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.