Date:   22/12/19
River:    Ashley River, Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   12 cumecs at Ashley Gorge. Water slightly discoloured and cool. Grade 3.
Weather Conditions:   Overcast, clearing to sunny & warm.
Number on Trip:  10
Time on River:  4.25 hours.
Comments:  With the Ashley running at around 12 cumecs,and fine weather forecast, Ian decide it would be a great day for a paddle. Unfortunately someone decided to park a fishing boat on Waimairi Beach, so Ian had to bail as duty called. There was a little delay as a result, but once we were all assembled at the camp ground, we soon had the shuttle sorted out and were off to the put in at the middle bridge..

We had a number of paddlers that hadn’t paddled this section before and the flow at only 12 cumecs provide a nice easy introduction while still offering plenty of fun.

The were plenty of good play spots and most of the team were keen to demonstrate their skills, make some moves, have some fun or just push their own personal boundaries.

There were very few dramas and it was great to be out on the river enjoying the sun and warm conditions. The rapids weren’t too pushy, but with enough water flowing through them to cover the rocks and provide some good lines with plenty of time to make decisions.

The main drop in the gorge had a bit of a hole formed above it and it was interesting to see the various lines that people chose.

Most avoided the hole and then ran the drop cleanly down the tongue or boofed off to the left.

The line taken in the photo above was one of the more impressive, as Anna ran the drop almost sideways to flick around at the bottom to have a surf and catch the eddy. Some styling moves alright.

The gorge was quite beautiful and it was great to be away from the city and all the pressures of life, especially with the lead up to Christmas, you could almost feel the stress melt away with the warm sunshine.

We took our time and really enjoyed all the neat play spots the river had on offer.

It is a real pleasure to be on the river and to see everyone having fun and enjoying themselves. It was also good to see people learning and trying new things. I had some nice surfs on some of the waves but I’m not really keen to try out any play moves, as I prefer to stay upright. Still it is a very satisfying feeling when you manage to get the perfect balance on a wave and are able to hold yourself suspended seemingly forever above a hole, as the water rushes beneath your kayak.

The last major rapid of the gorge always provides some great photographs as people shoot through the narrow gap between the rocks, it looks dramatic with the white water and looming rocks. Nearly everyone had gone through, when an upside down boat floated past, I put away the camera and set off in pursuit. The paddler bailed out and was soon being helped to shore by the others in the the group. While he was getting back in to his boat, I thought I’d try out something new as a bit of a challenge.

Paddling upstream on the opposite side of the rock pictured above, into the position where John R is pictured sitting in the background of the above photo. From here the move involves surfing down a hole above the picture rock in order to avoid being swept into it. You then break out and continue down the line in the foreground. Simple. I almost chicken out as I looked at the water being swept into the large rock and the unfriendly hole I needed to surf across.

I broke out and dropped into the hole, working my way across the river and was almost across when I tipped over. Fortunately I was past the rock, but now found myself upside down, being swept backwards down the main channel. I rolled, failed to get upright properly and was still going down the rapid but was now pushed against the back deck and short on breath, so I decided to pull the deck and go for my first swim of the season. Holding my paddle and towing my kayak, I swam to shore and self rescued. The water was warm and swimming was pleasant, but I needed a few moments before I got my breath back and could empty out my kayak and get back on the water. Funnily enough, part of me misses going for regular swims down rapids, the connection with the river seems so much more “intimate” when you are actually in the water.

From here it was a fun paddle to the get out, with some beautiful scenery, nice rapids and the occasional play spot. Feeling tired and a little sore by the time we reached the camp ground, then into some dry clothes before clambering into the back of the van for the ride back to the vehicles. We completed the shuttle, loaded up the boats and headed back into town. Such a excellent way to kick off the holidays.

Date:    21/12/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.141 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-easterly breezes.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  2 hours.
Comments:  Lauri was keen to paddle down stream from our place to Kerrs Reach and possibly a little beyond to see if we could see where Greta the Shelduck had gone to. I attached the bike rack to the car, pumped up my bike tyres, loaded it on the rack and drove down to Kerrs Reach so we wouldn’t have to paddle back upstream. From the Arawa boatsheds at Kerrs Reach, I cycled down the stop bank to the Avondale Road bridge, all the while keeping an eye out for paradise shelducks, and the back home along the northern bank.

After lunch, we got kitted up and took the kayaks down to the river. Our plan for a leisurely drift / paddle downstream was somewhat thwarted by an incoming tide and headwinds, meaning that any time we stopped paddling, we started floating upstream. Still it was a nice day and good to be on the river.

