Date:    11/01/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   21 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2+(3), water clear.
Weather Conditions:  Warm, slightly overcast with strong, gusty NW winds.
Number on Trip:    10 kayakers.
Time on River:  2.5 hours.
Comments:   This was another unscheduled, unofficial trip, planned to enable me to get a kayaking trip on my day off, while the official club trip wen to the West Coast. Early interest seemed to peter out, but was rekindled while I was at work on Saturday and so when Sunday arrived, it was off to The Peg to meet up at 8am.

With the lower flow and a slightly more experienced group, we decided to put in at Dozy Stream and get out after Maori Gully, with the possibility of an additional Gully run if anyone was still keen. We took three cars, got changed at the Maori Gully get out and loaded the extra boats into the ute before driving up to the put in. A slight misunderstanding saw four of us crammed into the back set of the Amarok, after the other vehicle drove off before loading was complete.

Bob runs Devil’s Fang Falls

Debbie enters the Maelstrom

Most of the group chose to run Devil’s Fang Falls while I took photos from a rock protruding from the river. Looking back over the photos, I would have had a great picture of Ross getting some air after bouncing over a rock, if I’d managed to keep him in the frame.

Ross gets some air

It was a uneventful trip down to Seawards, with plenty of eddy catching and playing, the lower flow making the rapids less challenging and features easier to access and stay on, though the strong wind gusts created their own issues. We had a bit of a play at the Magic Roundabout and worked out way down Maori Gully. Apparently a couple of swims were had, but from my position as tail end Charlie, I missed them.

Alvin in Maori Gully

The main rapids presented no problems until we got to Cheese Grater, which has a tendency to kick left into an undercut, especially at lower flows. Debbie and David got out for a look and to video proceedings. Taking various lines from hard right to right of centre, resulted in various outcomes and five of the group apparently ended up rolling at the bottom. My line was similar to previous trips, a little right of centre, straight down the V and so I was somewhat surprised when I shot to the left and found myself hard against the undercut rock with foaming white water boiling about my boat. Fortunately I was able to keep my cool and my balance whilst clutching my paddle in one hand and was able to use the other hand to move further down stream away from the undercut. I escaped and made my way into the eddy on the opposite side of the river, where I hoped to get a few photos of the last two paddles running the drop.

I’m sure Debbie was there a moment ago

Debbie emerges from below Cheese Grater

From here, the remaining drops were easily managed and we stopped at the corner rapid and a number attempted to surf the large hole at the bottom of the rapid. It was difficult to catch due to rocks and other features blocking the way. Bob watched me almost make it but noted my lack of determination on the final push that would have dropped my Blitz in to the massive boat eating hole for a brief surf, which would have most likely been followed by a good spanking (something I prefer to avoid).

The pop up spot wasn’t really working at this flow but David managed to pull a number of whoopees on the eddy line near the get out, which was pretty cool and not something that you see much these days, with slicely tails having been replaced with high volume creekers.

David pulls a whoopee

As we got changed in the warm sunshine, enthusiasm for a second gully run evaporated and we headed back to town, arriving home by 3pm, even with a stop for an ice cream in Amberley.

Date:    4/01/15
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   31 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2+(3), water clear.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny & warm with light NW winds.
Number on Trip:    10 (9 doing Maori Gully) kayakers.
Time on River:  4.5 hours.
Comments:   As I’d managed to miss most of the trips in December due to other commitments and work, I was getting a little desperate, especially as there was no local club trip planned for this weekend. I put a few feelers out and detected a certain amount of interest but it looked like if I wanted go kayaking, then I’d need to organise my own trip.

We met at the Peg as usual and as everyone was keen for a longer trip, we decided to put in at Jollie Brook and paddle down through Maori Gully. We drove up to the Hurunui and got changed at the Maori Gully take out, loaded the majority of the kayaks into the Amarok, the dry gear in to Bob’s vehicle and drove to Seawards. We left Bob’s car there and crammed into the other vehicles and drove up to the upper Jollie Brook put in, stopping briefly at Devil’s Fang Falls for a look and to check the lines.

