Date:    16/01/2022
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   2.718 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, strong nor-east winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.75 hours.
Comments:  The weekend weather had been beautiful and while I couldn’t head off to the Hurunui with the club, I could still clock some outdoor time on the mighty Avon. Lauri was worn out from yesterdays cat walk, when Peri spent some time with Barry, a young male cat, relatively new to the neighbourhood and very keen to play. So while Lauri slept, I shouldered the Blitz and trotted down to river.

The tide was in and I launched straight off the bank into the river, before paddling off downstream. There was a strong wind blowing from the coast, providing a bit of resistance and kicking up a bit of chop on the waters’ surface. It was nice to be back on the river and to be able to actually do some exercise in an enjoyable manner.

There has been a little bit more progress on the Medway Footbridge, with the access ramps almost completed, so hopefully the bridge will be open soon.

I powered on downstream, allowing the stress & worry to melt away in the beautiful surroundings. I had the river mostly to myself, except of the various water fowl that call the river home. Below the Gayhurst Road Bridge, work is continuing on the Dallington Landing area and a start has been made on the Snell Footbridge. I carried on down to Kerrs Reach before turning about and heading back home. The outflowing tide made upstream progress a little more difficult.

I followed a group of adults & children, enjoying an outing on the river in kayaks, back up to the Gayhurst Bridge before overtaking them and continuing on alone. It is always nice to see young people enjoying exploring the natural places in the city.

I paused briefly under the Medway Footbridge, contemplating getting out and re-crossing the bridge again, but in the end I decided not to and continued my paddle home. I passed the get out and carried on up to the Swanns Road bridge to see if I could see the “Rev”, a large Muscovy / mallard cross duck, who lives in the area and we feed occasionally. Spotted him hiding in the trees by the south bank, with a posse of female mallards, so that was good. We were worried he might have been “rescued” (abducted) and there has recently been a number of ducks killed by unrestrained dogs.

After going under the bridge, I paddled back down to the get out and clambered up the bank, shouldered my kayak and walked home for a shower & a rest, with a well deserved cup of tea.

Date:    4/01/2022
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   2.082 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-west winds.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  2.75 hours.
Comments:  I’d wanted to take Lauri for a trip down this section of the Avon for a while now, but with her lack of energy made it difficult to plan. I had suggested doing it the day before but she didn’t feel up to it and so I instead planned to paddle from the UC Staff Club in Ilam, all the way home. It would have been along trip but I’ve been keen to document the journey in more detail than I did when I paddled from the University to our place in Peterborough Street in the late 90’s.

The day was sunny and warm, and as I was outlining my plans for the day, Lauri looked a little disappointed and said that she was feeling ok & would be able to go for a paddle. So we soon made sandwiches for two, sorted out paddling gear and got the boats loaded on the car for the drive to the put in at the Botanical Gardens. When we drove in to the Armagh Street entrance to Hagley Park, we soon realised that got to the park was extremely popular today and finding a park might be a little tricky. As we neared the end of the road in, not having spotted a free park, I noticed most of the cars in the queue were driving in, then turning around and driving out. So I pulled in behind a car parked at the edge of the road (not actually in a proper park) to unload Lauri & the gear before finding a better place to park. Some loudmouth with his awful taste in music blaring repeatedly shouted his appreciation for my parking, but since we were merely stopping whilst unloading, with no intention to actually park in that location, he could get…

After we’d finished unloading, a car pulled out of our bay and we quickly drove in to the empty parking spot, so things worked out well. From there, we hauled the kayaks to the river and I launched Lauri into the river before following behind her.

The section through Hagley Park is quite beautiful, though it did get a little crowded at time, with plenty of people taking advantage of the rental boats at the Antigua Boatsheds. Still on such a beautiful day, what could be better than messing about in boats on such an idyllic river.

It was amusing at times, as many of those in the rental kayaks were novices and steering was not their strong point. This did make Lauri feel a lot more confident about her own paddling ability.

It was nice to see the punts in action, especially since the pandemic has put a halt to international tourism. It is good that kiwis are taking the opportunity to experience some of the attractions their country offers.

We stopped briefly at the Antigua Boatshed to see the eels which congregate there, hiding under the boardwalks and only emerging when they sense food or fingers in the water. There are some quite big (old) ones there and some of them have been given names by the punters. Past this point river traffic thins out considerably as you aren’t allowed to take the hire boats downstream.

We paddled past the earthquake memorial wall and then stopped to eat our sandwiches on one of the small islands in the middle of the river. Generally only ducks and possibly drunks visit the islands, so this made an interesting stop.

After lunch, we relaunched our kayaks and carried on down stream, under the Bridge of Remembrance and past The Terrace. We wanted to see if we could spot any eels here, but there was a swan family with a couple of almost fully grown signets, on the steps and we didn’t want to get too close in case they found it threatening. I did see a large trout, but it flashed away pretty quickly.

Paddling through the city is always interesting, as you get to view the city from a different perspective and it is great for social distancing during a pandemic.

We said hello to Gormley’s Stay sculpture in passing, before checking out the new convention centre from the river. Looks pretty good from a distance and it will be interesting to visit when the pandemic has past.

At Victoria Square, we stopped and I wander off to pick up ice cream sundaes (vanilla icies) from Ice Cream Charlies as a treat. We generally can’t go past Victoria Square without partaking of this traditional indulgence, especially on a hot day. There was a bit of a wait as they were quite busy, but it was worth it.

While we were enjoying our sundaes, we were surprised to spot this waka coming up the river. This section is fairly swift and shallow, so is quite hard to paddle upstream, but I guess if people are happy to get out and push, it makes it easier.

After we completed our treats, it was back downstream again, past the iconic fountain at the Town Hall, which was running again after being out of action for a long time after the earthquakes.

