Kaituna / Awesome Gorge, III

There is an awesome gorge run on the lower Kaituna - surprisingly enough - called Awesome Gorge! It starts out from the Trout Pool falls as a meandering stream and then slowly picks up pace through a few class I-II rapids that give you a good taste of what is to come. The river backs off slightly at an open area that commercial sledgers use as a take out. Look for the tyre steps and the farm just past the pylons. Beyond this it picks up pace as the gorge narrows. The corners get tighter and suddenly, like your sphincter, the gorge tightens right up and you're into a 300m section of continuous class III white water. There are no eddies. Once you exit the fast-paced section you round a couple more corners before Awesome Gorge Falls. This is a 3m blind drop - run it just off river left with a good boof over the hole at the bottom - hopefully.

About seven more corners of fast moving water and you are at the take out. Look for the bright orange paint. You do not want to miss this.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p44.