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 (usual 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.