We got to check out the underside of the new footbridge that had been recently completed. I look forward to exploring a lot of the new developments that have happen around the city, but at the moment avoiding crowds of potential virus carriers seems more of a priority.

It was good to see the recently restored band rotunda and while we were admiring it, the waka came paddling back downstream towards us, which was pretty cool to see. If you are interested in trying out this experience, booking can be made through Waka on Avon.

At the poplars, the distance was starting to tell on Lauri but she kept on going as we moved through what was our old neighbourhood. We paused briefly at the eastern end of Peterborough Street, to remember our old cat, Agnesi, who is buried on the river bank there. She was an awesome companion and always has a place in our hearts. She is still very missed even though she has been gone for around 15 years.

Paddling past the cemetery and round the Avon Loop is just like being out in the countryside. We used to enjoy walking around this area when we lived in the neighbourhood, and often thought we’d like to live overlooking the Avon in the Loop. Sadly the earthquakes wiped out all the lovely little cottages & villas, so that dream ended, but it is still a pleasant green space now for everyone to enjoy.

One of the houses that did survive the earthquakes, that we always loved & dreamed of buying, was the house pictured below on Cambridge Terrace. This two storied house from the 1900’s, with it’s turret, balconies and river outlook would make for a lovely, quite “rural” lifestyle in the central city, there is evening a tyre swing by the river now.

From here, home beckoned and there was no stopping for a beer & pork crackling at Pomeroys. Lauri was getting pretty tired as we worked our way through the Red Zone, but still had enough energy to make sure she “won”, by reaching the jetty first.

I helped Lauri out of her boat and loaded her kayak on her little trolley, but tired as she was, she was still happy to tow it home. Once we got home, it was time for a well earned rest for Lauri, while I cycled back to Hagley Park to pick up the car. We did pick up a few tasty pastries from the Japanz Bakery for afternoon tea on the way home to help recover our strength.

Date:    25/10/2021
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.355 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, light winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.5 hours.
Comments:  Labour Day was a beautiful day and a great way to round off a long weekend largely spent doing housework and gardening, was going for a paddle through the Red Zone. So while Lauri was resting from our earlier outing to look at cameras, I got changed into my paddling gear, shouldered my Blitz and heading down to the river.

The tide was out and in my usual launch spot there wasn’t a lot of water so a seal launch was out of the question. I lower my boat into the barely covered mud and clambered in. Using the pelvic thrust method, I managed to move the boat into deeper water and then it was off downstream. I chose to head down the river as I was interested to see how the progress was going on the new footbridges that were being built to replace the bridges damaged in the quakes.

At Medway Street, the previous steel bridge was left badly twisted by the force of the ground movement and provided an interesting photo opportunity before it was removed. At this site, work seemed to be proceeding with a large crane on either bank and the start of foundations going it, but is does look like it will be a bit longer before we can walk a circuit down one side of the river and back up the other.

There were a number of other paddlers on the river enjoying a warm, sunny day, paddling everything from race boats to sit on tops. There were plenty of people enjoying the Red Zone, strolling beside the river, walking their dogs (some people even had their dogs on leads) or cycling on the tracks. The green spine is such an amazing resource and hopefully its amenity values will always be preserved so everyone can enjoy them in to the future.

Further down, I spotted a shag trying to shallow a smallish eel that definitely didn’t want to get eaten. There was a lot of head waving, ducking & squirming before the eel was swallowed whole. With just the zoom on the point & shoot camera, I was really able to get close enough to do the scene justice, but it was cool to see the this natural drama. I didn’t think I see something like this again anytime soon, so it was a bit of a surprise on the way back up stream, to witness possibly the same shag downing another eel, though this time with considerably less drama, one quick head flick & down it went.

At the Gayhurst Street bridge, I decided to carry one down to Kerrs Reach, to see if the was any new developments along this stretch. Construction has started on the Dallington Landing but nothing has been done on the river bank yet and work on the footbridge at Snell Place has yet to begin. It will be good to see the quake damaged facilities being replaced over time, to allow people more easily access the river. There were a few people white baiting on the river banks down this stretch, though I’m not sure I’d be keen to eat anything that came out of the Avon, even if I did actually eat fish.

There were still quite a few rowers at Kerrs Reach, even though it was early evening, and after a brief pause, I turned around and headed back upstream. It was a bit harder paddling home with the flow against me, but the evening light reflecting on the water made the paddling more relaxing. Well aware that time was getting on and dinner wasn’t going to cook itself, I kept the pace up and although the last leg was a bit of a grind, the landing appeared. I clambered out at the landing by the Riverlution Café site and hurried home across the community garden, ignoring the two Police cars & ambulance at the end of the street (no idea what was happening). Even though I was tired & sore, it was a nice way to end the weekend, I love having this asset on our doorstep.

Date: 17/10/2021
River: Rangitata River, South Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions: 85 to 90 cumecs at Klondyke, water cold and slightly discoloured. Grade 2.
Weather Conditions: Cool, occasional rain with strong northerly winds at times.
Number on Trip: 10 (plus 3 doing the grade 4 gorge section)
Time on River: 3.25 hours
Comments: The Rangitata came up on the club trip list and is a river I quite enjoy paddling, with its’ boulder gardens and bouncy wave trains, so I was definitely keen. The weather forecast was looking ok, but with the possibility of some range around the main divide, and the flow was looking good too. I managed to rush out the door, only running a little late and managed to get to Caltex Hornby a little after 8:30am. True to Bill’s plan, we were loaded up and away before 9am, surely a record.

