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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)…
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…
Waikato, 2 Day, Through trip.
The Waipakihi River drains the Kaimanawa Ranges on the eastern side of the desert road. Where it leaves the mountains it becomes the Tongariro River. It is a picturesque river valley through beech forest. It has insufficient flow through the warmer months and can only be run after rainfall. View Larger Topographic Map Private land…
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…
Manawatu-Wanganui, 2 Day, Through trip.
This trip explores 36km of the seldom-paddled upper reaches of the mighty Whanganui River, which stretches from its beginnings on the flanks of Mt Tongariro, to the mouth near Whanganui, 290km away. Most people have floated down the spectacular sections below Taumarunui, but we were interested in exploring the upstream section where it flows through…
West Coast, 2 Day, Out and back.
A relatively straight-forward out and back weekend trip to a beautiful braided river beneath Mt Hooker. Best after rain, or during the spring melt. View Larger Topographic Map Logistics and (potential) shuttle There are a couple of ways to start and end the trip. No shuttle: Park your vehicles on the southern side of Clarke…
Wellington, 1 Day, 2 Day, Car to car.
As it descends through the Tararua Ranges, the Waiohine River has a number of sections of interest to Packrafters. The Upper Gorge (above Mid Waiohine Hut), Middle Gorge (Mid Waiohine Hut to Totara Flats Hut) and the Lower Gorge (Totara Flats Hut to Gorge Road). The lower Gorge of the Waiohine is a typical scenic…
Bay of Plenty, 2 Day, Loop trip.
The Whirinaki River is a one of the main rivers draining Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Forest Park around 1 hour east of Rotorua. It is fed by a watershed the extends south and east from the Galatea plains past Minginui and into the forest park. With amazing bush, easy access at a number of points and…
Canterbury, 2 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
The Waimakariri Gorge is a great Grade 2 overnight trip or long day-trip covering 50 to 60 kms or river, accessible by car at both ends. Being so close to the outdoor recreation focussed population centre of Christchurch, this section of river will probably become one of the most commonly pack-rafted trips in New Zealand….
Canterbury, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back.
Another lovely river in the Lewis Pass region. An extended but beautiful and straightforward walk in through beech forest and river flats to the comfortable, quaint St Jacob’s hut. The paddle out down the Hope river is an enjoyable mixture of open river flats with a fun gravel races and some interesting class II+ boulder…
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, Through trip.
A short scenic float through a huge limestone gorge, this could be the last section of a trip on the Inland Packtrack, or a short out and back from Punakaiki. Thanks to Elias Love for the photos and info. View Larger Topographic Map Pororari River Track Its about 1hr up the track to the swingbridge…
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back.
Big water II+ for solid beginners and intermediates. A classic day or overnight trip on the west coast.
Wellington, 2 Day, Loop trip.
Historically, a classic Wellington region kayak run, it doesn’t get done very often due to the tricky flows needed and tough access. At the right flow, it’s a much more accessible packrafting trip, through a very scenic and wild gorge in the heart of the Tararuas. The trip is normally done over two days, by…
Tasman, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back.
An out and back day mission to a challenging river in Kahurangi National Park. Thanks to Aaron Reimer for permission to use his trip report as a basis for this trip page. Aaron thinks there are options to extend the trip upstream (with harder rapids than this section) and downstream (more mellow rapids) of this…
Canterbury, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back.
There are 3 rivers that run parallel on the western side of the Lewis River. The Doubtful River is not the most scenic, or the most exciting, but it does have whio and potential in higher water. Thanks to Colin Kinnison for the information and photos for this trip page. View Larger Topographic Map SH7…
Tasman, 2 Day, 3 Day, Out and back.
Thanks to Michael Batchelor for the information and photos to make up this trip page. View Larger Topographic Map D’Urville Hut to Morgan’s Hut The quickest option is to arrange a boat transfer in advance with Lake Rotoroa Water Taxi . They run on demand trips from Rotoroa Village to the head of the lake….
Otago, 2 Day, Out and back.
An out and back overnight (or long day) trip to a beautiful valley. This trip benefits from a 4WD and bit of rain, in normal flows you’d probably be scraping or walking rather than floating. Beautiful backdrop to an interesting paddle. Thanks to Dan Clearwater for the information and photos. View Larger Topographic Map Walk…
Marlborough, 1 Day, 2 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
A classic intermediate overnighter, with decent tracks, huts and gorgeous gorges. There’s heaps of ways to enjoy the Pelorus, from grade I day trips to weekend grade III through trips. With a little imagination, the choice is yours! Thanks to Bryan Moore for the trip updates. Feature image is credit to Dulkara Martig Collection. View…
Southland, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back.
Needs a fair bit of rain to make this paddleable, but this is Fiordland so you shouldn’t need to wait long… Options of a stay in a Rock Bivvy, or the North Borland Hut could turn this into an overnighter. Thanks to Jesse Friedlander for the information. View Larger Topographic Map Borland Tracks to the…
Otago, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back.
Apart from a very short and easily portaged gorge halfway down, the South Temple below the hut provides fast and consistent paddling through boulder gardens. This sweet section of stream needs a bit of rain to bring it into condition for paddling, otherwise it is just too bony to float. There are a few options…