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Perth / Upper Perth, V-V+ (P)

Wed, 2006-05-17 20:59 — jonathan
0
Perth
Info
Portage?: 
Yes
Class: 
V-V+
Level: 
40-60 cumecs
Gauge: 
WRC flow phone 083 225 495 for Whataroa Bridge. Take 40% of this for the Perth River.
Length: 
13km
Gradient: 
50m/km
Time: 
1-2 days
Put in: 
Above Scone Hut
Take out: 
Old road SH6 bridge on Whataroa River.
Shuttle: 
helicopter section 7B or 7C
Maps: 
I35
Character: 
Tight, technical, very steep, lots of moves around big schist boulders. Very scenic.
Upstream of: 
Perth / Scone Hut to old SH6 Bridge Site, V (P)

If you want more hardcore action take your over night gear, get that dropped at Scone Hut and get flown 2-3 kilometres upstream to the edge of the Wilderness area (helo not allowed beyond this)

From here down it is steep, low volume creeking class IV-V with a couple of crux class V’s (or portages depending on flow.) everything is portagable. If you are doing this you might also want to walk up Scone Creek (about 30mins (don’t follow the track up the ridge and away from river) cut down to the creek and walk up another 300 metres until you get to the bottom of an unrunnable 12m waterfall. The first drop is a clean 4-metre autoboof followed by cool rapids down to the confluence. (you’ll want higher flows for Scone than Upper Perth, but should be good around 1300-1450mm gauge)

To get to the take out: find the Whataroa River bridge on SH6, turn eastwards on the gravel road on the southern side for 2 kilometres to the old bridge site. There is a large parking area, and camping is allowed. Make sure you have a ready stock of insect repellent because the sandflies are rather aggressive.

Fill: 
83%
NZ Whitewater 4th Edition 2006: 
p202
Credits: 
Graham Charles

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p202.

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.