We didn’t see any sign of Greta, but there were a number of pairs of shelducks and some of those had ducklings with them. We also saw lots of canada geese, swans, ducks, scaups, shags and even a largish school of fish. At Kerrs Reach, a group of high school rowers must have been having their end of year event, so there were a number of boats being rowed erratically by mixed groups of parents & students, which we largely tried to avoid. There were also plenty of geese and swans, and a little further down was a family of shelducks with twelve, almost grown juveniles. A pretty amazing achievement to have that many survive to near adulthood.

From here we continued on, only planning to go a little further, then just to the bend and eventually down to the Avondale Road bridge, some 2 kilometres from where we left the car. The rowers gave over the river to the race boaters from Arawa, but there was no sign of Greta, so we turned around and headed back up the river, past more paddlers enjoying a fine day out on the river. By the time we got back to the car, Lauri was quite tired and we were both glad to head home for rest.

Date:   23/11/19
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:  66 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 – 3, water swift & clear.
Weather Conditions: Sunny & warm with occasional strong easterly wind gusts.
Number on Trip:  8 kayakers (4 doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  3 hours
Comments:  The stars finally aligned and I was off on my first white water trip of the season. It was good to load up the Blitz and head off to the Belfast Tavern, even if I was feeling a little nervous. We sorted out vehicles and then we were off to Hurunui. I was travelling with Crispin and his son Zac, with Zac practicing his driving skills by driving us most of the way. We were team Bliss-stick, as our roof rack was predominately Bliss-stick boats, with a lone Jackson kayak.

We stopped off at Devil’s Fang Falls for a brief inspection, with the river running a bit higher than normal, there were plenty of lines to choose from. Many of the rocks under water, but there was a foaming mass of white water below the central line and going down the left hand side would have been interesting to say the least. We picked our lines and noted the features for future reference, then back into the cars.

When we arrived at Jollie Brook, there was a big group of WWCC beginners gathered for additional training on the river. We also found that Crispin’s roof rack had come loose on one end and the boats were only just held on, so it was lucky that nothing had fallen off. We unloaded and got changed, then waited around while the shuttle was run. We got on the river for a bit of a warm up before our shuttle drivers returned, it was good to be back on the river and to find out that my skills hadn’t departed, even if my fitness was somewhat lacking.

Once our drivers returned, we started off downstream so as not to crowd out the beginners. I enjoyed working my way down through the boulder gardens, surfing on the various holes and waves, splashing through the wave trains, and feeling my confidence returning. We took our time, enjoying the sun and the river, taking photos where I could.

We had a good team and everyone was keen to play and push themselves. It is good to be on the river with a solid group of people, enjoying the sunshine and a great flow, it always reminds me why I love white water kayaking. At the bluff before the confluence with the South Branch, Jono demonstrated his skills by getting over the pillow at the base of the bluff, which looked somewhat daunting at the increased flow, and up into the micro eddy against the rock face. Others gave it ago, but no one pulled it off quite so successfully.

I always get nervous coming up to Devil’s Fang Falls, even though it is relatively straight forward and I’ve done it many times, I still get butterflies. Today I took the lead as I wanted to get into position at the bottom so I could get photos of the rest of the group. Having scoped out the line from the road, I took the right line, avoiding the centre rooster tail and the turnover at its margin, then breaking into the eddy at the bottom to quickly get the camera out before anyone followed me down. Everyone else came down a similar, though the odd person disappeared in to the foaming mass towards the centre, there were no dramas. Once down, Crispin, Jono and a few others had a bit of a surf in the hole at the base, sometimes with only theirs heads visible above the foam.

At this flow, the next rapid with its’ popular play wave and not so forgiving run out, had few takers. I intended to drop in to the eddy on the right to take photos, but found myself washed through and heading for the bluff. I dodged that turmoil and got in to the left hand eddy and only managed to get a few pictures before we carried on downstream. By now I was feeling a bit tired but still enjoying the river. I wasn’t feeling confident enough to do Maori Gully and was quite happy to get out at Seawards. Chatted with Zac in the sun, while waited for the shuttle to be run, before heading down to the Maori Gully take out to wait for the rest of the group to arrive. Crispin and Zac did some work to lash the roof rack in place, before we loaded up and headed back to town, with a brief stop at Brew Moon for beers & pizza.

Date:    17/11/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.983 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-easterly breezes.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  1 hour.
Comments:  Another beautiful day and Lauri was keen for a paddle so we got up and sorted out the boats and gear. It isn’t as much drama to get kitted up and out the door as it was to begin with. Greta the Shelduck showed no interest in following us down to the river and was happy to remain sitting on top of my car, so we left her on her perch and trundled down to the Avon, Lauri towing her Prijon Fly on her little trolley and me carrying Blitz on my shoulder, enjoying it’s lightness over the much heavier Salto.

