The Magnificent Kokatahi

The weekend of Wild foods. It has been a few weeks since I have been on anything harder than the local teaching runs so was very excited at the prospect of going on a heli trip. After a leisurely trip from Murchison to Hokitika, Jess and I caught up with a bunch of friends for a BBQ. A trip down the Kokatahi sounded like a plan.

Ben Jackson on one of the first stacked rapids

Keith called Dando, he had a quiet day lined up and said the conditions were great up there. We booked him for 11am.

Shannon Mast loving Cover Shot

With a big group of nine flying up, we had a solid crew on the water. From the air I could see that it was a great choice to head up the Kokatahi. The conditions were awesome and the last flood had changed a few of the rapids for the better. We were able to boat scout most of the run and kept a good pace. 

Shan on the run out of Cover Shot

Cover Shot was the first big rapid that had changed for the better. With a nice lead in, then straight into an awesome boof, nobody could go wrong.

Owen Glover

Me on the vantage point for Cover Shot

Antoine Dupuis stomping Cover Shot

Keith Riley rail slide to boof

Me on Cover Shot

We heard the chopper heading back up the Valley. Barny and Jordy were flying up to the top for a quick afternoon bomb.

Ben Jackson nice boof, funky landing

Silas Beaver styling his first Coast trip

With Barny and Jordy catching us just after lunch, the team was now 11. A great crew to be out there with but also a bit big for safety, so we split into two more manageable groups after Carnage Gorge.

The Mass group walk

Chilling after Carnage Gorge

Jess Matheson on Skate Ramp

Silas on the kicker of Skate Ramp

Jess running The Cave

Another of the better changes of the trip was The Cave. We were able to paddle right through it instead of walking over the top of the huge rocks creating it.

Overall it was a very awesome day out with minimal carnage... A bit of skin lost from knuckles and that's about all. I am very eager to get back in there again soon. This run is quickly becoming one of my favourites on the Coast. A cheap flight plus a full day of boating.

Jess: Seal Launch into slide

Same drop, different angle

Two Day Whitcombe

Got a phone call on Saturday asking if I was keen for an Upper Whitcombe. After thinking about it for a few seconds, re-living peoples' recent adventures up there, I was keen to give it a go. The weather forecast looked good for a Monday/Tuesday mission. Sunday night was going to see me rally with Jess and Soph down to the Coast.

After a dinner cooking accident and a visit to the hospital, I was left quite uncommitted. I chopped the top of my finger off with a mandolin, blood went everywhere and my finger went into dinner.  The thing stopping me from pulling out of the trip was Mick Hopkinson's words in the back of my mind; "When I was in India I had a dysentery the entire Dudh Kosi trip." I would have felt soft if I let a bit of blood stop me from going. So after a quick lie about the currency of my tetanus and a couple of waterproof dressings we were off.

We meet up with Barny, Jordy and Krissy and rallied to the heli pad. 

Dando (the chopper pilot) was a bit F*#ked off. His oil cap got lost and he had a sling break on him when taking some rafters up the Hoki. When the sling broke, the load dropped onto rocks from about 20 metres up, breaking three raft paddles, three Peli cases and one satellite phone.

We finally got to the put-in at 12.30pm. From there Barny, Jordy and I made good progress and got to Price Flat Hut at 3pm. Some awesome whitewater and beautiful scenery in a very amazing place. Lots of slips and a couple of mank rapids but mostly clean read and run whitewater.

The second day saw Matt Coles and Ari Walker dropped off around 10am, with Krissy flying back out on Dando's return journey with all our overnight gear. The arrival of the two guys took the total up to 7 for on the water.

Some great lines and bit of extra water ment for a fast trip through the Lower Prices Gorge.    

 Jordy checking out an early gorge on Day One

Jordy deep in the heart of Prices Gorge

 Jordy Searle 

 Barny getting his nose up in one that has produced some big beat downs

 Jess charging on Day Two

Very clean (photo by Barny)

Loving the Whitcombe (photo by Barny)

 Soph finding the line

Getting ready to get some air time... (photo by Barny)

 Barny on the Leap of Faith... Clean 20 footer

Jess, loving air under her boat

 Stomp it, Jordy

Barny, finding a line

Thanks team for an awesome trip. Two Day Perth... Here I come.

Paddle Rescue on the Whitcombe

This is a short movie I took while on the Whitcombe River, New Zealand. It's all shot off a GoPro HD camera (an awesome toy). As you will see, this hole was a bit sticky. Big thanks to Jess Matheson for her outstanding throw-bagging skill, Shannon Mast for putting all those years of playing cricket to good use and the crew from OB for a great day out.

A few more photos of the crew...

 Scotty and Hayden

 Ben White

 Shannon Mast

 Ben getting close and personal

Soph Mulder

Hayden, Dee and Scotty