Date:   7/04/19
River:    Hurunui River, North Canterbury, NZ
River Conditions:  31 Cumecs at Mandamus. Grade 2 – 3, water swift & clear.
Weather Conditions: Rainy & cold, with south easterly winds.
Number on Trip:  9 kayakers (4 doing Maori Gully).
Time on River:  3 hours
Comments:  I had been wanting to test out my new Eskimo Salto for some time (I actually bought in around Christmas but it took quite a while to get it to Christchurch) but one thing or another meant that I hadn’t been able to get it out on the river. So when it looked like the possibility of a trip to Hurunui, I was keen to get out despite the less than promising weather forecast. The end of daylight savings meant that I got a little bit of a sleep in, much to the disappointment of our cat, who hadn’t adjusted her watch. It was spitting slightly as I left home and was raining lightly when I arrived at the Belfast Tavern, during the drive I considered turning back as a relaxing day in a nice warm house seemed like an attractive alternative to spend the day being cold and wet. Still there was a small group already waiting in the car park and everyone seemed keen, so boats went on roof racks and we were soon on our way. A brief stop in Waikari for a fuel up of hot pies to keep us going on a cold day and on to the Maori Gully take out. We’d hoped that the weather would clear but as we crossed the saddle, the Hurunui Valley was misty with a light rain falling. We got changed into our kayaking gear and discussed our trip plans, deciding to paddle down from Jollie Brook with some of the group getting out at Seawards and the remainder doing Maori Gully, part of the group decided to just run Maori Gully.

After getting changed, we headed off towards Jollie Brook and were nearly at Dozy Stream, when there was a sudden thump as Cody clipped a large rock jutting out from the ground on a corner. The impact punctured both the left hand tyres and damaged the rims. We pulled in to a safe place and surveyed the damage. Now one puncture is annoying but two is a problem because generally people don’t carry two spare tyres. Dave walked back to Seawards to get a lift up to Jollie Brook to get the space saver wheel from Matt, who had the same vehicle as Cody. Cody set about changing the tyres and then we stood around in the rain. Funnily none of the vehicles (a lot of 4×4) that passed us while we were waiting, stood to see if they help, no windows were wound down to ask if we were OK, so much for the traditional Kiwi helpful spirit. Around this time I realised that I’d left my camera in my pack so there would be no photos of our predicament or our adventures on the river. Eventually Dave returned and we fitted the extra space saver wheel and were off again.

The Jollie Brook put in was crowded with the UCCC holding their beginners day on the river, with over 30 paddlers hanging around and sorting out their gear. We got on the river as soon as possible to avoid the pack that was soon to follow. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the Salto, as I’d never paddled one before, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Salto, with its rounder hull wasn’t quite as stable as the Blitz but it did seem to be pretty nimble and I was soon cutting in and out of eddies and surfing on the various small holes around Jollie Brook. I had been worried that the Salto wouldn’t be as much fun to paddle as the Blitz, but working my way down the boulder gardens below Jollie Brook, I had plenty of opportunity to surf as I worked my way down the rapids, having plenty of fun. The Salto seemed to surf nicely, though of course not quite as well as the Blitz with its planar hull and slicey ends. I was very pleased with the latest addition to my fleet.

I enjoyed the section from Jollie Brook to South Branch, there are some nice gorges and rapids and it was fun to see how the new boat handled them. From South Branch the river opens out a bit and it tends to be a bit cruisier, also by this stage my lack of fitness was making its presence felt so I took it relatively easy. As always when we approach Dozy Stream, thoughts turn towards Devil’s Fang Falls and since we hadn’t stopped for a look, it meant having to boat scout it. I watched Matt run it so I could check on his line and then watched Tori do it, before I lined up on the right side and went for it. The Salto pushed through the waves at the top of the rapid and easily followed the tongue down the drop and glided effortless across the foamy mass at the bottom, no worries. Pulled into the eddy at the bottom and watched the others come down without any issues, really missed my camera at this point.

We regrouped and headed on down the river to the play spot just below the Dozy Stream put in. The wave was pretty big and people were keen to have a bit of a surf. I cut across into the eddy on the far side and then waited for my turn. Once the wave cleared, I moved out to get on the wave, had a wee surf and broke out (or got washed off) and then next thing I know I’m over and upside down. I attempted to roll but it didn’t work, so instead of hanging on and trying again, I pulled the tab and bailed out, my first swim out of my new boat. As I kicked my way towards shore towing my boat and paddle, I decided I should probably do some practice rolls at some stage. Emptying the boat was pretty hard as I was quite knackered but eventually I managed to muster the strength to tip it over and watched the water pour out as I gathered my breath. Back in the boat, I refueled with a muesli bar and watch the other dramas as another paddler had got stuck in the eddy by the bluff and was out of his boat. This all got sorted out and we were underway again, but I was feeling pretty spent.

Eventually we made it down to Seawards and being as I was pretty exhausted and a little cold, I decided that was far enough for me. I’d had a good day out and had enjoyed paddling my new boat, but I couldn’t really face having to carry it up the hill from the Maori Gully take out.

After we’d got changed into our dry gear and the drivers headed off to pick up the vehicles from Jollie Brook. I was reunited with my camera and so took the opportunity to capture a few pictures, while we waited in the light rain. A little while later, the large group of UCCC paddlers we had seen at Jollie Brook arrived , with some getting out while the rest ran Maori Gully.

Once the vehicles returned it was off down to the Maori Gully take out to await the rest of the group.

Eventually the rest of our group appeared in the distance and made their way down to the take out, with the UCCC paddlers not far behind.

The water looked almost inviting and the misty rain gave the hills an almost magical look, but I was glad I didn’t have to carry a boat up the steps.

After getting back to the car and loading the rest of the gear, we drove slowly back to town with the space saver wheels limiting us to 80km/h. We had a brief “comfort” stop in Amberley at the Brew Moon, where a warm fire and a glass of cider provided plenty of comfort after a long cold day. From there it was back to Belfast and then home. I’ll probably keep the Salto around home over winter and see if I can get a bit more practice in it and then roll out the Blitz when the weather gets a bit warmer again.