Kayaks all loaded for the shuttle to Jollie Brook

The farmer, who owns the put in, had recently fenced and plowed up the paddock and put in a new track, which is currently only suitable for 4×4’s with reasonable ground clearance, luckily we had left Bob’s car at Seawards. After sorting out our gear, we were soon on the river, catching eddy’s and working our way down the small boulder gardens. It was a beautiful day and we were very lucky to be enjoying it on the river.

Ross drops down Devil’s Fang Falls

There was plenty of fun to be had as we made our way down past South Branch and on towards Dozy Stream and Devil’s Fang Falls. Those not keen to run it, portaged down the left bank, while the rest stepped up to the challenge. At this flow, the line is pretty clear and most of the rocks are covered, so there were no dramas, just some good photo opportunities.

Jono resurfaces below the Devil’s Fang Falls drop

Mike at the top of Devil’s Fang Falls

From here, we carried on down the river, with Jono taking a brief dip on the rapid just below the Dozy Stream put in. Here there are some nice waves that can be surfed, but as the flow increases they can get a bit trickier and mistakes tend to result in you being washed upside down into the bluff at the bottom of the rapid and this has resulted in a number of swims for even some experienced paddlers. Further down Peter tipped and failed to roll several times, but he hung in like a trooper and was able to get himself upright using the front of my kayak for support. He wasn’t quite so lucky the next time and ended up swimming into Seawards, where a group of CPIT students were preparing to run the Gully.

Peter got out at Seawards to drive Bob’s car to the take out, while the rest of us carried on into Maori Gully. We had a bit of a play on the Magic Roundabout, pausing briefly to allow the CPIT raft and attendant kayaks go past.

CPIT rafters cruise through the Magic Roundabout

We carried on through the Gully with almost not mishaps, even Cheese Grater did cause many problems. I basically ran straight down the tongue and up the big wave at the end and didn’t notice any of the kick to the left, which can be present at lower flows.

Ross heads down Maori Gully

Finished the grade 3 drops and had a short play at the pop up spot before making our way to the get out and the long climb up the hill. The shuttle took a wee while as Bob wasn’t able to drive over the new track and so dropped the other drivers by the gate, and then it was back to town, feeling sore and tired.

Date:    6/12/14
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   57 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2+(3), water clear.
Weather Conditions:   Cool, strong gusty NW winds. Sunny at first, then overcast.
Number on Trip:    11 (6 doing Maori Gully) kayakers.
Time on River:  4.5 hours.
Comments:   With change of plans over the WWCC Christmas trip, Robin volunteered to run a Hurunui trip on Saturday as the weather looked better then. I was running late when I arrived at the Peg but managed to get my gear in one vehicle, while my boat and six others were stacked on Robin’s ultra wide roof racks and then we were off. We had a brief stop at a bakery in Amberley for supplies to sustain us on or journey and then headed for the put in at Jollie Brook.

Just past Seawards,  a couple of paddlers drive the opposite direction waved us down for a chat. It turned out that some one had forgotten their spray deck and wanted to borrow a spare. We carried on up to Jollie Brook, pausing on the way to check out Devil’s Fang Falls, the right hand line looked good with the “fang” concealed under the flow. After some discussion at the put in, the group decided to run the top gorge as well as working out a cunning shuttle plan with another group that meant we didn’t have to run a double shuttle but wouldn’t have any dry gear at the take out.

At the Sister’s Stream, we got changed and then crossed the bridge, walked over the hill and down the river. It was pretty hot and I was glad I kept my dry jacket off until I reached the river, and chose to tow my kayak rather than carry it down the hill.

Practicing your moves to warm up

Once the rest of the group arrive and we got on the water, there was a bit of a warm up before we allowed the swift current to carry us down to the Top Gorge. Since we tend not to run the Top Gorge very often, a few of paddlers hadn’t ever run it before and there were the odd nervous expressions as the river narrowed and the surrounding cliffs rose up.

Heading towards the Top Gorge

Matt provided the lines for Em, one of the newer paddlers, to follow and I kept an eye on the tail end of the group. At this flow, the gorge was quite nice with some good rapids but no dramas as we passed swiftly through it. The banks opened out and we worked our way down the boulder gardens above Jollie Brook, catching eddy’s and surfing holes.

