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.