Wakamarina / Wakamarina Valley Road end to Canvastown, II-III+
The Wakamarina was the home of one of the biggest gold rushes north of the Shotover and Clutha. The story goes that in 1860 a woman washing clothes in the river one day noticed something shining on the bottom of the river. Nothing happened for a few years until the governor of the area offered a large fee to whoever could prove that the Wakamarina had gold enough for a claim. And so it began, with sizeable amounts of gold extracted from the quartz veins which run through the area. The ‘canvas town’ near the mouth of the river was, at one stage, the largest populated area in the country.
For kayakers the river has its own golden charms. In normal flows it is a scenic cruise down some scratchy, rocky rapids with fantastic deep blue/green pools making up the in-between bits. If you want more action in the Wakamarina, wait until rain has fallen in the catchment and water levels have been lifted. Then the rapids fill in and provide an exciting ride with plenty of moderately-sized pressure waves, hydraulics and tricky corners. The difficulties rarely push past the class III+ range.
To get to the TAKE OUT: drive to Canvastown on SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson. Drive up the Wakamarina Valley road to Mountain Camp Creek. About 500 metres further on, a road leads down to an old bridge. Park by this road. It is possible to paddle all the way to Canvastown or another take out at Mutton Creek. To get to the PUT IN: continue up valley to the end of the road. There are a number of alternative put ins, and you can access the river virtually wherever you can see it.
This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p125.