Down past the Jollie Brook put in and on to the South Branch confluence, where we stopped for a brief break and a bite to eat. The weather slowly changed as the sky grew grey and the wind strengthened. As the drew near to Devil’s Fang Falls, everyone took they previously decided course of action. Some paddled down the left channel and then walked around the drop, while others ran it. I pulled into an eddy at the top of the rapid and waited until the way was clear and then proceeded down the usual right hand line. Above the drop was kind of messy, but there was a clear line and I followed that down, clipping a submerged rock on the way. At the bottom, I caught the seam, wobbled, braced the broke into the eddy to wait with my camera at the ready for Matt to follow me down.

I waited and waited and waited, no one came. I’d watched Em and Matt pull into an eddy on the right hand side and then disappear, odd I thought, until they reappeared on the bank above the rapid, scoping it out. They disappeared again, more waiting until their boats reappeared heading towards the drop with Matt in the lead. As they reached the top, I press the button and began shooting in burst mode only to run out of shots as Matt reached the bottom of the tongue. Em, following closely, ran the drop and hit the foam at the bottom and flipped. My camera disappeared and I broke out of my eddy, just in time to watch a very happy Em roll back upright, having made her first descent of Devil’s Fang Falls.

Below: Em runs Devil’s Fang Falls for the 1st time, Matt leads the way.

Em runs Devil’s Fang Falls for the 1st time, Matt leads the way

Em runs Devil’s Fang Falls for the 1st time, Matt leads the way

Em runs Devil’s Fang Falls for the 1st time, Matt leads the way

After Devil’s Fang Falls, we regrouped, those that portaged getting back into their boats, while others elatedly rejoiced, having successfully pushed personal boundaries and triumphed. From here on the pace quicken as all were feeling a bit tired, and the strong wind gusts and cold were getting a bit draining. We soon arrived at Seawards and there was a discussion on whether to run the Gully, as Robin, our trip leader, was feeling distinctly chilled in his short sleeved dry top. Six of of decided to continue, with it being the first time for Nick & Sophie, who had recently arrived in Canterbury.

With the strong wind gusts blasting us and the swift flow, there wasn’t much impetus for playing so Matt would generally lead, while I followed up behind to make sure all was well. There was no dramas but I ended up tipping on the final grade 3 rapid at the corner, my first roll got me some air as I bounced up and down the wave train, before righting myself on the second try as I neared the bluff at the end of the rapid. Everyone was pretty worn out by the time we reached the take out and staggered up the hill, but all seemed to have enjoyed the trip, especially those doing it for the first time. There was a bit of a wait for the vehicles and our dry gear to arrive and then it was back to Christchurch, only stopping for an ice cream in Amberley to round off the day.

Date: 9/11/14
River: Rangitata River, South Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions: 68 cumecs at Klondyke, water cold, slightly discoloured and swift. Grade 2+.
Weather Conditions: Sunny and warm with nor-west winds.
Number on Trip: 9 on grade 2 section, 3 on the grade 4 section.
Time on River: 3 hours
Comments: As no trip leader had volunteered and it looked like the trip was going to be changed to a Hurunui trip, I stepped in as trip leader. Everyone arrived promptly at the Caltex in Hornby and we divided up into four cars before realising that there were only three paddlers doing the grade 4 section and thus only three potential shuttle drivers. We quickly reassigned people and compressed down to three cars before heading off at 8:20am. It’s a long drive to the Rangitata but the roads are good and the trip takes around two hours. After a brief hunt for public toilets that weren’t locked, we arrived at the Rangitata Rafts and the grade 4 group drove to the gorge put in with a shuttle driver, while the rest of us got changed and enjoyed the sunshine. Once the vehicle arrived back, we drove down the Klondyke put in and were soon on the water.

Launching at Klondyke

The water was pretty swift and covered most of the boulders in the rapids, forming plenty of small holes to surf as you made your way down. There were also plenty of nice wave trains to bounce down. It was great to be out on the river on such a beautiful day, though at first I thought I was possibly wearing too many layers and ended up working up quite a sweat, until the chilly Rangitata waters cooled me down.

