Kaituna / Gnarly Gorge, V

Below Awesome Gorge take out you are
immediately into the meat of Gnarly Gorge which is a continuation of Awesome
Gorge style of paddling but much narrower, steeper and faster with hidden trees
and more waterfalls. You must seek quality local beta before you try this one.

Paddlers
have been regularly portaging the "Gnarly Gorge" section using the track on
river right through the pine forest. It is about a 20 min walk downstream to
the next pool. Be aware the river right, is all private land and it is up to
the individual to get permission for access. River left for most of the length
of "Awesome and Gnarly" is "Scenic Reserve" but there are very few tracks.

From the pool below Gnarly the river
eases to a class III - IV. Known as the "Smokey Falls" section the gradient is
less but it is still narrow and fast with high risk of trees. Scouting or
portaging is impossible due to the high cliffs. The last gorge below ‘Smokey
Falls' has been accessible for a number of years from the Ash farm on
Mungarangi Rd. this is a class II-III paddle out to the flat water. The best
take out is the road bridge on Maungarangi Rd.