Date:    3/04/16
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   19 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2-3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm with gusty Nor-Westerly winds.
Number on Trip:    Approximately 20 kayakers and 3 rafters (1 raft), with  most paddling Maori Gully.
Time on River:  4.5 hours (5 for those doing Maori Gully as well.
Comments:   The Harwarden Gap section isn’t run that often but when it is, it is always an experience. I was running late when I arrived at the Belfast Tavern and everyone was almost ready to leave. Fortunately I was able to find a space in Matt’s car, while my boat went on somebody else’s roof rack (something that always makes me a little nervous). We were soon underway with a brief coffee/food stop at Pukeko Junction before heading to the take out at The Peaks (we called in to briefly thank the farmer for allowing us access to the river across his paddocks). At the take out, we discovered that several cars had got lost and there was some intense phone calls (thankfully there was cellphone reception here) before Ian raced off to find them and lead them to the rest of us. No sign of my kayak either but I was fairly sure it would be waiting for me at the put in (fingers crossed). While we waited, I gorged myself on the plentiful blackberries that were growing wild along the river bank.

After the rest of the group arrived, we changed into our paddling gear before driving up to Seawards where I was reunited with my boat. Most of the group opted to do a “bomb” run down Maori Gully (just in case the trip wasn’t long enough for them already), while the rest of us moved the vehicles down to the Maori Gully take out. It is always a little odd carrying a boat down the muchly appreciated steps to the river, but it is much better than the reverse process. We were only down at the river for a short while, before the rest of the group appeared after a very quick run through the grade 3 rapids of Maori Gully.

Checking out the early play spot.

The first part of the trip includes a number of nice grade 2 rapids and we spent a bit of time playing on the odd one and enjoying the sunshine, but mostly we tried to keep the pace steady and onwards, as we were well aware that we were in for a long day. Interesting there seemed to be quite a few people paddling RPM’s or similar on the trip, possibly indicating good design & functionality never goes out of style.

The raft just cruises over a hole that threatened to swallow the odd kayaker.

We were also accompanied by a raft, allowing a couple of non-kayakers to experience sections of the river that would be generally inaccessible to them. The raft easily cruised over the rapids and holes along the way and I kept a keen eye over my shoulder to make sure it didn’t cruise over me.

One of the early rapids below the Maori Gully take out.

Many of the early rapids featured the opportunity to do a spot of boulder hopping and to practice moves that can prove very useful on more difficult rapids. I had a roll after trying a slightly tricky move to cut across the current and round a largish rock whilst navigating a rapid, but I came up first time and no one actually saw me as far as I know.

Ian on one of the early rapids.

The rapids came regularly and provided plenty of interest, making it a real pleasure to be on the river.

Attempting to exit the kayak at our lunch spot.

We had a brief stop for lunch in a relatively sheltered spot somewhere above the Glenrae Confluence. On a trip of this length, it is definitely worth carrying a proper lunch and I certainly appreciated being out of my boat and getting to eat a sandwich and an orange rather than just having to make do with only a few muesli bars for a long day of physically demanding activity.

One of the rapids above the gap.

More rapids followed and I watched the right hand ridge line descend towards the river, as we drew closer to the entrance to the gorge and the Hawarden Gap.

The group inspecting the Hawarden Gap…nerves, pounding heart…should I portage?

The Harwarden Gap (pictured above) is the hardest rapid (grade 3) on this section and traditionally we all get out to inspect it, with those not wanting to run it portaging around it. The river channels through a relatively narrow and rocky gap, and can at lower flows form a distinct drop. I have run it a number of times, in a variety of different kayaks (including a Topo Duo with no one in the front seat, not recommended but I made it) with very mixed results, I’ve even taken Lauri down it. The ratio of swims is about 50:50, so I always regard this rapid with a certain amount of trepidation.

I positioned myself below the drop, ready with both camera and throw rope, to capture the action as it unfolded. I also used this opportunity to check out everyone else’s line to see what work and what wasn’t quite so successful.

Ian runs the Hawarden Gap.

Ian F was one of the first of those who stopped to inspect the rapid to run the rapid. Although he is a very skilled and experience paddler, he too has had a turbulent relationship with The Gap and on his last run though it, ended up swimming and losing his paddle and almost his boat.