Prasasta smiles while she surfs

About half way down, some boulder groynes, which had been built to reduce erosion of the river left bank, formed some nice features the play on and we spent some time enjoying them. Everyone had a bit of a go and there were no dramas and everyone stayed in their boats and generally upright.

Jim surfing 

Natasha surfing

We had a brief stop a little bit further down and while the others stretched their legs, I stayed in my boat and had a bit of a surf on a couple on nice little holes, before joining them for a bite to eat. A little further on, we came upon a particularly nice wave to surf and a queue formed, with everyone waiting their turn to try some moves. It reminded me of my early days with the club when play-boating was all the rage. Mainly just surfing today (no Space Godzilla’s here) but there were some good rides to be had and everyone really had a lot of fun.

With all the surfing and eddy hopping I was feeling a bit worn out by the time the Red Shed that marked the get out, came into view. The last rapid was a lot of fun, a long, bouncy set of wave trains with some nice surfable waves, some of which were quite big, it was a nice way to finish the trip. We had a good day on the river, no swims and everybody made their rolls. Our vehicles were waiting at the get out and then we drove to the Peel Forest Cafe for the drink and a catch up with the grade 4 paddlers. Debbie B had driven up from Geraldine hoping to catch the group before we got on the river, but unfortunately arrived a little late for a paddle but still managed a drink and a chat. The grade 4 guys had no dramas and we swapped stories in the bar before driving back to Christchurch, feeling tired but satisfied.

The final fling before the get out

Date:    5/10/14
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:   42 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2+(3), water clear.
Weather Conditions:   Cold, strong gusty NW winds.
Number on Trip:    9 (6 doing Maori Gully) kayakers.
Time on River:  3 hours.
Comments:   The official club trip for the weekend and it was off to the Hurunui. The weather looked ok despite the promise of strong winds in the afternoon. The wind was already blowing hard and cold, straight off the snow clad mountains, when we got there. A double shuttle was required as Matt and Tori just planned to do Gully runs while the rest of us paddled down from Jollie Brook. This time we put in at the camping area, rather than at the swing bridge and thus got to run the entire Jollie Brook rapid, which was pretty bouncy with 42 cumecs. The water was icy cold and I once again appreciated my new gear and the additional polar fleece layer under my dry top.

Murray breaks out of an eddy, snowy mountains in the background

We had a strong group and spent a reasonable amount of time catching eddies and playing. On the long straight below Jollie Brook, we noticed a lone kayaker behind us and assumed it was a member from another group as all our paddlers were accounted for. So it was somewhat of a surprise to have Tori catch up with us after just a single Gully run, Matt having decided to head back to town due to the strong winds and other commitments. We carried on down to Devil’s Fang Falls, which we’d looked at on the way up. It had seemed ok, with a clear path down the right hand side and I watched the others disappear from view over the horizon line, without any apparent dramas. On my turn, I slid down the tongue, smiled for John H, who has on the bank with his camera, braced at the bottom as I crossed the positively effervescent waters around base of the drop and joined the others. Ian had tipped in the foam and hadn’t been able to roll up right and had then swum, plus others had rolled too. So much for no dramas and after a short pause we carried on to Seawards, in to a strengthening and increasingly unpleasant wind.

Tori at the Magic Roundabout

Two of the group got out at Seawards to run the shuttle and after a snack and a stretch of the legs for some, it was off into Maori Gully with a now gale force wind at our backs. There was a brief play at the Magic Roundabout, but I chose not to join the fun due to the wind, the cold and the boisterous flow, then past Simon’s hole where one of the guy who hadn’t paddled the Hurunui before, casually boofed the hole before paddling hard to escape its’ clutches. The two boulder gardens slid by, then down the Elevator and on to Cheese Grater, which at this flow was a smooth chute with several large standing waves at the end. The corner rapid was pretty big too.

Playing on the wave at the end of the Corner Rapid

A brief play at the Pop Up Spot for some and then down to the get out, with a dry head and dry feet, just the way I like it. My kayak was still nice and dry inside when Jim helped me out and even the climb up the hill didn’t seem so bad. It was nice to get in to dry clothes and out of the wind (which did provide the bonus of keeping the sand flies away). Drove back to town via a beer at Brew Moon, feeling somewhat tired after a busy weekend of paddling.