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Mōhaka / Willowflat (Te Hoe to Willowflat), III+ (IV)

Wed, 2006-05-17 20:58 — jonathan
5
Average: 5 (2 votes)
Alternate Name: 
Te Hoe to Willowflat
Mōhaka
Info
Portage?: 
No
Class: 
III+ (IV)
Level: 
visual
Length: 
14km
Gradient: 
6.5m/km
Time: 
3-6 hours
Put in: 
Te Hoe Station
Take out: 
Willow Flat Bridge
Shuttle: 
22.5km (gravel road)
Maps: 
NZ Topo V19
Character: 
huge boulder gardens, even gradient, siltstone canyon
Hot tip: 
One of the North Island’s historical one day wilderness trips

This is one of the North Island’s long standing whitewater runs, marred only by the complexity and length of the shuttle. You really need to shanghai a driver for this one.

Once bidding your friendly driver a fond farewell, and praying that they make it out again, you push off into a nice three kilometres of class II water, a great warm-up for the first gorge which contains the crux rapid of the run. This first gorge announces itself with a narrowing of the river and some huge conglomerate blocks which obstruct your view. Some easy manoeuvring around these opens up the lead in to Long Rapid (a sidestream entering on the right via a spectacular waterfall just below the rapid also verifies your position). This rapid starts on river right with some dodging of holes, followed by a cross back to the left side, then just stay out of trouble down to the bottom.

Having dispensed with this rapid settle back to a good few kilometres of nice class II and III moves in a stunning sedimentary rock canyon. A section of single braid riffles leads into the next gorge. The Sharks Fin and Pencil Sharpener live here. Both have been tempered by age and pack only some of the punch they used to a decade ago due to the susceptibility of the siltstones in this gorge to erosion and collapse.

The final gorge is a maze of enormous limestone boulders that really keeps the suspense up. Some nice play holes can be found as you weave your way through these. The size of the boulders continues to increase and just when you think they can’t get bigger, Hotel Rock appears—aptly named as this is about the size of it. Shortly after passing Hotel Rock (and doing the customary headshake as you try figuring out where this monster came from) you’ll spy the Willow Flat bridge and the take out.

To get to the take out: this is no easy task. You need to get on SH2 between Napier and Wairoa. About 57km north of the Napier-Taupo Rd/SH2 junction look for an AA sign to Willow Flat. Thirteen kilometres of gravel road take you to the bridge and the take out on the river right side down a small road 800m back from the bridge.

To get to the put in: cross the Willow Flat bridge and follow the gravel road about 12km to Haliburton Rd. Turn left and drive a further 7.5km to another fork, turn left by the white letterbox. Continue another 3km down to Te Hoe Station. It is customary and good manners to stop in and ask permission to cross their land to get to the river. Phoning beforehand is essential (the more notice the better): Shane Dick, Manager of Te Hoe Station, 06 8391656. On arrival, check in at the house. A koha of some sort is appreciated and if you have come from town, the morning paper goes down a treat. A 2km farm track leads you down to the river’s edge. Be careful in wet weather as a normal town vehicle will not make it up the farm track in slippery conditions.

Fill: 
81%
NZ Whitewater 4th Edition 2006: 
p61
Credits: 
Graham Charles
History: 
This section of the Mohaka was pioneered by Pelham Housego and his mates back in 1970. This run used to be considered IV-V but many of the difficult rapids have almost completely eroded away. In 1985 a rafting group were in the gorge when an earthquake shook the area and the water around them suddenly dried up. The guides figured that a big slip had come into the river somewhere behind them and dammed the river, so they climbed to high ground and waited in case the dam gave way. Apparently all that was left were pools crammed with stranded fish and eels. A few hours later water started trickling through as the dam gradually released. Slip Rapid was the result, a class V proposition when it was first run. Now it’s a class II+ boulder dodge, such is the speedy erosion in this canyon.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p61.

New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006
No incidents reported.

Disclaimer

Canoeing and kayaking are activities with inherent risks. Whitewater NZ takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this guide, nor for any risks or dangers that canoeists or kayakers may encounter. Any users should fully research the current river conditions and ensure they are fully equipped and have the appropriate skills, before embarking on any river trip, per Whitewater NZ Code of Practice. While every effort is made to ensure that details are correct, it is possible that this information is no longer accurate. If you find discrepancies or errors, please let us know at guide@rivers.org.nz.