Home / NZ / Otago / Taieri / Sutton to Hindon / Taieri / Sutton to Hindon (Upper Taieri), III-IV

Taieri / Sutton to Hindon (Upper Taieri), III-IV

Wed, 2006-05-17 21:59 — jonathan
0
Alternate Name: 
Upper Taieri
Taieri
Info
Portage?: 
No
Class: 
III-IV
Level: 
40-200 cumecs
Gauge: 
Otago Regional Council flow phone 03 479 6439, then
Length: 
27km
Gradient: 
5m/km
Put in: 
Off Pukerangi Rd at the Sutton Steam confluence
Take out: 
Hinden railway station
Shuttle: 
Approximately 67km
Maps: 
NZ Topo H43, I43, I4
Character: 
A medium volume river with fun rapids and excellent schist canyon scenery
Hot tip: 
Catch a high flow and get some big surfs – take a shuttle driver!

The Upper Taieri Gorge is a renowned tourist attraction and is followed for much of its length by the line used by the Taieri Gorge Excursion Train. It flows through classic barren central Otago landscapes between sculptured schist walls. The run is very flow dependant and needs to coincide with annual release of shuttle drivers as the drive is quite long. Despite this the Taieri is a great run and worthy of a trip if the opportunity arises.

Easy rapids for 6km lead down to the Castle Hill or Pumphouse rapids, class III-IV depending on the flow. More continuous rapids follow, but gradually ease for a few kilometres. A large triangular boulder on river right warns Hole in the Wall is approaching. This straight forward 2m drop is run down the middle, in high water go where ever.

Boxcar Rapid (you'll see why) lies below the Deep Stream confluence. This class IV rapid is the hardest on the trip. Big waves feed into holes at the top and a diagonal strainer wall at the bottom. After one more rapid the river eases to the take out upstream of the bridge at Hinden.

At higher flows the Taieri has some excellent play waves and hydraulics. My first ever trip was at 120 cumecs and some of the waves were excellent. The river can easily take double this flow and still be fun.

To get to the put in: from Dunedin drive via Mosgiel to Outram on SH87 and then on towards Middlemarch. About 50km from Outram and 7km before Middlemarch, turn right onto Pukerangi Rd and drive about 3.5km to the road rail bridge over Sutton Stream. Wander down to the river just upstream of the road/rail bridge down a gully to some willows.

To get to the take out: Drive back towards Outram and look out for a left turn signposted King George Memorial Drive. Drive along this to another left turn marked Hinden Rd. Drive down to the bridge, cross it and drive a few hundred metres upriver to an obvious parking area by the river.

Fill: 
83%
Credits: 
Graham Charles
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.