Multiday

The Stanley is a little done addition to the Waingaro helicopter trip. When we did it in 2008 the helo pilot reckoned we were only the second group in, but who knows? There needs to be a reasonable amount of water around for the Stanley to be on. It is a very small creek, and as your second day will likely be on the Waingaro you need water to hang around for the second day as well.

If Henry Whitcombe and Douglas Lauper could be transmogrified through time to anywhere in the Whitcombe River on a summers day they would not believe their eyes (I guess a helicopter would be enough to do the trick). This river of hell, which took them fourteen long days to descend in 1865, is now the home of two classic kayak runs. The upper section from Cave Camp to the Cropp River confluence was added to the list during the 98/99 season by Arnd Schaeftlein, Andi Uhl, Mike Abbot, Andy Phillips and Allan Ellard.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p184.

The Waiatoto drains the Volta Glacier system on the western side of Mount Aspiring National Park. The main reason for a Waiatoto trip is to enjoy the unbelieveable wilderness of south Westland with a group of friends and enjoy it with some good food and wine. There is some fun whitewater too! Most trips start at the Bonar Flats. A short gorge between this point and the next flats - Donald Flats - contains some classic class III boulder hopping that adds hydro interest to the scenery. The river is easy and becomes braided in the section down to the Drake River confluence.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p218.

The Waipara is a beautiful, isolated valley which drains the Bonar Glacier in Mount Aspiring National Park. The river takes you from the ice filled neve lake to the Tasman Sea (if you paddle the last section from the road bridge). The very long walk out in untracked valley if things go wrong and the sheer isolation provide a great sense of commitment and add to the ambience of the Waipara River.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p216.

Jump at any opportunity to get on a trip down the Motu. Bush and gorge scenery, good camping and enjoyable whitewater all feature on one of the North Island’s rare multi-day trips. The shuttle is difficult to organise, but once on the river any hassles are quickly forgotten. Unless, of course, you realise after four hours on the water you left the shuttle car keys at the top — yes, it happened.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p54.

For kayakers, the Landsborough is possibly New Zealand's most scenic and most wild river. It flows from north to south along the Main Divide, linking Mount Cook and Westland National Parks with Mt Aspiring National Park. Seen from the river, which for the most part runs through classic tussock and beech flats, dense silver beech forest blankets rugged gullies and ridges as far as the snow line. Beyond, impressive ice cliffs and snow fields overspread numerous snow-capped peaks.

The Karamea is magic. Located in the heart of Kahurangi National Park, the huge surrounding valleys, limestone walls and enormous earthquake slips hint of powerful forces at work in the landscape, conjuring an aura hard to beat anywhere. The whitewater is fun, but don’t expect a full-on ‘hair’ trip. People mostly come to the Karamea for its atmosphere, scenery and relaxation.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p159.

‘You’ve got to see this one’ an excited Sean Waters babbled over the phone after the first descent of the Burke River in 1996. Sean regaled me with stories: eight kilometres of continuous, steep, class V water that was mostly runnable - then a gorge, looked like V+ to VI for 1.5 kilometres, but they didn’t run it. Caught by dark they spent an extra unplanned night out, but were convinced it was a classic trip. Possibly why it is waiting a second descent maybe??

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p213.

The Clarence River is one of the country’s longest rivers, paddleable for most of its length. It is born on the eastern slopes of the magnificent Spenser Mountains. It flows south from Lake Tennyson, but swings northeast to where it has carved a route between the Inland and Seaward Kaikoura ranges. Once through these it sniffs the sea and heads sharply back southeast to emerge on the coast north of Kaikoura. Throughout almost its entire length the countryside is a stark mix of tussock high country and cleared land. Winter temperatures are bitterly cold, while in midsummer the area bakes.

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p130.