We seal launched from the bank, after packing Lauri’s trolley into the back of her kayak and headed down stream. Lauri noted she enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness of gliding over the water that kayaking gave her and it has been really great to share this with her and to see her enjoying being out on the water again. It is so nice to have such easy access to the river without the drama of driving anywhere.

We paddled down river as far as Dudley Creek and since the water level has reasonably high, we paddled under the bridge to explore the creek. Before the quakes there were a number of nice houses along the stream banks, accessible from Banks Avenue, now there is just grassland and trees, giving the feeling that you are paddling on a quiet brook through the countryside. We paddle as far as we could, disturbing a group of scaups, before our way was blocked by a low concrete bridge.

We turned back and paddled back upstream, collecting a couple of floating drink cans that had been discarded in to the river. Lauri also spotted a floating dolls head, looking somewhat worst for its time in the river. We retrieved it, as a slightly grotesque trophy and to reduce the amount of rubbish in the river,

We paddle passed Swanns Road bridge and said hello to the black swans, who were no longer sitting on their nest as they were the proud parents of five new signets. Then back down to the jetty and home for lunch, to find Greta still sitting on the car roof and asking for food too.

Date:    2/11/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.885 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-westerly breezes.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  2.5 hours.
Comments:  It was another beautiful day with not too much wind, so we decided to have a round of disc golf on our “private” course. Shortly after we started, Greta the Shelduck flew over from our place and down towards the river. We cut the game short at only one round of the five holes and returned home to get the kayaks.

When we finally got to the spot she normally hangs out in, she wasn’t there but we did get to meet another of Greta’s “guardians”, who she regularly visits for food and friendship. He filled us in on some more of Greta’s backstory, including that Flame & Molly, were apparently her parents and quite regularly hound (duck) her for hanging around with humans or not getting a new mate & producing more ducklings. It has been quite interesting to hear the various stories about her form the many people who have interacted with her before she turned up outside our place. She has certainly got around and seems very good at making friends where ever she goes.

We paddled downstream enjoying the sun, warmth and beautiful scenery, not too far, just down to the riverside retreat corner. Turning around, we paddling back up to the Swanns Road bridge and found Greta, dabbling in the water and preening herself. Soon after we arrived, Flame & Molly arrived and began scolding Greta, with Flame & Molly on the island and Greta on the water. Lauri had positioned her paddle between the two parties and Greta ended up standing on the back of Lauri’s Prijon Fly to continue the “discussion” and to cadge duck food from Lauri.

The discussion continued back and forth for some time, dinner time came and went, with the sun slowly sinking. I headed home to feed the cat and put my kayak away, before putting on some warm clothes, grabbing some food and heading back to the river to rescue Lauri from the Shelduck family dispute.

When I returned, things had calmed down and the strategy of feeding both sides seem to have brought about a fragile peace. I got Lauri to paddle down to the jetty and helped her out of her kayak, which wasn’t easy as she had been sitting in it for a couple of hours. She decided to walk back to the duck off while I carried her kayak home. When I got back, the peace was still holding so I coaxed Lauri home and we had pizza for dinner at about 9:20pm, having been on the river since a little after 4:15pm.

Date:    2/11/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.863 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-easterly breezes.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  1.5 hours.
Comments:  Lauri was keen to spend some time with Greta on river and so we were up relatively early and got our kayaking gear sorted out. As we were almost ready to head down to the river, Greta flew in and refused to follow us.

We put in and paddled a short way upstream passed the Swanns Road bridge and then decided that downstream would be a pleasanter trip as both sides of the river are Red Zoned, so there is no traffic noise. It was a beautiful day to be out on the river and our boats cut swiftly through the water. We passed a number of whitebaiters and a pair of ducks with over a dozen ducklings scattered all over the river, that they struggled to gather together as we approached. There were plenty of black swans and a few pairs of Shelducks.

We paddled back up stream, hoping to see Greta at the Swanns Road bridge. She wasn’t there when we arrived, so I wandered home to try and coax her down but she didn’t want to budge. Greta was still at our place when we returned from our paddle and didn’t leave until we walked her down to the river at dusk.

Date:    27/10/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.907 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-westerly breezes, gusting strongly at times.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  1.25 hours.
Comments:  No sign of Greta on Sunday morning, so we got in to our kayaking gear and took the boats down to the river. After loading Lauri’s kayak trolley into the back of her kayak, she climbed in and seal launched off the low bank, into the river. I followed and together we paddled upstream to the Stanmore Road bridge with no sign of Greta in her usual spot. A quick slalom under the bridge before heading back down the river. Strong head winds slowed the return trip and there was still no sign of Greta around the Swanns Road bridge so we continued on downstream. Shortly after passing the boat ramp, the cries of a Paradise Shelduck filled the air, as Greta flew past pursued by another female Shelduck. The second female broke of the chase and returned the way she had come, while Greta headed back to her riverside retreat.

