Mohaka TeHoe (III)

This is a half day run through a scenic gorge. The Te Hoe can hit Class III+ in higher flows. At low flows it’s technical boulder gardens with most (but not all) harder rapids being portageable.

By Road

To get to the put-in drive down Waitara road about 8km to Glenfalls. From Glenfalls continue 5km to Auroa Road on the left and descend through the pines to Bridget’s Clearing.

To get to the take-out continue down Waitara road 16km from Glenfalls and turn left (downhill). Pohakura road is a public road (once private but gazetted in 2006) and continues a further 8km to Te Kooti Bridge. There is a nice access on river right.

On the Water
The “Te Hoe Grade 3” section from Everetts to Te Kooti Bridge is 19km. Allow about 5 hours, more if you are going to portage the bigger rapids or run laps on them.

The river picks up in intensity over the course of this run. It starts as Class II and builds with most of the bigger rapids in the second half of the trip. Many of the rapids are formed by bigger blocks of sandstone possibly set loose in the 1930 Napier quake or previous landslide events.

The first chunky Class III

There are about a half a dozen II+ to III rapids and the crux, the Te Hoe drop, should not be underestimated. It is Class III+ and can go Class IV at high flows. A rafter was pinned under a rock on the Te Hoe in 2010 and drowned. It is quite continuous but is easily portaged river right.

Upper section of Te Hoe Rapid
Te Hoe bottom half with big pile up in the left of the photo

Titanosaurid dinosaur bones have been found in the Mohaka catchment – so geek out on the sedimentary geology and “crack a concretion”.

Most of the Class III rapids have a safe run out and all can be portaged.


The river opens out for a few km and the takeout is on river right at the first bridge. Do get out – the Class V section is below this.

Take-out Te Kooti Bridge

Gauge

Click here for the Gauge


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