Ian styling the Hawarden Gap in brightly coloured gear with a tight grip on his paddle.

This time he styled it, looking particularly resplendent in his signature, distinctively bright kayaking ensemble. The rest of the group made their way down, with few dramas, as I walked back to my kayak with my heart pounding and a certain feeling of dread. I knew which line I’d take (riding the tongue, left of centre & avoiding the hole) and was reasonably confident in my ability but history still had me feeling pretty nervous. Nothing fancy in my approach, no catching eddies, just dodge the holes and make the line and I was through and upright.  It was pretty exciting.

There is a sort of dog leg rapid below the Gap, filled with confused and turbulent water as the river runs into a bluff in a narrow section and this rapid tends to trip up a few people. I ended up chasing someones boat whilst trying to paddle while holding their paddle as well, as they swam to the bank. Eventually I passed off the paddle and managed to clip my tow line to their boat and got that to shore. It’s not easy towing a creek boat full of water with my little boat.

More rapids in the gorge.

The gorge continues on down with a series of nice grade 2 rapids that offer plenty of fun and the chance to do a bit more eddy hopping on the way down.

The raft navigates a rapid.

The final stages of the Hawarden Gap gorge.

The river narrows again at the end of the gorge, but without major rapids, before opening out to a wide, flat water paddle or drift. On a day like today, it was quite a pleasure to drift along in the warm sunshine.

This first fish I’d seen from my kayak and quite a big one too.

A large, dark coloured fish, possibly a salmon or trout, worn out from spawning surfaced near my kayak to say “hello” before swimming lazily (or exhaustedly) away.

After the main gorge, the river opens out before entering the final gorge above the Mandamus confluence.

The broad expanse of water gradually narrows as the surrounding hills close in and the river becomes more turbulent before entering the final gorge.

Matt, the trip leader, on one of the later rapids.

There were still regular rapids but as arms become more weary, less time is spent on them and the odd mistake was made but no real dramas.

Heading into the final gorge before the plains.

There is a final gorge with a few grade 2 rapids, before the river leaves the hills and flow out across the plains. There are the odd riffle styled rapid on plains but most peoples thoughts at this stage after such a long paddle, are of getting to the take out and their dry clothes waiting for them there. Keen eyes pick out the landmarks that sign post the approaching take out, the building on the ridge, the ruined house and finally the vehicles.

The Harwarden Gap section, with its beautiful scenery and its remoteness from the road, plus the way the river and its characteristics change along the course of the journey, reminded me of a sort of mini Clarence River trip, as one moves from a river surrounded by mountains, bouncing through boulder gardens and rapids, into a tight and turbulent gorge, opening out again to a wide and flat water expanse before entering another gorge and then finally spilling out onto the Amuri Plains.

At the take out, looking back towards the hills at the end of the day.

We changed out of our paddling gear and the drivers headed back to the put in to complete the shuttle. While waiting we ate more of the wild blackberries and chatted, whilst enjoying the warmth from final rays of the slowly sinking sun. The temperature also dropped with the sun and we were reminded of the importance to dress warmly for the long after trip wait when running this section. The sun had set by the time the vehicles arrived back and we quickly loaded up before driving back to the Belfast Tavern in darkness.

Date:    20/03/16
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   22 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm with gusty Nor-Westerly winds.
Number on Trip:    9 kayakers (with 7 doing second run of Maori Gully).
Time on River:  1.5 hours (2nd run was about 1 hour).
Comments:   While the trip list indicated that the trip had no organiser, Neil kindly stepped in and made sure it happened. We had 9 paddlers and it was decided we would just do a couple of gully runs. It was a beautiful, warm autumn day and the water looked invitingly clear.

Matt playing on the Magic Roundabout.

We had a good play around on the Magic Roundabout, though I took a roll after an attempt to ferry glide into the eddy between the two rocks from the left bank failed and I got swept into the buffer on the face of the down stream rock. The roll worked fine first time but I was feeling pretty knackered from the effort.

Matt ferry glides across the flow.

There was plenty of eddies to catch and everyone one enjoyed themselves as we worked our way down the river.

André doesn’t need a paddle.

