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Tasman, 1 Day, Roadside.
The Buller river is one of New Zealand’s mightiest rivers. From it’s source in the Nelson Lakes to the wild West Coast at Westport it’s a spectacular beast. From the Lake it has a lovely short bouldery run across the terminal moraine that retains the Lake. It then becomes a slightly braided river for some…
Tasman, 1 Day, Park and play, Roadside.
This is a delightful run that exits lake Rotoiti for a short placid reach and then takes off through a series of boulder garden rapids amidst beech forest and manuka. The “Source of the Buller” run begins at Lake Rotoiti’s outlet on West Bay Road and continues past the main road bridge on SH63 all…
Otago, 1 Day, Car to car, Out and back.
A short, sweet run with some technical paddling. Easy portages
Marlborough, 1 Day, 2 Day, Roadside.
A real gem of a river that only Blenheim paddlers seem to know about. The Wairau River is the largest river in Marlborough. It drains an area that is in a rain shadow, so it’s best in spring with snow melt. In higher flows the Wairau could be run as one continuous paddle from Hell’s…
Wellington, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back, Through trip.
5hrs to 2 Days
Rain run
Options for through trips or out and back
Wairarapa, North Island
Manawatu-Wanganui, 1 Day, Car to car.
The Whangaehu is a great river with the unique feature of draining the Crater Lake on Mt Ruapehu. It’s not one to take a swim in as the water is acidic! But take some fresh drinking water and enjoy the continuous rapids. There are two sections described on this site: View Larger Topographic Map It’s…
Manawatu-Wanganui, 1 Day, Park and play.
The Mangahao Slalom Course is a short stretch of artificial Class III water that can be run over and over all day. It’s Parkrafting at its best; just park and play. The catch is they only run the powerhouse and spill water into the Mangaore Stream during times of high electricity demand or excess rainfall….
Waikato, 1 Day, Roadside.
Trip Overview Access 13, or the Pillars of Hercules Run, is a very scenic run that can be scratched through at residual flows in a packraft. It is generally only kayaked on scheduled release days. The tracks in and out are tricky. Above this run is the deadly Tree Trunk Gorge and below it another…
Waikato, 1 Day, Roadside.
Trip Overview Access 10 is one of the premier roadside runs in the North Island. It has a reliable year-round flow of about 16m3 and a number of schedule release days where it is allowed to flow at what would be its normal flow of 30m3 or more. Link it up with the upstream Access…
Wellington, 1 Day, Roadside.
The Akatarawa River is a great little after work run 40 minutes drive out of Wellington. It has a single named rapid “The Wall” that can be challenging but is easily portaged. It’s a small catchment and accordingly takes some rain to get going. It can be a good default rain run if the Hutt…
West Coast, 1 Day, Out and back.
It’s not everyday you get to raft the Nile! A trip to do when all rivers in the area in high as the Nile need a bit more flow. Another amazing limestone gorge, full bush, running clear, even when high. Nice limestone rock formations. Thanks to Martin Wilson for the info. If you have any…
Otago, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back.
A stunning paddle with magnificent views of the Humboldt and Ailsa Mountain ranges along with beautiful sections of exquisite South Island crystal clear pools in majestic gorges with beech lined forest. There’s plenty of straightforward paddling, plus a few very serious and completely committing gorges. The gorges are either impassable (due to log jams)…
Tasman, 1 Day, Roadside.
This is a fun roadside run that starts at Maruia Falls and ends 1 km before the confluence with the Buller River. Starting at the falls is exhilarating, but the rapids are generally straightforward. The run only takes a few hours, at just over 10km. View Larger Topographic Map Logistics Take out: Make sure to…
Canterbury, 1 Day, Loop trip.
An easily accessible and short Canterbury float with reliable flows and a big water feel. Beautiful water and views and a great enjoyment-to-energy expenditure ratio. Best during weekdays to avoid large amounts of jet boat traffic. (please take a look at our general advice about Jetboats and packrafts) View Larger Topographic Map Logistics Park just…
Manawatu-Wanganui, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
This is a scenic Class II run in a river that always has enough flow for a paddle. It is a great learners trip with eddies and play waves and an excellent camp ground at the take out. It feels more remote than it is due to the nature of the gorge. It’s best to…
Southland, 1 Day, 2 Day, Car to car.
There is a long section of easy and scenic packrafting to be enjoyed in this valley, using State Highway 94 to access the river at many points. You can pick and choose which sections you do, as half-day, long day or overnight trips using one of the many car-accessible DOC campgrounds along the highway. Below…
Wellington, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back, Through trip.
The Tauherenikau river flows from Mount Hector in the Taruara ranges to Lake Wairarapa. It drains the area of the Tararua ranges between the Waiohine River and the Hutt River. As the Tauherenikau exits the range, it flows through a stunning gorge. It is the smallest of the three rivers draining the Southern Tararua ranges. As…
Southland, 1 Day, Out and back.
This is a scenic trip only 20 minutes from Dunedin, taking in the final part of the Lower Taieri run in the Whitewater New Zealand Guide. The run described here misses the grade III section above Lee Stream, and is a good trip for Dunedinites wanting to practice on some grade II rapids. Could be…
Wellington, 1 Day, Roadside.
Once the Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt) River emerges from the Tararua Ranges, it is a mostly braided, gentle paddle that is suitable for beginners. There are two commonly run sections which run alongside the roads of Upper Hutt. Thanks to Martin Robertson for the information and pictures. View Larger Topographic Map Te Awa Kairangi …
Wellington, 1 Day, Car to car, Loop trip.
The gorge of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River is a spectacular trip through native forest with a real wilderness feel. It is well known by local paddlers, as it is the closest class III water to Wellington (one hour) and has road access with a short shuttle. Te Awakairangi / Hutt River supplies Wellington with much…