A brief stop in Ashburton to pick up Aiden before heading to the grade 2 put in at Klondyke. The shuttle was sorted out while we got changed, there was some discussion regarding placement of keys and I made sure the team running the shuttle knew where the get out was for the grade two section. The team doing the upper, grade 4 section were in a rush to get started and quickly raced off, which was probably the start of stuff up that was yet to come. In the past, drivers from the grade 2 accompany the paddlers running the gorge and then drive their vehicles back down to Klondyke, this didn’t get mentioned and there was no discussion on how the grade 4 paddlers would pick up their vehicle.

John Hunter turned up and we completed getting changed. It is always a little daunting, looking down from the top of the cliff at the weir, as it is always challenging to start any trip on the hardest rapid. Once lines were picked, boats were shouldered and we walked down to the put in “beach”, that seemed to be a bit smaller than it used to be, since the floods earlier in the year.

John was the first to run the weir, possible to make sure I didn’t photograph him if things went wrong. Another paddler followed him down to make sure he hadn’t come to grief, bouncing down the weir to the right of the main flow. I went next, wanting to get a few photos of people running the rapid, I rode the tongue down the main flow, possibly disappearing underwater at the bottom (possibly similar to the person pictured above) before cutting across the flow to pull into an eddy on river right.

The next couple of paddlers took the chicken route down along the right bank, but this still made for some nice photos with the weir in the background. This was followed by the braver or more experienced paddlers who went down the main tongue, disappearing briefly at the bottom before resurfacing to be cheered on by John & photographed by me. No dramas for anyone, so once everyone was down what was potentially the hardest rapid on this section, we carried on downstream.

Below the weir, is a nice boulder garden that always provides a great warm up as you try to catch eddies and surf your way through the rapid. This was fun and I got some nice surfs, though I had to make sure I didn’t keep everyone waiting.

Most of the rapids seemed a bit better than previous times, probably due to there being a reasonable amount of water in the river. Sound of the bigger grade 2 rapids were quite bouncy and presented a bit of a challenge to some of the newer paddlers, but most offered easier routes at the sides and no one had any real dramas.

There were plenty of boulder gardens and nice rapids where a surf could be had, making this a fun but not too challenging trip. Most of the group was happy to just run the rapids, but I tried to have a bit of fun on the way down.

The weather hinted at clearing up but never really did, so it was pretty cool on the river and we were looking forward to getting to the take out. I kept miss picking how far it was, expecting the final rapid to be just around the next corner. When we got there it seemed a bit different, the floods may have moved the channel around and the higher flow possibly washed out some of the rocks. We could see the Outdoor Pursuits Centre and the odd car, which was a good site. At the take out, the flow had eaten away at the bank causing a large tree to fall into the river. We avoid it, broke into the eddy and clambered up the bank. The vehicles didn’t seem to be there.

So we waited, and waited. It began to rain and we found shelter under one outbuilding before sheltering on the veranda of an old house. We waited some more, time passed, we waited. It was cold and raining but we were in reasonable humour and warm enough. Every time heard a vehicle on the road we got excited, only hear it disappear down the road. Eventually the grade 4 party turned up and we all headed down to meet them.

When we got down to where the vehicles were parked, we noticed some of the vehicles were missing, specifically the ones with the dry clothes. In the following discussion, it turned out the other group couldn’t find the keys to the other vehicles and so had just moved the ones they had keys for. Since all the vehicle keys had been placed on the same shock absorber and they were now no longer there, we realised that they mush have fallen out somewhere on the road between the put in and the take out, not a small area to search. An offer by the grade 4 group to take one person with them and head back to town, leaving the rest of us was not seen as a solution and so a group went back up to the put in to search, while we waited.

…and waited. Eventually it got a bit too cold sitting outside and since the door was unlocked, we went into the OPC to warm up and have a cup of tea. Fortunately some had a phone with them and they let us contact our other halves to let them know we’d be late home.

The group came back with another vehicle having found one set of keys lying on the farm track. It wasn’t the vehicle with our gear in, so we had another discussion on what to do. Heading back into town in our kayaking gear was one option and we had enough cars to do this, but with all our keys, phones & wallets locked in the stranded vehicle, it meant we wouldn’t be able to drive home from Caltex Hornby. In the end, we called the AA to see if they could get someone out on a Sunday evening to open the car, while the cars owner went back up for another look for the keys.

We spent a bit of time bouncing around on hold with the AA, they were very helpful but there wasn’t a lot that could be done, we didn’t even know what type of vehicle we were trying to get into. As the phone only just managed to hold a connection whilst outside, it was pretty cold & miserable waiting.

We were just about to seriously commit to trying to get a locksmith out from Ashburton to open the car, when Murray drove up, having managed to find the key after some very thorough searching by some very motivated people. Dry clothes were gotten into, the last boats loaded up and we were out of there. A bit tired and cold, but very glad to be dry and heading home. We arrived back at Hornby around 8pm and then on home to a not very happy Lauri.

Lessons learnt…
Like most stuff ups, this one was built on a foundation of assumptions & miscommunications then rushed, so to hopefully prevent this happening again or at least give people some tools so that can recognise the signs of a stuff up in the making and then take positive actions to prevent the stuff up from actually occurring.