In addition to bringing two boats on the trip, André did the first run in his play boat using only hand paddles. This lack of a paddle certainly didn’t cause him any problems and it was quite impressive to see him make moves using only small bits of plastic strapped to his hands.

Cheese Grater was interesting again, after watching everyone else go down right of centre, generally successfully, I lined up for a similar line and drop over the lip. I slid down the green tongue to the right of the underwater rocks that mark the centre, with my kayaks nose pointing towards the right bank. When I reached the bottom, my kayak stalled then shot hard left and I was up against the rock wall on the left hand side, just like last time. In no time at all I was upside down with rocks bashing against the back of my helmet (adding more scratches, just like last time), but this time I didn’t hold on quite long enough to roll and just pulled the deck. I swam into the eddy towing my kayak, it was quite a nice day for a swim. John R offered some advice that made sense, he noted that both Em (she also ended up in a similar situation to me but with her boat on the opposite side of the river to her) & I had just drifted over the drop and thus didn’t have the boat speed to punch through the hole at the bottom, something to remember next time.

We stopped for a bit of a play at the Pop Up Spot and tried our moves with varying degrees of success. My last go, had me almost vertical with a nice spin to land upright and facing down stream. I was happy with that and joined the rest of the group heading for the take out.

Teaching Baxter how to fetch a stick from the river.

By the time I reached the get out, I’d decided to flag doing a second run as I didn’t really feel up to it (especially not repeating the walk up the hill at the end again). So we ended up running the shuttle and playing fetch with Baxter, a rather large dog with a very loud bark. As he didn’t want to get out of his depth and have to swim, often the sticks would float by a few inches from his nose and then disappear down the river. He did seem to enjoy himself and that kept us amused until the rest of the group returned from their second run. Then back into town, with the obligatory “debrief” at the Cooper Road Cafe & Restaurant, just south of Amberley. As a bonus for just running a short trip, I was home shortly after 5, keeping everyone happy.

Date:    28/02/16
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   24 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 to 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm with Westerly winds increasing in strength.
Number on Trip:    14 kayakers (with 11 doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  5.75 hours.
Comments:   This was my first trip of the new year and we were definitely well into the year. Work, the weather, lack of local trips when I was able to paddle and the general feeling of being worn out and run down, had conspired to keep me off the river. And so it was with some trepidation that saw me loading up the car on Saturday night to go paddling the next day. We had a lot of beginners on the trip and I certainly wasn’t feeling 100%, even once I was in my boat and on the river. We put in at Jollie Brook after vetoing the proposal to run the top gorge, and spent a reasonable amount of time playing around and getting comfortable on the water.

Playing on the Jollie Brook section.

Eventually we started down the river with me following up behind to make sure no one was left behind. I always enjoy first part of the Jollie Brook section as there are plenty of boulders and small holes, so you can work your way down the rapids, catching eddies and surfing the holes, it makes a great warm up and is lots of fun, and I was feeling much more confidant by the end of it. It was also great to see many of the beginners giving things a go and really challenging themselves, many of them also had a better roll that I do.

We ran into a trio of kayakers, one of whom was paddling a yellow Prijon Invader similar to our one, he was also just wearing a sun hat on his head, really old fashion “safety” gear. After having a chat, I realised that as he hadn’t paddled the river in 8 years, they may not know about Devil’s Fang Falls and that may come as a nasty surprise. So I chased after them but they already knew about it and planned to walk it.

Above the confluence with the South Branch, everyone had fun trying to get in to the eddy on the face of the bluff, named the Mezzanine. At one stage there were three kayakers in the tiny eddy. There was also a great surf wave at the top of rapid and I had a lot of fun on that.

Bill runs Devil’s Fang Falls.

There was some discussion in our group as to whether to run Devil’s Fang Falls, especially as more of the water is going down the left channel. We’d stopped and had a look on the way up and it looked a little bony but with a clear route through, so Ross and I planned to run it, while the rest would walk it. As it turned out, it was fine and we ran it cleanly, just bouncing off the odd rock. Bill also ran it after watching us paddle down safely. Later we are passed by a raft with 4 paddlers on it and in a later discussion it occurs to us that most didn’t seem to be wearing buoyancy aids, just wet suits, and possibly no helmets either. Safety gear may seem expensive but sometimes the cost of not having it may be extremely high.