We paddled back upstream to say hello to Greta and spend some time with her. Lauri hand fed Greta from her kayak, which was very cute to see. A large, unusual duck, which we name “The Boss”, was hanging around and he was keen to throw his weight around to get at the duck feed Lauri had scattered on the island for Greta. We spent around 40 minutes paddling around the Swanns Road bridge area, as Greta went about her duck business, before lunch beckoned and we got out at the boat ramp. Lauri decided to spend some more time with Greta, while I took the kayaks home and packed up the gear.

Date:    19/10/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.998 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny and warm, nor-easterly breezes.
Number on Trip:    2 people.
Time on River:  0.75 hours.
Comments:  Just as we were getting ready to head down to the river with the kayaks to see Greta the Paradise Shelduck, she flew in to visit us. We fed her some duck feed and then coaxed her to follow us. She waddled across the road following Lauri as she towed her kayak behind her, but stopped in the Red Zone to have a bit of a nibble on some grass. We carried on walking down to the river and launched into the river from the bank. Lauri headed off upstream while I got sorted out and on the water.

I seal launched into the river and powered off after Lauri. There was no sign of Greta at the Swanns Road bridge, where she often hangs out, so we continued on upstream, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful surroundings.

Not wishing to over tax Lauri, we just went as far as the Stanmore Road bridge and did a quick slalom run through the bridge piles before paddling back down the river. Spotted a large brown rat running along the bank near the Old Avonside Girls High, but didn’t manage to get a photo. We also spotted a pair of Paradise Shelducks, that we had previously named Flame, due to the white “flames” around the male’s eyes, and Moll, his aggressive girlfriend.

Back at the Swanns Road bridge, there was no sign of Greta so we continued down stream to the Riverbend Refuge, where the Green Lab group have installed a series of giant eel sculptures, a picnic area and native plantings. Spotted a pair of female Shelducks hanging out together, but no sign of Greta. So we paddled back to the Swanns Road boat ramp and got out there. One of our neighbours was there with here son, making tiny boats out of sticks, so we chatted to her after we got the boats out and loaded up. Suddenly in a flurry of wings and honking, Greta flew in to join us, and we sat on the dock together, enjoying the view and sunshine.

It ended abruptly when another pair of Paradise Shelducks appeared and the female launched a flying attack on Greta and drove her off, up the road. The drama continued as Greta decided a puddle on the side of the road was a great place to hang out, which was fine until a jogger with a dog ran through, panicking her and causing her to fly into the road with oncoming traffic. I managed to the drive her off the road and down to her spot on the river, whilst balancing my kayak on my shoulder. We sat with her for a bit and then wandered home for lunch.

Date:    13/10/2019
River:    Avon River, Christchurch, NZ
River Conditions:   1.885 cumecs at Gloucester Street bridge. Water mostly clear. Grade 1.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny but cool.
Number on Trip:    2 people & 1 duck.
Time on River:  2 hours.
Comments:  We decided to take the kayaks down to the river to have a paddle around with Greta the Paradise Shelduck that has recently befriended us. We put on the river at the bottom of Eveleyn Couzins Ave and paddled up to around the Swanns Road bridge, which is Greta’s favourite hangout spot.

Greta seemed pleased to see us on the river and was happy to paddle around with us. It was nice to see her in her natural environment, going about her duck business, feeding and paddling about.

One of the interesting things she did a couple of times, was to fly up to a hole under the bridge that the pigeons had been roosting in, but being somewhat larger, she didn’t have much success and we weren’t exactly sure what she was trying to do.

Apparently good territory is hard to find and a pair of Shelducks were keen to muscle in on Greta’s spot. We named the male Flame, due to the white “flames” around his eyes, and his girlfriend, Moll. Moll was very aggressive towards Greta, repeatedly flying at her in an attempt to drive her off, while Flame was a little more standoffish. We tried to position our kayaks to protect Greta, and defend her territory, Lauri putting her canoe polo skills to good effect. When pressed, Flame and Moll would retreat to a spot near the black swan’s nest, a little way upstream from the bridge, not wishing to disturb the swans, we generally retreated. After a particularly aggressive flanking attack on Greta by Moll, we ended up chasing them a way upstream and they didn’t return.

We spent some what longer on the river than intended, but eventually we said goodbye to Greta and got out at the boat ramp and wandered home for lunch.