• Firstly if you are not happy to do something or don’t understand the “plan”, say something at the time. If you don’t want to run a shuttle, aren’t clear about vehicles, where keys are to be left, where the take out is etc, say something so alternatives can be sorted out or details clarified. Also even if you are not involved in actually running the “plan” and can see some likely flaws, speak out too, as you may have spotted something others have missed.
• Positive communications are key, communicate the “plan” clearly and then have the participants repeat back what their role is and the expectations of them are. It is also worth checking whether they see any flaws or have any suggestions that might improve the “plan”. Make sure everyone is clear and agreed on to the “plan” before putting it into operation.
• Try to avoid rushing. Act in haste, repent at leisure is definitely a true aphorism. Taking an extra 5 minutes at the start, could save hours of wasted time later.
• Make sure that those running the shuttle know exactly where the keys are going to be left. Preferably if the vehicle owner can talk to the person who will be driving their car, show them where the keys will be left and outline any issues or possible complications (unusual park brake, reverse gear or starting requirements etc), that is less likely to cause problems. If you need to leave multiple sets of vehicle keys, you can leave them all in the central console of a designated vehicle and then leave the keys to that vehicle in a specified location.
• If you have multiple cars and not enough drivers, take the vehicles with the dry gear in first. If you don’t seem to have the keys for the dry gear vehicle, check again, try to remember what was discussed at the planning stage, look again more thoroughly or ask someone else if they know where the keys are, as all shuttle plans work on the theory that the dry gear will be at the get out when the paddlers get off the river, that is the purpose of the plan.
• If possible, always leave a vehicle at the take so you are never completely stranded if something goes wrong.
• Carry spare keys. In case the keys get lost, it helps to have a spare available in a PFD or dry bag. With some cars, you can use a standard key to unlock the doors and store the electronic key in the vehicle if you are worried about taking an electronic key on the river.
• Even if you aren’t taking your car on the trip, it is worth carrying spare car keys on your person, in case your gear gets stolen from vehicles during the river trips, as you will still need to access your vehicle back at the meeting point. Similarly it is better to just take a waterproof “kayaking” wallet with you that only contains some cash, a bank card, your drivers licence plus your house key in your dry jacket, so you don’t need to replace all your cards and locks in the event that the vehicles get broken into while you are paddling.
• Make sure you have spare warm gear with you on the river, just in case you get stuck out or the dry gear isn’t at the take out as expected.
• Charge up your phone before heading out and turn it off when you move out of cell coverage or are on the river. This will conserve the battery and means the phone is more likely to have plenty of charge if you need it later.

Date:   2/10/2021
River:    Ashley River, Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   13.2 cumecs at Ashley Gorge. Water discoloured and cool. Grade 2/3.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny but cool, Light NE winds..
Number on Trip:  6, with 2 doing top section only.
Time on River:  5 hours.
Comments:  With the main trip for the weekend being the Tekapo Whitewater Course, Tom was responsible for organising a smaller grade 2 local trip on Saturday. As the trip neared, an leader was required to lead the trip on the river, so after checking with Lauri, I volunteered. It has been one of the advantages of “working” from home due to COVID-19, as I’m home most of the time, I’m able to take time off at the weekend to go kayaking without feeling like I’m abandoning Lauri.

I did my usually rush to get out the door, making sure everyone got fed, the kitchen got tidied up & Katniss’s litterbox emptied, arriving at the Belfast Tavern carpark just before 9am. Boats were loaded up and we were away shortly after 9am, no messing about here. We drove through to the Lees Valley and got changed into our paddling gear, then waited while the shuttle was run. Took a few photos of the wire fencing hazard attached below the bridge. Definitely a real danger to anyone paddling under the bridge, so beware if you are planning to do this.

After we had a brief safety meeting, we launched into the river, with the water sparkling in the sunshine. It was nice to be back on the Ashley for the third time this season. We bounced down the first section before the Townsend River added a bit more water to the flow.

We had a bit of a play around on one of the early rapids that forms an entertaining play spot to practice your skills without too much drama.

A little further down, I looked back upstream to see a pair of kayaks that weren’t part of our group. Brian & Ross had arrived at the put in just as we were launching, though I hadn’t recognised the boats on the car roof, and they had caught up with our group not far into the trip. We paddled together for a short way before they disappeared into the distance. It was good to see both of them back on the river, as they had apparently been focusing more on sea kayaking lately.

We took our time and enjoyed the river, since we only planned run the upper section, there was no real rush. The sun was shining and it was a real pleasure to be out in nature.

The upper section is reasonably entertaining for grade 2 paddlers and offers some different challenges to the Hurunui, with some tighter, more technical rapids but nothing that should be too challenging.

Polly had inquired about the grade 2 put in on Facebook for a planned trip and so it was nice to see her rafting party paddle past, enjoying a beautiful sunny day. The upper section makes a fun outing and not too far from the city.

At some stage Jacko mentioned that Kris was keen for a first trip through the grade 3 section, so our short, relaxing paddle with getting home early sort of evaporated at this point. We carried on down the river, avoiding the various trees in the flow when the river valley widened in the kilometer above the middle bridge. At the middle bridge, Alex & Tom got out to run the shuttle, and Jacko persuaded Dave to paddle the lower section as it would be safer with 4 paddlers. We also helped out with Polly’s rafting party’s shuttle by taking their driver back up to the put in.

The remaining four paddlers carried on downstream, keeping up a good pace, as we were aware it was now after 2pm and we had a couple of hours paddle ahead. It was nice to get another run down the grade 3 section, to better get reacquainted with the rapids and try to remember what had changed.

I was feeling a bit more confidant in my paddling ability on this run, having a few kayaking trips under my belt for the season, and I made more conscious decisions picking my lines, instead of just bouncing down rapids. I’d taken the tail end Charlie position in the group, with Jacko taking the lead and providing some guidance to the others, so I watched the lines that those in front took and hung back a little in case I needed to rescue anyone, fortunately there were no dramas. As we were moving along without much playing or dawdling, there wasn’t much opportunity to take photos, though I did get the occasional one when I had the chance or saw something that looked good.

Much of the gorge was fairly similar , if not slightly easier than it used to be. I didn’t notice the few features that surprised me on the previous run, possible due to picking better lines and not just blundering into holes or over drops. The main drop is definitely less dramatic and everyone ran it without issue, though Kris tipped in the eddy below it and failed to roll as he has being pushed against the bank. He bailed, but we got him to shore, rescued his boat and he was quickly back on the water.