Surfing below the Dozy Stream put in.

Looking back towards Dozy Stream put in and the mountains beyond.

At Seawards, we stopped to sort out the shuttle and decide who wanted to run Maori Gully and it turned out nearly everyone want to run it, including a number of first timers. With only a few experienced paddlers, we decided to take a slow and steady approach, shepherding the group down and offering advice on lines to take. I took a roll at the Magic Round-About after a collision with Bill whilst playing, fortunately it worked first time so there was no embarrassing swim.

Scouting the Elevator in Maori Gully.

We made our way down the gully with no real dramas, most of the beginners had a strong roll and some really good skills. At the elevator, most of the group got out to scout the rapid and then ran it without much trouble. The procedure was repeated at Cheese Grater, though this rapid provided a little more excitement, with most paddlers having to roll at the bottom with various levels of drama. I lined up to run it after everyone else, picked my line but then decided that there seemed to be a number of rocks under the water surface, so I moved left to avoid them. Next thing I know, I’m upright against the rock on the left hand side, riding the buffer wave. This doesn’t last too long as I’m soon upside-down with rock hitting against the back of my helmet as I set up for a roll. The water is still pretty aerated and I’m worried that I’ve been washed back into the hole and am heading for a bit of a beating. My first roll doesn’t work but I’m able to grab a breath, the water smooths out as I’m flushed down stream and I roll upright, glad that no one actually noticed my little drama.

We carry on, catch a swimmer on the corner rapid, try a few tricks at the Pop Up Spot and then we’re at the take out. Matt and Em engage in a spot of cliff jumping before a group of kayakers, who’ve spent almost 6 hours on the river, begin the weary hike up the hill, made slightly easier by the improved steps. Thanks Matt for great trip, it was really good to be back on the river.

Date:    5/12/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   43 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 to 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm with strong Westerly winds.
Number on Trip:    4 kayakers (3 doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  2.5 hours.
Comments:   With no local trip organised Thomas sent out an email and organised a Hurunui trip and short notice. Four of us turned up at the Belfast Tavern’s carpark, loaded up the boats and head off to the hills. We put in on the South Branch with the intention to paddle to Seawards and on through Maori Gully.

I was pretty worn out and beat from a long, tiring week at work and wasn’t feeling up to much. Thomas took a roll on a messy eddy line near the start and got washed into a bluff. He tried to roll again but was being held against the bluff and so he bailed out. His paddle was left circulating in the eddy, while Aaron & I set off in pursuit of his boat. We soon had paddler and kayak reunited, while we waited for the paddle to appear, eventually John R appeared with it in tow, having been sorting out his contact lenses whilst this minor drama unfurled.

John R takes on Devil’s Fang Falls

With a bit more flow than the previous trip, the river was swifter and a bit pushier, making some of the waves a little harder to catch. I was a little nervous about Devil’s Fang Falls (as always) but I manged to slide smoothly down the tongue on the right hand side and floated across the foam at the bottom, sweet. The rapid below the Dozy Stream put in had formed a particularly nice surf wave at this flow and despite some initial apprehension, I had some great surfs on it. Basically once you were on it, you could just sit the and carve back & forth across its’ face with only minimum paddle strokes to keep you there.

John R surfs while Aaron watches.

We met up with a group of kayakers from the UCCC at the Seawards put in. Thomas had decided not to paddle Maori Gully so he drove one of the UCCC vehicles to the Maori Gully take out, while the rest of us carried on down stream. The Magic Roundabout was crowded so after John & Aaron had a bit of a play, we carried on, bypassing Simon’s’ hole. With the extra water, the drops were not quite so large but some of the holes were bigger and best avoided. Cheese Grater was smoother than the previous trip and went without a hitch. I did take a dunking while surfing a feature but quickly rolled upright on the first go, so was pretty pleased with that.

UCCC kayakers show their skills on the Magic Roundabout.

We stopped at the Pop Up spot and John R demonstrated his flat spin and encouraged us to give it ago, which to my surprise didn’t result in me spending time upside down but actually smiling as I managed to pull off the move multiple times whilst keeping my hair dry.

John R demonstrates his cartwheel on the Pop Up spot.

