Blackball / Smokeho Creek to Blackball Creek bridge (Blackball Creek), IV
Flowing out of the Southern Paparoas, this creek has been one of the Coast's best-kept secrets. Runnable only after reasonable rain, the creek affords numerous 1-2m drops and good class IV read and run.
It was first explored in 2003 by Trevor James, Andy Backhouse and Bob Cameron. It looked good but just needed the water. They didn't have to wait long - this is the west coast. Being fully aware of the potential for hidden logs and trees in this steep, treelined, corridor they treaded carefully and went in during low flows. Over time the acceptable flow levels have raised so now it has been done in a wide range of flows. . Once on the main river you get a kilometre or so of class III+ to get warmed up. Things then steepen for 2.5km of mostly class IV/+ and there are a couple of ugly tree sieves that may require portaging and the crux rapid has a log railslide to boof then avoid a nasty cave with water pushing through it - you don't want to go into that! When things abruptly drop to class II it is all over and you just have to get to the bridge before you run out of water.
My first trip down was after a long drawn out day of waiting at the Blackball Hilton while a stationary front dumped over 160mm of rain in 24hours. At about 4.30pm we finally decided to go and hoped like crazy the level would drop quickly. At Smokeho Ck instead of a trickling current and crash and thrash to the river we had a miniature freight train ride to the confluence. The main creek was brown and charging as we picked our way very carefully down from (the few there were) eddy to eddy. We walked one tree sieve otherwise it was a great level to be in there. BUT - a swim was out of the question and good group boating skills were absolute necessary. In high water without prior knowledge it is solid class IV+ boating.
To get to the take out: from Greymouth head north and cross the Cobden Bridge over the Grey River. Turn right and drive a short distance before a right turn again signposted to Taylorville and Blackball (along the Grey's true right bank). There is one more left turn (signposted Blackball) as the road heads back towards the Grey and Stillwater. Keep on this, past the left turn for Blackball, and you will cross the Blackball Creek. Just bankfull and brown is a good flow. If it doesn't look like you can paddle/float down to the bridge it is probably too low and certainly will be by the time you get to the put in. Park on river left (there is another take out beyond the school which cuts out about 1.5km of the flat water at the end. You can find this for yourself).
To get to the put-in: Drive back south to the signposted turnoff to Blackball. Drive up to Blackball and turn left at the Blackball Hilton. Follow this main street just out of town until the road splits and is sign posted ‘Croesus Track'. Drive up this gravel road to the road end. Shoulder boats and head UP the track opposite the car park (follow the track, DO NOT head into the bush to where you think the river is). After a short climb, 20 mins of easy downhill walking and you are alongside Smokeho Creek. If you get to the swingbridge stop there. Depending on the flows either put on Smokeho Ck and thrash down to the Blackball or walk your boat down the creek bed to the Blackball. If you can't fit under the log just below the swingbridge it is probably a little too high. Wait a little.
This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p168.