As we neared 3 Trick rapid, I spotted the rock fall scar, eddied out while Jacko led the other two down the right hand line (to the left of the central boulder in the picture above). I followed their initial line but cut across above the boulder and bounced down the left hand line (to the right of the central boulder). It was a bit rocky & bumpy, and at some stage I smacked my elbow on a rock somehow. I still haven’t worked out what is the best line, but hopefully we’ll get it sorted after a few more runs. I did manage to eddy out at the bottom and capture the view up the rapid, this time with a clear lens.

On down to the last grade 3 rapid, which has changed somewhat since the floods. I watched the others go down a line that ran quite close to the big rock in the middle and that looked a little exciting, so I thought I try going a little further to the river right. This was ok but there seemed to be a few rocks in the approach and it was just a little bouncy. The whole approach seems to be not quite as clean as it used to be, so may take a few more runs to relearn the rapid.

From here we bombed down the remaining grade 2 rapids, aware of the time and my fatigue levels (this definitely felt like exercise and not just the cruisy grade 2 trip I’d offered to help out with). The first section is about 11km to the middle bridge with about 12km further to the highway bridge, making it a fairly long trip. My arms were feeling quite tired when the river gauge tower appeared, marking that the end was almost in sight. We paddled past the campground, which was still closed, and took out under the bridge. I was nice to get changed into some warm, dry clothes. From here, we headed in to Oxford for a drink at a café but that was closed, so we ended up at the Black Beech Wine Bar. I appreciated the Bundaberg ginger beer after a thirsty paddle, but it still feels a little awkward & uncomfortable masking up and going out into public spaces, even though we don’t currently have COVID-19 in the South Island, I’ll definitely be glad when things get back to normal (whatever that is). After a good chat, we drove back to town and I picked up takeaways from Burger Station for dinner on the way home, feeling somewhat exhausted but pleased after a fun day on the river.

Date:   19/09/2021
River:    Ashley River, Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   13.8 cumecs at Ashley Gorge. Water discoloured and cool. Grade 2/3.
Weather Conditions:   Overcast, clearing in the afternoon, cool. Northerly winds.
Number on Trip:  6, with 2 doing top section only.
Time on River:  4 hours.
Comments:  This was scheduled to be a Hurunui trip, but with the Hurunui running at over 100 cumecs on Saturday a trip down the Ashley was looking more promising. By Sunday, the Hurunui had dropped to around 80 cumecs so as we stood in the Belfast carpark and debated possible options, a Hurunui trip was once more on the cards. Two paddlers we keen on the Hurunui but the rest, considering the likelihood of high NW winds and that the flow gauge was reading low, preferred the Ashley. In the end, we split up with 6 of us piling into two cars and heading off to run the Ashley form the Lees Valley.

We got changed at the middle bridge and then all six of us squeezed into Hugh’s car, with all the boats & paddles strapped to the roof and drove up to the put in. It was a tight fit with four of us across the back seat, fortunately kayakers tend to be relatively slim & athletic, and are used to being crammed into tight spaces for long periods of time, so it was too bad.

We worked our way down the first stretch, warming up, and then spent a bit of time playing on the first play spot we came to.

Everyone had a bit of fun here and so I ended up with a number of photos on this rapid. Bill had his Eskimo Salto out again, resplendent with the names of the many sponsors of his film Rivering. Check out the movie if you want to remember why we paddle & maybe see some familiar faces.

Jacko demonstrated his skills and had a few good surfs, and Hugh got to try out his new packraft, which was a bit more streamlined and narrower, meaning it performed a little bit more like a kayak. It was impressive to see him carving out in to the whitewater, just shy of his 79th birthday.

We made our way down the river at a good pace, well aware that doing both sections with a total distance of almost 23km, would make for a long day if we decided to play on everything. Hugh seemed to take the bit between his teeth at times, so I had to chase him down at one stage when got a bit too far ahead of the rest of the group.

When the hills receded and the river opened up, we had to take care not to get grounded in the shallows, there were also a few trees jutting into the flow, that we had to avoid. It took us about 2 hours to reach the middle bridge and here, Hugh & Ian left us to run the shuttle, where they would leave a vehicle at the highway bridge before heading back into town. This would mean we didn’t need to do any further shuttling once we got of the river.

I was still a little nervous about doing the grade 3 section and so preceded fairly carefully, not exactly knowing what the changes I’d heard about would mean.

Most of the rapids were fairly similar and it was great to get reacquainted with them, though there were the odd surprises where drops, holes or rocks appeared unexpectedly and then there was the odd “correction” stroke (read madly slapping at the trolls to stay upright).

The boulder garden above the forever eddy was a lot of fun and I think the route I took provided a few surprises but no real dramas. There were some changes in the gorge proper and I think I picked some unexpectedly exciting lines, possibly due to being able to read the murky water and failing to spot hidden rocks. We were keeping a good pace and my hands had got quite numb due to the cold, so not so many photos were taken.

The main drop is not so pronounced, though the line, moving right to left, is very similar, sliding down the tongue was almost anticlimactic (but still a thrill). A few more rapids and then the rapid that had been making me feel a bit nervous came into view. Above 3 Trick, the rockfall scar that had caused the changes, dumping tons of rock into the rivers, was clearly visible. I watched the others run the rapid one by one, along the left hand side, while I held back to get some photos of the approach.

Once I’d documented the approach, I broke out and headed towards the rapid. I was a little surprised to see Jacko out of his boat, working his way up the back with a throw rope and I was a little worried someone had come out. Turned out they were just worried I had appeared and were coming to see where I’d got to. Jacko signaled a route down the rapid and I bounced along as best as I could understand. I tipped when I broke into the eddy at the bottom, but was able to roll up quickly so there was no drama.