Then on down to the take out with the hike up the hill, made a lot easier with the new stairs. We chatted with the UCCC kayakers (who incidentally had brought along 2 crates of bottled, post paddle supplies) while we waited on shuttle to be run, before heading to Copper Road (where the waitress was surprised to see us in on a Saturday) for our post paddle debrief (which was different from the somewhat tipsy bridal party’s actual debrief, which I missed) and then on home.

Date:    22/11/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   31 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 to 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Sunny, warm with strong Westerly winds.
Number on Trip:    16 kayakers (8 doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  4 hours.
Comments:   This weeks club trip was down the Hurunui from Jollie Brook to Seawards and on through Maori Gully. It was also one of the first club trips for this years new beginners.

Thomas practices his roll at Jollie Brook.

We put in at Jollie Brook and spent a little time warming up ferry gliding, catching eddies, surfing and generally enjoying ourselves before setting off downstream. It was good to see the range of kayakers from old hands like Bob and even a clean shaven Denis, still making moves with his play boat into his seventies, Andre paddling a slalom boat plus the beginners testing their new found skills on the rivers.

Warming up at Jollie Brook.

There was plenty to do, eddies to catch, waves to play and rapids to run, there was also a surprising lack of swimmers, an indication that the club training methods had improved considerably since I learned to paddle, even the few that tipped just rolled up again, impressive. At Devil’s Fang Falls, the groups split as those not wishing to run it, took the left channel and portaged the rapid. Those hazarding “The Fang” suffered no harm or dramas, and Andre and I had a brief play in the foam at the base.

Andre below Devil’s Fang Falls in his slalom boat.

At Seawards, half the group got out to run the the shuttle, while the rest carried on down the Gully. Thomas choose to do Maori Gully for the first time, with Bob and I providing some guidance and advanced warnings on what to expect.

Thomas on his first descent of Maori Gully.

There were no real dramas and the odd time that Thomas found himself upside down, he quickly righted himself using a solid roll courtesy of the New Zealand Kayak School. Cheese Grater was particularly steep and you went a long way down before shooting up a quite massive wave (assuming you took the centre right line so as not to be shunted sideways to the undercut rock on the left). I took a spill here as I came off the wave but quickly rolled up on my first attempt and was pretty happy with that.

The corner rapid was fairly boisterous and I’m not really sure I have a good route through it as I have been tending to punch through the odd hole that I’ve accidentally fallen into. We had a brief play at the Pop Up Spot, where those in creek boats demonstrated why it is more fun to paddle a play boat. On to the take out and off to Cooper Road for a beverage and debrief before heading home for a well deserved fish & chips, shower and a nice rest.

Date: 7/11/15
River: Rangitata River, South Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions: 63 cumecs at Klondyke, water cold, slightly discoloured and swift. Grade 2+.
Weather Conditions: Cool, low cloud with easterly winds.
Number on Trip: 10
Time on River: 4 hours
Comments: A Saturday trip this weekend and it’s off to the Rangitata for a change. The weather looked good as we left Christchurch but as we got further south and moved inland, low, grey clouds descended. Nine kayakers headed out from Christchurch and we met up with Hugh at the Peel Forest cafe, who was planning to put aside his inflatable toys and get back in a “proper” kayak again. We got changed at the get out and left Hugh’s car with our dry gear and drove up to Klondyke, pausing briefly to pass on our paddling intentions to the rafting company.

The river was cold but a number of people did practice rolls before going over the weir and down the first rapid. As usual with this section of the Rangitata, there were plenty of boulder gardens with eddies to catch and nice waves to play on. Being a bit out of practice and having let my fitness slide somewhat, this made for a fun but tiring time.

Em runs another rapid.

At one of the bigger rapids, I got my angles wrong near the end of a large wave train and tipped over, my first roll attempt didn’t quite come off and opening my eyes under water, I caught glimpses of boulders flashing by in the shallow water. Not wanting to have a “rock versus face” interaction, I decided to pull the deck rather than set up for another roll. A short swim, towing my through the cold water to shore followed, water was emptied out of my kayak and I was soon back on the water.

Happiness is catching a good wave.

Further down stream, there is an area where the river was steadily eating away at the left bank, consuming the farmer’s fences and fields. To prevent this natural erosion of his land values, he had built a series of large boulder groynes and these have formed some nice play waves and we spent some time surfing the second and largest one of these.

