throw rope and drop 'em on a beach...

Waikaia and Manihurikia

2006-12-14T00:30:00.000Z

The lads hooked up with Canadian Dave Prothero and scored this wee stomper down South. Check out Dave's blog on www.raftinglife.blogspot.com for more stories and pictures. Then I re-joined the team on the Manihurikia - another great run. Feels more like Colorado or France down here with dry landscapes. Plenty of water though and we scored a high water run in amazing scenery.

Routeburn

2006-12-02T06:41:00.000Z

A funky little run in stunning scenery. Our day was made quite interesting with the vertical pinning of a paddler who had joined us. A scare for the girl involved and a tough rescue scenario to retrieve the boat, but a happy ending for all. Pics are Jimmy and new crew member Hugh from England.

High levels around Queenstown

2006-12-02T06:32:00.000Z

After record rain we're waiting for levels on classic sections like the Nevis bluff to come down to vaguely sane levels. This is the entry...

More Wilkin Pics

2006-12-02T06:24:00.000Z

Pics show myself and Jimmy on the Wilkin. Jimmy paddles a yellow H3, similar to the boat Ross Redmond used to paddle back when he went on boating trips with us.... (sorry big man, cheap digs from Evans but you did ask for a mention!)

Wilkin and Queenstown

2006-11-29T23:19:00.000Z

Took a helicopter high into the Wilkin valley for what turned out to be a long 7 hour paddle out. Huge house sized boulders create monster sieves which means plenty of gruesome portaging but also some nice drops. Pictures shows new English friend Robin Scott nailing his line near the put in and Jimmy roaring tango tango roger that into his microphone. We are now in Queenstown - a tourist hot spot and big party town. The lads scored a run on the Shotover at a high water 70 cumecs. However, last night the river hit 500 cumecs - so it's been raining a bit!

Rob's Boating Pics

2006-11-27T04:31:00.000Z

Some of Rob's shots of myself and Jimmy on the Rangatiki and Taipo earlier in the trip.

Nice Weather in Central Otago!

2006-11-27T04:22:00.000Z

We're moving South and are now in the region of Otago - stunning scenery and finally, some sunshine!

Farewell to Talbott

2006-11-27T04:09:00.000Z

Talbott left today, back to the North island and the lurve of a good woman. It was good to have the old hippy on the road again. We will remember him for his vegetarianism, conspiracy theories and his raw, capitalist, entrepreneurial drive - Talbot brought 5 lifejackets over from the States to sell for a profit to gear-starved Kiwi boaters. Problem is, he can't remember how much he paid for them. Mostly we will remember his good humour and (being American) the additional freedom and bravery he brought to the team. Pity you're leaving big man - Jimmy has only just stopped calling you Talbert...

Fox Glacier

2006-11-27T03:50:00.000Z

We hit the road again and scored a nice run in FREEZING water on the Fox, which runs directly from the Fox Glacier. Incredible place, once we got feeling back in our hands...

Hokitika Levels

2006-11-27T03:38:00.000Z

Levels in Hokitika are in a funny place right now. With all the heli runs still too high and frequent fronts coming in, we are trying to catch road or hiking accessible runs where we can. The lower Kakapotahi and Toaroah have served up some quality high water class 4 boating but since it was lashing rain I have no photos! Here's a picture of Jimmy's new rain gear instead...

Wash Day!!

2006-11-27T03:30:00.000Z

After about 10 days without washing we took advantage of a break in the weather to have a wash in the lake. Ah the glamour of being on the road...

The World Famous Poo Pub

2006-11-25T20:54:00.000Z

In between getting rained on there's a multitude of cultural activities to get involved in, such as sampling the random delights of the Mahinapua pub. What looks on the outside to be a arse end of nowhere establishment is actually the venue for backpacker fancy dress parties 4 nights a week. Pics show James showing off his head torch, Talbott drinking from his wetsuit boot (for swimming) and Jimmy capturing Osama Bin Laden.

Taipo

2006-11-22T05:13:00.000Z

With levels in the area high, the Taipo is one of the few heli runs that goes. A great experience flying right into the mountains and paddling all the way back. Photo shows Jimmy scoring some freestyle points on a drop in the first gorge...

Hokitika

2006-11-20T23:53:00.000Z

We are now in Hokitika - the main gateway for New Zealand's west coast runs. The rivers around here are pretty remote - either hike in or helicopter access. Hiked into the Styx yesterday which took almost 2 hours but well worth it with some nice class 5 rapids easing to a class 4 run out. River levels can spike to crazy levels here with weather very changeable so watching the weather forecast and flow charts is key. We're camping outside the town by a cool lake and a pub that opens 4 nights a week, solely to throw parties for the backpacker buses that pass through - so there's plenty of craic and banter to be had...

Murchison

2006-11-18T05:09:00.000Z

After a drive south to Wellington and a 3 hour ferry we were on the South Island. Murchison is a tiny town in the mountains, a few hours from the ferry. It was raining heavily when we arrived and the rivers are all off the scale. We have been running easy sections in full flood.

Rangitiki

2006-11-18T05:05:00.000Z

The Rangitiki is a lovely class 4 run, in the lower North Island. Camped at River Valley lodge, complete with play wave, volleyball and sunshine. Our team now numbers five - James from Colorado joins with a second vehicle so it's all go for our tour South.

Kaituna River

2006-11-14T22:34:00.000Z

This is a short but very sweet wee creek just outside Rotorua. The 7m Okere falls is commercially rafted which is a touch crazy. Got a few runs in with a great playspot at the take out - pity we're in creek boats...

Collected an American

2006-11-14T22:25:00.000Z

Drove south to Raglan to collect the mandatory American. I first met Talbott in Costa Rica in 2001. He is a shameless hippy and brought us to his favorite scrapyard where Rob turned some timber into a temporary roof rack...

Purchased a Vehicle

2006-11-11T22:19:00.000Z

It took less than 48 hours to drive out of Auckland in our own vehicle, fully insured, registered and serviced - a beautiful 1993 Nissan Serena people carrier. We are now in Raglan visiting some mates from Colorado.

Arrived in Auckland

2006-11-10T04:40:00.000Z

We finally arrived in Auckland after an unexpected diversion to Sydney and almost 48 hours after leaving Dublin. We are now searching for a cheap vehicle...

Kiwi tour...

2006-10-27T12:06:00.000Z

It's October 2006 and myself, Rob Murphy and Jimmy Evans are heading off on another white water road trip. The destination this time is New Zealand. Keep an eye on this page for updates and images from the road