I broke out and ferry glided across to the eddy at the bottom of the rapid on river right, so I could get a good view up the rapid, to see where we’d come down and what the various lines looked like. Unfortunately I had a water smear on the camera lens and no matter what I tried I couldn’t clear it, hence the blurry picture above. Since my numb fingers were almost incapable of operating the camera and the rest of the group were rapidly disappearing down the river, I put the camera away for the rest of the trip.

The approach to the next big grade 3 rapid had changed a bit, there seemed to be a few more holes to avoid around the approach and I had some bouncy excitement as I failed to avoid a few of the features. Once we were past this rapid, there are still more grade 2 rapids, but the tension is definitely off and we paddled swiftly towards the get out, both to keep up the pace and to stay warm.

Passing the flow gauge tower marked the get out was approaching. As the campground was closed, we paddled past the usual get out and hauled out our kayaks just before highway bridge and then climbed up to the road. Our vehicle was waiting and it was very nice to get into warm, dry cloths and head directly back into town. Hugh & Ian were still at the Belfast carpark when we got back, and we all headed home feeling a little sore & tired but very pleased with after a big day out on the river.

Date:   12/09/2021
River:    Ashley River, Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   18.9 cumecs at Ashley Gorge. Water very discoloured and cool. Grade 2.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny & warm, with brief cooler, overcast periods. Very strong NW winds.
Number on Trip:  10 doing top section, 3 doing both sections and 4 doing only the bottom section.
Time on River:  4.5 hours.
Comments:  Kerry announced on Facebook that the road in to the Lees Valley had been repaired after sections were washed out during a period of very heavy rain around the end of May. With the road reopened to the public, an Ashley Trip was once again a possibility, river levels & Covid-19 permitting. Fortunately with the river flowing at 24 cumecs & everywhere except Auckland having moved to level 2 (whitewater kayaking permitted), Keri gathered a group to go paddling on the Saturday, while I held off for the club trip on Sunday.

We received Kerry’s notes from his trip on Facebook before heading out the next day…
“Most of the rapids have changed to some degree or more, most are a lot easier now with obstacles removed or shifted making the lines more straight forward. However there are some significant changes you should probably be aware of. There’s a branch in the crux rapid entrance line so be aware when choosing your lines, this would be a hazard at lower flows. John Hunter’s most disliked rapid no longer has a tongue entry but is a river-wide ledge which you can punch river right. The main drop in the centre of the gorge no longer exists and is a nice chicane rapid. Three trick rapid (second to last hard rapid and one exiting the gorge) is bordering on GIV now. Rockfall on river right has filled in the eddie at bottom that people used to play at catching. The rapid consists of two drops into two holes, if you don’t have a bit of speed you could have a little play time with a lot of rocks. There’s a diagonal line river right to left however this may be more challenging at lower flow.”

It was nice to know there hadn’t been too many significant changes, but as this was going to be my first whitewater trip since February, I was feeling a little bit nervous when driving to The Peg for the meet up. There was quite a group assembled when I arrive, many keen for a first paddle of the season. We decided to split into multiple groups, with one running the upper, grade 2 section and one running the lower, grade 3 section, while Bill was keen to lead a group doing both sections. I decided to do the upper section with the possibility of doing the lower section if I felt up to it, however by the time I reached the put in at the Lees Valley, I’d managed to talk myself out of doing the grade 3 part.

Once in my paddling gear and on the river, it felt good to be back in my Blitz but I felt tired & unfit, the result of not having done much in the way of exercises with the lockdowns & various Covid-19 related restriction.

I’d told Bill that I didn’t plan to do the lower section and his small group disappeared into the distance fairly quickly, as the rest of us made the most of our time on the river.

The flow seemed higher than I would have expected for around 18 cumecs and the water was very discoloured, making it hard to spot rocks or judge the water depth.

It was fun to catch eddies and surf the various small waves along the way, feeling my confidence returning as I remembered that I could actually paddle and wasn’t quite as unfit as I thought I was. The main grade 2 rapid was pretty much as remembered and didn’t cause any issues. We were also pleased to note that although the river banks were scoured by the May / June flood waters to a height of several meters above the current river level, there didn’t appear to be any wood forming major impediments in any of the rapids.

We had a good bunch of people with us and it was great to see everyone trying out new things or helping out when someone’s roll didn’t quite work and they ended up swimming. There were a few times when we had to chase boats for a wee way before getting them to shore and reuniting them with their paddlers. At one stage, I recovered a drifting paddle and then set off after the boat (the kayaker having made it to the river bank). After a bit of a trial, I managed to clip the water filled boat to my towline and then struggled to get it to the bank whilst juggling the two paddles. Blair kindly lent his boat to the boatless kayaker and then swam down the river to where we were waiting, which was pretty keen since the water was very cold.

It was a amazing day to be out on the river and the Ashley graced us with plenty of beautiful scenery to enjoy and some fun whitewater to keep us entertained.

The were a few places where the river split or was a little shallow (hard to tell with the cloudy water), so you had to keep an eye out for the best routes, just in case you got beached. Some of the side channels offered additional features like the small chute pictured above with Blair.

There were also some nice play spots and it was great to see many of the paddlers giving them a go. There was always some fun to be had and we took our time getting the most out of our paddle.

Near the end of the section, the river opened up and became more braided, some of the channels got a bit shallow and you had to be one your toes to avoid getting stuck. There were a few trees in the river, so care was required to avoid the hazards they posed. Near one tree, a paddler took a swim and their paddle got stuck in the submerged branches. Blair kindly rescued the paddle after employing himself as a human torpedo, swimming out and grabbing it from the downstream side. We had to chase the boat for some distance but eventually managed to bulldozer it ashore.