A great new play spot, thanks to river protection works.

We stopped of “lunch” on a sandy beach before carrying on, our group of 10 paddlers getting quite spread out at times. More rapids followed, though the amount of playing dropped off as cold and weariness caught up with us.

What you can’t see, can’t hurt you.

Eventually the last rapid before the take out was reached and we bounced our way down, trying to make the most of the fun ride before our time on the river came to an end.

The shuttle was run, boats loaded on to vehicles and gear packed away before driving back to town with Phil and more discussion of geology, geologists and the job market.

Date:    11/10/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   36 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 to 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Sunny, warm with NW winds, occasional strong gusts.
Number on Trip:    20 kayakers (19 doing Maori Gully, 3 sat out but gained 2 extra).
Time on River:  2.5 hours.
Comments:   This was my first trip of the season and the first time I’d been out in my kayak in a while. After some debate, we decide to put in at South Branch to give the newer paddlers more of a run. It was great to be back on the water and even better was that I still remembered how to paddle, though I was a little nervous as we approached Devil’s Fang Falls.

Picking the line on Devil’s Fang Falls

It had been a while since I had been over Devil’s Fang Falls at anything much over 20 cumecs and so it was a little strange to find that the right hand chute wasn’t quite so clear and I slightly muffed the line, bouncy over some of the rocks at the top rather than sliding smoothly down the tongue. Still no dramas and my confidence felt bolstered by the experience.

Rescue time.

Just down from the Dozy Stream put in is a short rapid with a nice surf wave just before the current runs into a bluff with a small eddy just above it. Bill ended up in this eddy and then tipped against the bluff (as many others have done in the same location before) whilst I was taking photos further upstream. Two other kayakers promptly broke out to attempt a rescue by sitting their kayaks on top of his upturned boat until he bailed out and then they helped him recover his boat.

Murray showing he still has the moves.

A  few of the less confidant paddlers got out at Seawards but most of us continued on through Maori Gully (I was feeling reasonably confidant by this stage).

Dropping down Cheese Grater.

Murray helped guide the members of our small group that were new to the Gully down the rapids without much drama. On Cheese Grater Murray took a centre left line without a problem however one of the newer paddlers followed his lead and found himself pushed hard left into the undercut rock and was soon out of his boat. Took chase, taking my preferred right of centre line and both paddler and boat were soon on shore, albeit on different banks. Fortunately another kayaker, whose own boat had headed down stream without him, was able to paddle it over for us. His boat was recovered further down stream and so this all ended well.

The rest of the gully went well and I was pretty exhausted by the time we reached the take out and the walk out hadn’t got any less steep, even if the new steps did make it a more pleasant climb. A relaxing wait in the sun while the shuttle was run, then off to the renamed Brew Moon (now called Copper Road Cafe) then back to town.

Date:    6/04/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   12 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Cool and overcast with strong NW winds.
Number on Trip:    2 kayakers.
Time on River:  1 hours.
Comments:   Lauri and I had camped out by the swing bridge at Jollie Brook for the later part of Easter, as I had to work until Saturday. With a less than promising weather forecast for the week ahead, we decided to make the most of the “better” weather on the Monday, starting with a paddle around the Jollie Brook area.

Lauri paddles off down the Hurunui.

Lauri and I had a paddle around the swing bridge area, as I encouraged her to practice her ferry glides and breaking out of eddies, but she quickly tired of this and was keen to paddle down the river for a stretch, so off down stream we went. I followed along behind to shout “paddle” in the difficult bit and to make sure Lauri didn’t get in to any difficulty. The section was pretty bony, but apart from getting stuck on the odd rock, she didn’t have any problems, even in the more turbulent rapids. We got out before the river moved away from the road and after a brief stint of towing the boats, I left them and walked on to get the car.

While I drove back to camp with the boats, Lauri walked back to along the river bank so she could see where she had been and was quite surprised that she had paddled though some of the rapids. After some morning tea, I paddled upstream and then carried my boat up the bank and put in above the Jollie Brook rapid and then had a playful paddle down to our camp site.

