Of Whitewater and Wildlife

There were two things that I saw more of this summer than ever before in my life: whitewater and birds. In fact, while on the West Coast with the Auckland University Canoe Club, at the beginning of January, we saw too much whitewater. Two weeks of constant rain left all the rivers in flood! Anyone who knows two bits about river running in New Zealand knows that West Coast rivers when combined with flood conditions don’t make for good, safe paddling. So what to do? Well, hit up the tourist spots of course! While in Hokitika, I made sure to check out the fantastic glass studio and the local museum, which details the history of the maori greenstone trade, the goldrush, and the first transportation routes across the Southern Alps. During a brief lapse in the deluge, the club was able to paddle the Arahura River, before retreating back over Haast Pass and the Crown Range to Queenstown.

While in Queenstown, we paddled one of the most exciting rapids I have ever run—Dog Leg. Rated at a solid III+, Dog Leg was not technically the most challenging rapid I have ever run, but with waves the size of small houses, it probably was the largest. In fact, the waves were so large they actually crashed onto themselves and anyone unlucky enough to be caught in their grasp. I was fortunate and rode the rodeo waves through like a giant roller-coaster making sure to keep my paddle in the water at all times (this adds stability, somewhat like a tripod) and not rolling once. We ran many more rivers after the Kewarau, finally making it back to the West Coast to run the Hokitika River after the weather had cleared and the river levels had dropped. This was my first ever heli-kayak trip and we flew into the wonderfully scenic Kakariki Canyon. Surrounded by lush rainforest, we kayaked past kilometers of magnificently sculpted and polished boulders while suspended (and occasionally submerged beneath) water the color of precious stones. It was truly a magical experience—one I will remember for years to come.

Realizing that I could not afford to always do heli trips for the rest of the vacation and desiring to get a bit more exercise in, I took up the alternative to penetrating the kiwi bush—tramping! Carrying a light-weight inflatable raft and utilizing the well established hut and track system that NZ supports, a person can reach many of the same destinations packrafting that kayakers are forced to fly into. The timing was perfect, Roman Dial, the packrafting guru and author of the book on packrafting, had just arrived in New Zealand with newly modified boats boasting thigh-straps. This makes the packraft not only generally more stable, as you can brace yourself snugly in, but also rollable. Ever since I started kayaking and learned to roll, I wanted to transfer the self-rescue skill to my packraft, and I now I could. Roman and I set up a bold plan, to be the first people ever to paddle the remote and rugged Sabine River. Reaching the river took us the better part of two days tramping and a bit of exploratory boating on the neighboring d’Urville River. We then maneuvered our way to the confluence of the east and west forks, were the river became deep enough to run, and inflated our packrafts. We had bargained for a unique and wild trip, what we got was so much more: world class packrafting! In the heart of Nelson Lakes National Park was this jewel of splashy whitewater and engrossing mountain vistas just waiting for us. The huts were large and comfortable and the tracks were well marked and maintained. Furthermore, the next trips we did just kept on getting better and better. The Taipo River (SW of Arthur’s Pass) was near constant class III action with plenty of small drops and wave chains. Here you could tramp as far as you liked and the further you ascended, the more challenging the water became.

The real jackpot was the Landsborough River however. Geographically isolated by high mountain peaks on three sides and a canyon funneling the exit, the Landsborough is truly unique. Not only is it the only major river in NZ to run parallel to the Southern Alps, but it is also one of the most remote areas of the country, much of it protected under a wilderness designation which prohibits the use of helicopters. Running the shuttle from the finish on the Haast River to the start above Lake Ohau took seven hours. Tramping into the watershed required crossing the main divide of the Southern Alps by way of Broderick Pass. As is often the case in climbing, the ascent was not the tough part, but rather getting back down. The Department of Conservation had chosen not to maintain the track descending into the Landsborough valley as it received so little use. The markers that we found dated back to 1941. The experience was worth every ounce of effort though. Shimmering glaciers hung to the sides of mountains as the clear, cold rushing water streamed forth providing excellent boating. Low water levels meant that the typically unrunnable rapids such as “hellfire” became a manageable class IV scout and run. During our four day expedition, we saw not a sole after crossing the divide minus the few chamois and rock wrens peering at us from the high mountain peaks. I can only imagine what packrafting in Fiordland must be like…

At the end of January, I picked girlfriend Alexandra up from the Queenstown airport. Planned was a two-week tiki-tour that traversed the entire length of New Zealand from Steward Island to the Bay of Island. We began at Milford Sound, where we spotted bottlenose dolphins and fur seals. Our brilliant luck continued on Ulva Island (a wildlife sanctuary), with south island robins, red-crowned parakeets, wood pigeons, riflemen, wekas, tomtits, oystercatchers, tui, kakas, saddlebacks, & fantails. By making a special trip out to Mason Bay by way of water taxi and a return bush flight, Alex and I had the rare opportunity of seeing a kiwi in the wild. On our way north we stopped by the Otago Peninsula, were Alex, who is a penguin enthusiast, was ecstatic to see both yellow-eyed and little blue penguins. Further sightseeing ensued by way of Dunedin, Christchurch, Abel Tasman, Wellington, and Rotorua on the way back to Auckland. We shared the joy of a cruise around the Bay of Islands, were we both caught snapper and had a swim with phosphorescent algae, and climbed to the crater of Rangitoto volcano in the Huraki Gulf. Though Alex and I realized after 8 months apart that we had both changed quite a bit and have decided to just be friends and go our own ways, we both greatly enjoyed the vacation and will remain close friends.

Now it is back to work at the university. While the new semester does not begin till the 1st of March, research never ceases and I have plenty to do. In addition I have the pleasure of going to speak to numerous Rotary clubs in the coming month, which I am greatly looking forward to. Yes and the Winter Olympics are now underway. February is a very exciting time indeed!

To see pictures from over the summer click here.
To read Roman’s descriptions and videos of the rivers we ran click here and scroll down.
Also be sure to check out my updated adventure map on the right.