1-3 day options, scenic gorges and mostly easy paddling.
Tag: Roadside
Grebe River (II/III/IV)
Something for everyone on this scenic and fairly remote roadside run in central Fiordland
Awatere River (II/II+ & III)
Running parallel to the mighty Waiau-Toa / Clarence River, the Awatere River gives you some of same classic feel of big views, dry country and moderate whitewater in a smaller package The Awatere drains the western side of the Inland Kaikoura Range and a variety of smaller ranges on the north side of the river….
Moonlight Creek (I/II/III/IV)
Something for everyone on this small west coast creek. An amazing day trip near Greymouth
Takaka River (II or III) powerhouse to the bridge
This is a roadside run, which is dam controlled and very popular with all paddlers. Access Leave a car (or bikes) at the new road bridge on the Cobb valley road and drive up to the power station. Easiest to get in on the left fork assuming the turbines are all running. View Larger Topographic…
Aorere River (II) Salisbury Falls Gorge
The crystal clear Aorere cuts through the epic rock gorge at Salisbury falls, which is Takaka’s biggest and busiest swimming hole. The gorge itself runs for a few km each side of the tourist area and in low flows is an easy and spectacular trip, suitable for confident beginners. This is a short and sweet…
Glenroy River (IV)
The Glenroy is a technical, short sharp introduction to Class 4 creeking. It can be packrafted at flows lower than recommended for kayaks. It has lots of rocks and pin /wrap hazards at low flow so be wary. Once you are in the gorge there is only one way out! The put in is the…
Upper Nevis River (I/III)
Roadside grade III in Otago Highcountry, with two day’s worth of paddling, hiking and biking on offer.
Needs rain to be runnable.
Shotover River, upstream of Arthurs Point II+ to IV (P)
A classic Otago run, with options for road, foot and heli access, and trips from 1 to 5 days in length.
Rangitaiki: Aniwhenua run(II)
The Rangitaiki is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty. The Aniwhenua is a great beginner trip, or just a cool spot to play around with some good mates. There are quite a few surf waves and eddy lines to practice up your skills on. Many kayak clubs use this as a skills building…
Taruarau (IV)
The Taruarau River is a tributary of the Ngaruroro River it has a very steep and tricky gorge below the Napier Taihape Road. It is only runnable through winter and early spring or after rain. It has a great Class III+ – IV section known as the Hot Springs gorge, The run is very highly…
Arahura River (sections from V to II)
One of the most sought after and enjoyed runs in New Zealand: high quality, high difficulty paddling, Near Lake Kaniere, on the West Coast.
Middle Hurunui River: Maori Gully (III)
Hurunui River overview The Hurunui is the most important River in Canterbury for paddlers. It has navigable flows all year round and offers a good variety of whitewater runs. From Lake Sumner down, there are a variety of runs, catering for all types of paddlers. Upper Hurunui (described as one run) Lake to Sisters (I/II)…
Mohaka Farm / McVicars to Glenfalls (I/II) to Everetts (II)
A great introduction to packrafting can be had by camping at Mohaka River Farms or Glenfalls on the Napier Taupo Road (SH5) and running the easy Class I /II sections. On the subsequent days the Glenfalls to Everetts run steps up the difficulty to Class II. It’s got a consistent flow right through the year…
Jackson River (I/II)
A beautiful and relatively easy West Coast River. Great for a cruisey day’s paddling, between hitting the Arawhata and Waiatoto. 😉 The Jackson would make a great and easy bike raft trip or of course you can hike, hitch (if you’re lucky!) or car to car paddle. It has a great side trip up to…
Matiri River (II+/III)
The Matiri is known as an epic kayak run when it’s in flood. More than any other river in the Murchison area, the Matiri’s character varies with flow. For packrafting, it’s a nice run at lower flows. From the end of the road you can walk several kilometres up the track towards the lake and determine…
Upper/ Mid Matakitaki (II)
The Matakitaki is one of the larger Buller tributaries. It is a popular kayak run due to it’s proximity to Murchison. There are three runs. The Lower Matakitaki, not covered here, is a portage for Packrafters (tales of broken limbs and kayak pins abound). The Mid Matakitaki is a short run that has a number…
Buller River (II/III) Source to Murchison and Beyond (III/IV)
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…
Source of the Buller II+ / III
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…
Tongariro Pillars of Hercules (III)
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…