Date:    8/02/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   26 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Sunny, warm with NW winds.
Number on Trip:    14 kayakers.
Time on River:  2 hours.
Comments:   Another spontaneous Gully Run trip to provide some entertainment for those left behind by the WWCC weekend away trip. Nine kayakers traveled up from Christchurch and met up with a number of other paddlers keen to join us on the river. With a nice easy flow, this was an excellent opportunity to make the most of the river, to catch every eddy and surf every hole (well, not including the big, nasty ones, just the little easy ones for me). Phil A, one of the people who taught me how to kayak, caught up with us above the Magic Roundabout and we had a great catch up between surfing and cutting in and out of the flows that form this feature.

Navigating the boulder garden.

We worked our way down the river, taking our time, ferry gliding from side to side, catching eddies and surfing. It was sunny and warm and a real pleasure to be out on the river. There were no dramas in the boulder gardens, no problems at the Elevator and everyone managed to take the hard right line and avoid the kick to the left on Cheese Grater. It was good to see Phil on the river, as even after not having paddled for years, he still made his moves look easy and managed to surf some of the holes I avoided.

Phil makes his moves like a pro.

I eddied out below the corner rapid and after an failed attempt to get on the wave at the bottom, I tried to get back into the eddy but managed to tip and due to fatigue and an awkward position, I took a swim. I got my self in to the eddy and Phil help empty my boat and held it steady while I climbed back in. Then another failed crack at the wave and then on down to the Pop Up Spot for some fun. With a bit more water than the previous weekend, results were better and some pop ups were achieved.

We had played hard and by the time we reached the take out, I’d spent two hours on the river (a record time for me to paddle Maori Gully) and was pretty tired. Another failed roll while playing found me swimming into the get out point, which was slightly ironic as I had planned to take a swim there to cool off. I drained the water out of my kayak, got back in and did a few practice rolls (each worked first time) and then got out and climbed the hill. Most of the group headed back to the put in for another run while the rest of us enjoyed the warm sunshine and chatted. The second run was quicker than the first and then we gathered up our gear before heading back to town via a beer at the Brew Moon cafe.

Date:    1/02/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   16.9 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 3, water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm, clearing overcast with NW winds.
Number on Trip:    2 kayakers.
Time on River:  1.75 hours.
Comments:   After getting back from the Clarence River I was pretty tired but I was still keen to be back on the river so when the weekend rolled around I checked to see if there were any trips planned. The club had a rescue course planned for the weekend and according to the trip list, a combined trip on Sunday. John H decided to do a Gully run on Saturday but I didn’t think I was going to be up to that. Sunday came and as I turned into The Peg car park, it was pleasing to note the cars with kayaks on their roof racks, a sure sign of a trip in the making. However it turned out to be just for the rescue course and they were just going to be doing that around Jollie Brook and I just wanted to do a river run. Mike had turned up with a similar idea and after a brief wait to see if anyone else would turn up, we headed off to paddle Maori Gully by ourselves.

On the drive up we decided that the best idea was to get changed at Seawards and the drop the car off at the take out and then walk back to the put in. Mike volunteered to do the shuttle while I fended off the hoards of sand flies and waited. The walk/run took about 20 minutes and we were soon on the river, which was cool, clear and most refreshing.

At 16 cumecs, there isn’t much push in the river so there is plenty of scope for play and we warmed up on the Magic Roundabout, cutting back and forth across the flow and random currents there. From here it was a relaxed paddle past Simon’s Hole and on through the boulder gardens and Bum Rock. With the low flow allowing me to paddle up a number of the routes and to try coming down alternative lines, lots of fun.

The 1st boulder garden in Maori Gully.

The Elevator was bouncy but didn’t present any dramas, next was Cheese Grater and given the excitement it provided last time, I decided to make sure I ran it well right of centre. However when I reached the edge, I realised my chosen line was full of rocks (the very ones that give Cheese Grater its’ name) and a quick change of plan, which resulted in another slightly exciting kick to the left but no real dramas. I signaled to Mike to go right and he got down the line I probably should have taken.

Cheese Grater showing its teeth.

Down the remain big rapids and a bit of chat with a couple of other kayakers doing Gully runs. This was followed by more relaxed surfing and making moves before the take out appeared. I had a nice swim while Mike did a few more practice rolls, then the dreaded hike up the hill and back to town, well satisfied with a very pleasant outing.