The Mighty Waitaha

With a bit of time off and a bit of money in our pocket it was time to head to the West Coast. With Dando out of the air this year it has meant more time flying with Danny Reedy. The downside to flying with Reedy is that he parks his helicopter in Hokitika which adds to the both the flight time and cost of flying. Dando parks his helicopter 20 kms closer to the mountains thus closer to a bunch of kayaking runs. To keep costs down we have been joining with other groups to share the cost of flying - and then doing our own thing once on the river.

The weather looked good and the Waitaha was a run that I hadn't done before. In my team was Pete Lodge, Toni George and Mike Verberne. I also managed to find a team of five who were keen to share the chopper to the put in.

The Waitaha started off with lots of awesome boofs and picking lines through boulder gardens. As a team we were able to stay in our boats most of the time and boat scout most of the rapids.

Pete Lodge riding the wall

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

Toni giving it some style

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

 Toni letting her hair down

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

Me on a clean sliding boof

(Photo//Toni George)

After about half an hour of paddling we got the "Big Drop" or "Nikki Kelly's Drop". This rapid seems to have changed a lot, which I wasn't complaining about. It was a very nice ramp to a clean boof, a very fun rapid.

Scouting the Big Drop. Toni thinking about how much Si would have loved this run

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

Pete Lodge showing us how it's done

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

Toni showing me the line

(Photo//Pete lodge)

Halfway down the slide

(Photo//Toni George)

 Getting into the clean rapids and leading up to the Cave Drop

(Photo//Pete Lodge)

Lining up the hole before the Cave

(Photo//Toni George)

Entering the Cave

(Photo//Pete Lodge)

Toni have a casual surf in the hole after the Cave

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

Mike clearing the hole

(Photo//Daan Jimmink)

A nice slot rapid

(Photo//Pete Lodge)

More classy drops

(Photo//Toni George)

Coming up to the second portage of the day

(Photo//Toni George)

From the put in we made great time to Morgan's Gorge. At the entrance to the Gorge we spent a while looking in to see if we could find a way through. With the our team not wanting to commit and not having any information on what the Gorge currently has in store, we decided to walk around it. The guide book says it should take an hour to walk around but it took our team closer to two hours. We liked the look of the last rapid of Morgan's George so seal launched into the river for the last part.

The last rapid of Morgan's Gorge
(Photo//Pete Lodge)

I probed the first hole with a below-average line and ended up geting a solid beating which was close to a minute. I was stable a couple of times but it wasn't letting me out. After about 30 rolls I put my knee through my skirt, went deep and flushed downstream. Swimming/falling off the next three ledges got me to the flat pool at the bottom. My boat stayed in the hole for another five minutes before flushing down to me and my rescue team. Probing means you go first, which is all good until it isn't. In this case the only way to have been rescued from the hole would have been from downstream side, but everyone else was still upstream - it's not usually a good idea to paddle something while someone is getting thrashed in there.

From the bottom of Morgan's Gorge there was still an number of awesome rapids down to the take out.

Me doing what needed to be done... The whisky went down well

(Photo//Jess Matheson)

Later that night we started getting phone calls from friends of the other team that flew up the Waitaha after us. They weren't back yet (well past darkness) and people were getting worried. It turns out that they got lost on the portage around Morgan's Gorge and ended up spending an impromptu night out. They paddled out safely the next day.

The Waitaha is an awesome day out and next time I will be asking what Morgan's Gorge holds in store.

Cheers to the Rotorua crew for turning left at Taihape and ending up on the Coast! 

Upper Whitcombe, February 2012

Most kayakers aren't really known for their detailed planning or long term plans. After some fabulous days of paddling on the West Coast, Daan and I are were attempting to make plans of our own. Due to work committments we were to return to Murchison after paddling on Friday, with hope of coming back the following week. Our loose paddling plan for Friday fell apart and before we knew it, our paddling trip was looking pretty over, until...

We got a message from some North Island friends wanting to know our plans as they would be in Hokitika later that day. To cut a short story shorter Toni, Pete and Fatty had been for a one day paddling trip to the Rangitikei from Rotorua. Concluding that relative to Rotorua, Taihape was half way to Wellington and Wellington was halfway to Hokitika so they turned left at State Highway One, crossed the ferry and ended up on on the West Coast.

Suddenly grateful for the spontaneous streak that most paddlers possess, all plans changed. No work for anyone and all play for another few days! The team: Daan, Jared (NZKS Whipper Snapper), Toni, Pete, Fatty, Weka and myself. The plan: an overnight trip on the Upper Whitcombe (which is located on the West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand). Two other friends Chris and Jamie were coming too, flying into the upper part of the second day then leaving their boats and walking up to meet us at the hut for the night.

How to make the chopper pilot happy!

(P: Toni George)

Toni and Daan doing my favorite kind of shuttle

(P: Toni's Camera)

Not far below the put in, looking back up at the glacier

(P: Daan Jimmink)

Once on the river there was a short and easy warm up section before things got steep. If it looks steep from the helicoptor, then you know it's going to be a busy day (and it was). Between the team, everything was paddled bar Masty's Slot and the usual portage at the Whitcombe/Price confluence. Not much carnage which was good - a damaged paddle and one swim. The flow was on the lower side of good which meant that there were some creative lines in a few places but still a heap of sweet boofs and moves. 