Eventually the bridge appeared and it was nice to get out and into some dry clothes, as I was a bit cold & wet. The vehicles were shuttled and we drove out to the highway bridge (the campground & domain were closed to the public) to drop one of our group back at his car and were quite surprised to find Bill’s group had been waiting there for about 3 hours in their paddling gear. They had run both sections in a little over 2 hours while we had taken over 4 hours just to paddle the top section, needless to say they were glad to get changed and head home. As we were fairly late getting back to town, I ordered Hell Pizza from the Belfast carpark and arrived home just before it arrive. A great reward for a fun day out.

Date:    11/04/2021
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.804 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, NW winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.25 hours.
Comments:  We’d spent part of the afternoon visiting the Avebury House Vintage Market and since it was such a lovely, warm, sunny autumn day, I thought it would be nice for a paddle on the Avon. So after taking care of a few chores around home, I got changed, chucked the Blitz on my shoulder and headed down to the river. Things were still being packed up from the Christchurch Marathon, which had cut the eastern side of the city in half for much of the day. Two black swans came over and watched me intently as I secured my spray deck, only moving away when I slid off the bank and into the water. I decided to paddle upstream for a change, part of the idea being that the current would carry me home when I got tired, instead of having to “battle” against the current to get home.

The water was clear and the sun was warm, making being out on the river a real pleasure. It was nice powering along, though my arms were feeling the lack of recent exercise. The sun glinted off the water and the trees, in their autumn colours, were reflected in its’ mirrored surface. At the boat ramp near Pomeroy’s, a group in sea kayaks were getting out and I found a new Lime scooter helmet floating in the reeds a little further up. Passing the through the cemetery, I encountered a group of stand up paddle boarders on boards hired from Airborn Paddling, a company that offers a range of SUP paddling experiences around Christchurch. They seemed to be enjoying the outing and not having much difficulty keeping their balance.

Under the Barbadoes Street bridge to our old put in off Peterborough Street was as far as I could go, the fire station “rapids” block any further progress without a portage. From here I turned around and powered back downstream, appreciating the currents’ aid.

I was soon paddling under the Swanns Road bridge before floating to the recently enhanced landing near the community garden. I hauled myself out and appreciated the newly built steps up the bank. From there I strolled home with my kayak on my shoulder, ready for a shower and a rest.

Date:    14/03/2021
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.656 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, NE winds.
Number on Trip:    1 person.
Time on River:  1.5 hours.
Comments:  It had been a rough couple of weeks, with a lot going on and Lauri’s energy levels taking a massive hit after the massive peach bottling session the previous weekend. Still having completed all my household chores, laundry done, floors vacuumed, garden taken care of and Lauri resting in front of “Suits” on Netflix, the sun and outdoors beckoned. After afternoon tea was consumed, I changed into my paddling gear, shouldered my Blitz and wandered down to the river.

It was a beautiful day, the sun glinted on the water and although the wind was strongish, whipping the rivers surface into a small chop, the late afternoon was still warm and pleasant. I slid off the bank and into the river, paddling downstream, I soon felt my worries disappearing in my wake. It was a real pleasure to be on the river, doing something physical in such beautiful surroundings. I watched a Canadian canoe paddle out of view as I stopped to take a few photos, and said “Hi” to a race boater getting some training in on a sunny afternoon, before paddling on downstream.

With no clear plan, I just carried on downstream, enjoying actually doing something that didn’t feel like work. As I reached the Gayhurst Street bridge, I still felt good so carried on. There were a still a few ducklings about, swans, plenty of ducks & Canada geese and the occasional pair of paradise shelducks, providing a slightly sad memory of poor, departed Greta.

On reaching Kerrs Reach, I paused briefly, taking in the view, before turning for home. Paddling upstream was a little more strenuous, with the wind and current against me, but it still felt good to be there. I was a little tired by the time I reached the take out, but still carried on up to the Swanns Road bridge and then floated back down to the get out and scrambling up the bank and walking home across the Richmond Community Garden, feeling tired but happy.

Date:   28/02/2021
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:  18 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 – 3, water swift & clear.
Weather Conditions: Sunny & warm, with light nor-easterly winds.
Number on Trip: 7 kayakers (5 kayakers doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  4.5 hours
Comments:  As the peaches on our tree weren’t quite as ripe as we hope, the planned weekend of bottling was canned. This meant after spending Saturday applying a second coat of paint to the front balcony and doing some miscellaneous gardening tasks, a trip down the Hurunui was on the cards for Sunday. Alice had picked up the trip when Colin H was unable to lead the trip, and 7 of us found ourselves at The Peg on Sunday morning. We took two vehicles up to the put in at Jollie Brook, stopping at Dozy Stream to inspect Devil’s Fang Falls. With the Hurunui at a low 18 cumecs, the rapid looked especially bony, the usual line down the right hand side, was a narrow channel, leading down to the fang, which was well out of the water. The hole at the start of the line looked a little dodgy, either being retentive or adding a lateral push, potentially screwing up your approach line or flipping you to run the rapid upside down. Lines feeding off the left channel, looked more promising but still pretty bony. No one was keen to test their luck or skills with fang, least they felt its’ bite.

The put in at Jollie Brook was crowded, with UCCC have their start of term / post Clubs Day paddle. I joked to a group of trampers also using the parking area that they seemed to have forgotten their kayaks. We got changed in the sunshine, and I took a few experimental photos while Alice & Jim shuttled a vehicle down to Seawards. After a brief warm up at Jollie Brook, we headed off downstream. Having put a polar fleece jacket over my two layers of polypro, I was initially pretty warm, but as the water gradually seeped in, I returned to a more comfortable temperature. The boulder garden section was fairly tame with the lack of water, but there were still some nice little holes for a playful surf, and I still enjoyed working my way backwards down the rapids, working my way from boulder to boulder, catching a surf where I could. The more experienced paddlers provided a bit of coaching to Alice & Liam, and encouraged them to try new things.

