Introduction (2002)
Welcome to New Zealand Whitewater #3 - The Magazine - or at least that's what it feels like. Three extensive tours of New Zealand kayaking destinations over the last few years has been and continues to be a remarkable journey.
And still the book keeps evolving. "The problem with a guidebook" - as Mick Hopkinson told me in his indomitable style when I embarked on the first edition - "is that it is dated the moment it hits the shelves." There is nothing I hate more than outdated information and this keeps me motivated to tear around the countryside every other summer and check what has changed. Sometimes it's not much, perhaps the language used is the only change, maybe it's a whole run gone such as the upper Kakapotahi, or an access road washed out such as the Totara Valley road, which happened in the 2001/02 season. Regardless I want it to be at least close to up to date.
New Zealand river culture has evolved a great deal since edition one. There was a time when kayak schools and retail outfits around the countryside seemed to inhabit dark dingy locales as if they were peddling illicit goods and services. Nowadays it's okay to be out of the closet (albeit a smelly one if it's full of paddling gear) and identify as a kayaker. River-dependent industry is shaping the look and culture in many small towns throughout New Zealand. Of this we should be proud and continue to have more say in safety and access issues.
Still, we can't drop our guard for a moment. Incidents and fatalities will continue. It's the nature of the sport, but we need to demonstrate sound personal and professional practise. The 1999/00 season seemed to be the year of the expert on hard runs but, just to show that rivers aren't choosy about who dies and where, the 2001/02 season was about novices on easier water. Even with the formation of a Whitewater Rescue Group and acceptance of the skills within the kayaking community by the Police and Land SAR this group is still only going to be involved in body recovery. It takes just two minutes for a good trip to turn to tragedy. Be sensible.
There is still plenty of exploration to do out there and I am heartened by some of the great stories I hear from first descentionists after particularly bad trips. I have been asked to not include some runs in the guidebook so that people have some runs to go and do without any information at all. Personally I like this idea so some runs will remain out of the book. Go explore - the effort will yield interesting results!
Showcased in this guide are 125 runs. Many of them have been updated and this edition features three new runs and a park 'n' play section. If you have either of the first two editions it is still worth checking the river descriptions because many things have changed in the six years since edition one was stuffed into the boot of your car. The new runs and text changes reflect the changing nature of whitewater kayaking in New Zealand. The most common question it seems is 'to take play boats or not?' A question fraught with more ego and image issues than lay people could ever imagine. If in doubt check it out first in something reasonable then take your 'nothing' boat.
A huge thanks to the team at Craig Potton Publishing for allowing this book to go to print again, make changes to runs, add some new runs, change all the photographs and redesign the cover. Their desire to produce quality work is very inspiring, and I am honoured to be able to work with them.
Working behind the scenes mostly unknown and in a thankless task is the NZRCA crew who continue to watchdog conservation and river rights issues. These people spend many hours voluntarily writing submissions, attending concession hearings, re-writing submissions and lobbying local and national government. Their interests are purely the preservation of our waterways for recreational and intrinsic natural values. They deserve many thanks from the whole industry.
The information contained in this book stands as a useful snapshot of the values and beliefs the whitewater community holds at the beginning of the new century. By virtue of being included in this book any of the runs are of exceptional value. The individual character of each is only part of the bigger picture that makes Aotearoa wai huka such a valuable resource Remove any of these and these runs and the picture becomes fragmented and of less value. It is everyone's interest to work for, and preserve what we have left, and to foster symbiotic relationships with other environmentally sound user groups. Kayaking and canoesport is not just a weekend adrenal activity, but a vital human development medium for those fortunate to have been touched by it. Two of the best things we do is have a large group of river users and a written record of use I hope this book will serve both goals: introduce folk to new river areas and document their use.
Have fun - be safe
Graham Charles 2002