Fatty and Toni stitching together an early rapid

(P: Toni's Camera)

Weka finding his line

(P: Toni's Camera)

One of things that Pete does best

(P: Toni's Camera)

Daan making a manky rapid look like anyone could do it

(P: Jess Matheson)

His Whitcombe Debut and third heli-trip ever... Jared Mulligan
(P: Pete Lodge)

Main line: 0/4 beatings...
Bouldery sneak line on (photo) right: 3/3 beatings

(P: Daan Jimmink)

Steep and Burly... Daan going for it

(P: Jess Matheson)

Surveying the damage

(P: Jess Matheson)

Weka on another Whitcombe boof

(P: Toni George)

A happy boof as the river paparazzi watches on

(P: Daan Jimmink)

After seven kilometres or so of reasonably steep water, things get a little steeper as the Prices River meets the Whitcombe. A mandatory portage (apparently there is a line, but it's "awful") saw us putting back in at a sweet spot... One last rapid to run with freedom (and Prices Hut) in the distance. 

Toni eyeing the last line of the day

(P: Jess Matheson)

Pete boofing to freedom, Jared watching on

(P: Jess Matheson)

We are very fortunate to have gems like this scattered 

throughout the New Zealand wilderness

Prices Hut, Whitcombe Valley

(P: Toni George)

Full bellies and a good sleep set us up for a good start on Sunday morning. Chris and Jamie having walked up the previous afternoon, set off for the their boats as we put back on the river. From the hut there is a small section of easy water before things get busy in Prices Gorge. Beautiful class four boogie leads into some bigger drops including one of New Zealand's best 20 (ish) footers... Leap of Faith. 

Jess on some early morning gold

(P: Toni George)

Fatty in the middle of Prices Gorge

(P: Daan Jimmink)

Daan checking in

(P: Jess Matheson)

Making sure it's all good, Daan doing his thing

(P: Jess Matheson)

Toni leading the charge off Leap of Faith

(P: Daan Jimmink)

Daan making the Leap of Faith

(P: Toni George)

Jared boofing like he means it

(P: Toni George)

Toni and Si, somewhere in the lower Prices Gorge

(P: Toni's Camera)

Once clear of this Prices, we settled into awesome class four boogie for pretty much the rest of the day. Not long after Prices Gorge we found Chris and Jamie chilling out in an eddy and ready to go. With a group of nine, we split in two and made our way out through the regular Whitcombe trip (from the Cropp River confluence). 

The Upper Whitcombe is a pretty special trip by New Zealand standards, in that multi-day trips are few and far between. This particular trip offers two days of stellar whitewater in a rugged and fairly remote valley. There is a walking route up the Whitcombe which is adventurous, to say the least.

An awesome trip all round... Cheers to the the North Island crew for showing up randomly and being keen to get on the mission!

First Descent of Rocky Creek

This is a very late write up of a first descent we did on the 13th of December 2011. We had been hanging out on the West Coast doing local trips like the Upper and Lower Kakapotahi, Arahura walk in, Styx and the Toaroha. There was a big weather system that was about to hit the West Coast of the South Island. This river was one that GW boys Barny and Jordy had scouted out at low water and said it was good to go.

So on that information we waited for rain. We didin't have to wait long as late that night it started raining heavily. In the morning we waited a couple of hours for the rain to fill up the river before setting off for the small settlement of Rapahoe. We checked the flow at Seven Mile Creek which is the main river that Rocky Creek flows into. We left a vehicle at a carpark next to the ocean as our take out point. From the take out we drove North for two kilometres to a pullover bay and road with a big (locked) gate. This was to be the start of our walk.

The walk was a little bit dodgy to say the least. We were on DOC land but it was also a combination of old mines, operational drilling sites and helicopter landing pads. We walked fast and kept our heads down. The walk took us about an hour and followed tracks most of the way.

At the put in the river bed was covered and was easily enough to float our boats. We pushed off, eager to see what was around the corner. The run had numerous clean rapids and just one portage around some trees. There were a few industrial hazards such as rope and wire across the river, which were marking tracks as they crossed back and forth through the river bed.

Jordy pushing off at the put in

(Photo: Jess Matheson)

Jordy running the first rapid of the day

(Photo: Daan Jimmink)

Barny on a nice slope to boof

(Photo: Jess Matheson)

Me on a really tight one

(Photo: Jess Matheson)

Skux loving the Tuna

(Photo: Daan Jimmink)

Daan lining up a clean boof

(Photo: Jess Matheson)

Skux probing a big ramp

(Photo: Daan Jimmink)

Daan ducking to avoid the tree, another nice limestone slide

(Photo: Jess Matheson)

Barny on the last slide of the day

(Photo: Daan Jimmink)

It rained the entire time while we were on the river but it didn't seem to come up much while we were on it. It would have been good if we had a bit more water, but in saying that it was a good first time flow. Rocky Creek meets Seven Mile Creek not long after the last slide, which meant good flows for a nice float out to the ocean and the take out. 

Skux forgot to take the keys with him which left Jordy and I running up to the top. A very smooth first descent - thanks to Barny and Jordy for scoping it out for us.