It was a beautiful day to be on the river, the water was crystal clear, the sky blue and there was little wind (something that often plagues the Hurunui). With only seven paddlers in the group, we kept up a fairly good place, John R generally taking the lead, with Sergi and myself make sure no one was left behind, whilst try play on anything that looked promising.

Sergi was trailing his new boat, an Eskimo Zwo which had recently purchased for a mere $100. The boat surfed nicely and performed whoopees well. Sergi was very keen for me to capture his skill in the camera and repeated his moves while I tried to get the “perfect” shot. I proved a little tricky as I couldn’t really see what I was doing and I kept getting an annoying water drop right in the middle of the lense that I couldn’t get rid of. Must be time to retreat the lense, so the water beads nicely and then runs off.

We had a very brief play at the Mezzanine and then cruised past the South Branch confluence and on down. The low flow made the trip pretty cruisy and it was lovely to just float along with the sun shining down, trailing my hands in the water.

As we neared Dozy Stream, thoughts turned to which line to take on Devil’s Fang Falls, which was looking particularly toothy at the low flow. Most had decided to take the left channel and either portage or drop down one the bouncy, rock strewn lines on the far left hand side. Sergi briefly toyed with the idea of running the usual line but instead chose the left channel. As the water in the left hand channel ebbed away, we worked our way to one of the drops, bouncing over the multitude of rocks, trying to pick a path through. As one of the last in the group, I was heading for the lower channel, as I thought the higher one would drop me in to a foaming mass of white water, that might have been a little exciting and may have involved some underwater time.

Seeing my proposed line, Jim signalled me “rock” and directed me towards the higher route. I hand walked my kayak back over the weed slicked rocks, towards some clear water and then worked at getting the nose of my boat pointing downstream, rather the doing the drop backwards or even worse, sideways. I lined up, pressed the go button and shot into space, dropped, landed and then slid across the foaming surface and across to the eddy, sweet as! Jim described it as that sort of Looney Tunes moment when you are briefly suspended in the air, before gravity kicks in. Apparently I partially disappeared below the foam before shooting out, without even a wobble. Everyone managed the rapid without drama, which was good.

Below Dozy Stream, the popular play spot provided plenty of fun, especially as the wave upstream from the usual one, was easily accessible and offer a very smooth ride. We all took turns at carving back & forth across the glassy surface, even the newer kayakers took the opportunity to try new things and hone their skills. It was good to see that the newer kayakers had good rolls and this gave them greater confidence to push their comfort levels.

One down to Seawards, more rapids and fun, though my recent lack of paddling & sleep had me feeling a little fatigued. At Seawards, Alice & Liam got out to shuttle the vehicles, while the rest of the group ran Maori Gully. The entrance wave train was fun and we had a bit of a play on the Magic Roundabout before carrying on.

Simon’s Hole wasn’t doing anything at this flow, with only a small amount of water flowing over the rock that forms the hole. I took this opportunity to boldly go where I’d never gone before, and paddle up to the rock, cut across and then broke out into the main current, having passed over the site of the infamous Simon’s Hole.

The boulder garden was pretty cruisy and so was the Bum Rock rapid. The Elevator was exciting but no real dramas, and then we pulled into the eddy above Cheese Grater and hauled our boats ashore. Taking throw ropes, various slings & rescue gear, we clambered over the boulders and made our way to above the churning white water of Cheese Grater.

Looking down through the green water, you could clearly see the various rocks that give the rapid its’ name. The river right line looked clean, but very shallow, the rocks in the middle of the drop broke the surface, forming a small rooster tail to the left, the left hand tongue looked clean, but with the promise of the lateral kick to the left, into the undercut bluff. We looked at the rapid for some time, with most deciding not to run it, then Tori said she saw a good line and planned to run it. While she went to get into her boat, everyone readied themselves with throw ropes etc, while I lined up the camera to video the event.

Tori got lined up to the left of the small rooster tail to the left of centre, her kayaks nose pointing slightly to the right, a few power strokes and she was over the lip. Down the green tongue and into the trough of water foaming white water, disappearing beneath the foam, her tail caught in the green, back looping her boat. She flushed down stream and rolled up right as the safety crew looked on.

Having seen the drop successfully run, Sergi decided he’d run it too and walked back to his boat. He took a similar line, putting in a good sweep stroke at the top of the drop before dropping down into the foam pile and almost disappearing completely, with only his paddle, held high above his head visible. He resurfaced and glided cleanly out of the foam. Of course since the rapid had now been run successfully twice now, John R decided he’d run it too and so he headed back to his boat. He followed the same line as the others, his tail caught slightly, his kayak pulling a tail stand as he exited the foaming trough. Jim and I looked at each other, decided we didn’t need to prove anything and walked back to carry out boats to the eddy below Cheese Grater.

The remaining rapids were relatively tame at this flow compared to Cheese Grater, so it was an opportunity to have a bit of a play around. With the corner rapid, a number of paddlers carefully dropped into the final hole for a surf because it has been quite difficult to get back on it from the eddy on river right as there are several rocks near the top of the eddy that block the exit, especially at low flows. Some surfing occurred but once the paddlers was swept downstream, getting back on was almost impossible, with only Jim managing to do it once from several attempts.

Had a brief, half-hearted play at the Pop Up Spot before carrying on to the take out. Liam & Alice were waiting at the take out, enjoying the sun. Carrying the Blitz out was a bit of a trudge and it was a relief to get up to the cars. Loaded up the boats, got changed into some dry clothes and then drove back to town. Had a brief tiki tour down the new northern corridor motorway due to some confusing signage but were soon back on track to The Peg and then home from there, feeling not just a little sore and tired.