I went along to my first meeting and Pete the club chairman mentioned a trip already planned to paddle part of the Whanganui River. I thought it was a great idea; a good opportunity to meet some club members and also get on the river for some fun!
On arrival at Blazing Paddles our team of 3 turned in to a team of 4 when we were asked to take a British tourist under our wing. Steve was a librarian from Leeds and had been in NZ for a week. He had clearly been reading up on 'must do' New Zealand activities as he had a full agenda of some of the most challenging trips NZ has to offer. He had turned up at Blazing Paddles from a near by Youth Hostel and was hoping to get to paddle the river. The trip is a 3 day, 2 night paddle along 87km of the Whanganui. Steve had never been in a canoe before. I was nominated to be his boat buddy. Nice!
We set off on day 1 and made good progress. The river was low and only just moving so some pretty consistent effort was needed to make progress. The crowd of father and son paddlers behind us spurred us on and we quickly decided that we would head to one of the DoC (Department of Conservation) campsites beyond the first hut. This meant a longer paddle, but the peace and quiet would be worth it.
The gentle flow of the Whanganui River
Pete and Paul - the other half of the intrepid paddle team
The Hennessy Hammock - my next 'outdoor' purchase!
The DoC Campsite 'long drops'
A typical DoC campsite layout
We arrived at our first nights accommodation in good time, set up camp and then started on making dinner; steak, potatoes and salad. It was at this point that we became aware of just how ill prepared Steve the Librarian was for his Kiwi Bush Adventure!
Steve didn't have a tent so had been lent one by Blazing Paddles. I would have struggled to have slept stretched out in it, so Steve at 6 foot plus had to curl up into a ball! Steve had also failed to bring a plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, mug or means of lighting a fire. He had pre-cooked heaps of pasta at the Youth Hostel and was planning on eating that for every meal, including breakfast over the next 3 days. His water bottle was a used Apple Juice container. All in all a recipe for disaster should the weather turn and the river rise!
Feeling somewhat sorry for Steve we gladly gave up spare kit to him and passed over some of the extra food that we had brought with us. I think if we had left him to his own devices Steve may well have become just another Whanganui River victim as the river certainly does have the capacity to kill and reasonably regularly does so.
Day 2 was another long paddle to once again leap-frog the next DoC Hut.
Even so, there were some must do stops on the way, including the Bridge to Nowhere - a bridge built by post World War One veterans who on rteturning from war were given land along the Whanganui by the government. Roads were built into the bush and the bridge was built. Shortly afterwards, the new residents simply walked out as life was far too tough is this environment. The bridge, now 100 years old stands as a rather strange memorial to the tough life they tried to build for themselves.
That evening was spent watching the Kiwi hunters of the party do their bit for the protection of the Kiwi bush by popping off a few Possom with Pete's camouflaged pump action shotgun...
The Bridge to Nowhere
The original swing bridge across the gorge
The lazy way to navigate the river - by Jet Boat
The power of the Whanganui - just not today - thankfully!
Day 3 was a more lazy affair. Our efforts over the previous 2 days meant that there were only 9km left to paddle which needed to be done in time for the strict 1pm pick up. We managed that easily with plenty of time over the course of the morning to explore some of the caves and tributaries along the river.
The last day also brings the 3 large rapids on the river, the 3rd of which is just before the exit point. I asked Steve to video our progress through the river from the front of the boat. It was all going so well. Then as we exited the final part of the rapid and eddy turned us sideways and we hit a hidden rock that would have usually been fully submerged. Over we went and had a good dunking - which given the heat of the day wasn't all bad at all. That plus that fact that Steve caught the entire thing on my camera made for a very memorable last day and trip down the Whanganui! Video to come shortly...
Stopping off to explore
Steve and Neil just before the last rapid!
