A beautiful and relatively easy West Coast River. Great for a cruisey day’s paddling, between hitting the Arawhata and Waiatoto. š 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…
Tag: Roadside
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…
Matakitaki River – roadside runs (II/II+ to III+/IV)
The Matakitaki is one of the larger Buller tributaries. The “middle run” especially is a popular short kayak run due to itās proximity to Murchison, quality paddling and roadside access. There’s so many roadside options on the Matakitaki, that you can pick and choose your own adventure. Thanks to Martin Robertson for the original info…
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 āSource of the Bullerā run begins at Lake Rotoitiās 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…
Tongariro Access 10 Run (III)
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…
Akatarawa River (II)
The Akatarawa River is a great little after work run 40 minutes drive out of Wellington. It has a single named rapid āThe Wallā that can be challenging but is easily portaged. Itās a small catchment and accordingly takes some rain to get going. It can be a good default rain run if the Hutt…
Maruia River below Maruia Falls (II/II+)
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…
Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt River) – Twin Lakes to Moonshine Bridge (I/II)
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.Ā Thanks to Martin Robertson for the information and pictures. ļ»æ View Larger Topographic Map Te Awa KairangiĀ …
Lower Hurunui: Mandamus river to SH7 bridge (I)
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)…
Rees River (II/III) from Muddy Creek to McDougals Creek
A great little roadside run in a beautiful beech lined valley. There’s a few pool drop Class III rapids at the beginning, followed by a fun and bouncy trip on pretty continuous class II. The initial rapids can be easily portaged. Thanks to Huw Miles for the information. Photo credits to Huw Miles www.packraftingqueenstown.com: Julian…
Otaki River (II) Forks to Kaitawa Rd bridge
This is a lovely introductory trip in a scenic gorge with road access to put-in and take-out. Popular with kayakers, rafter and tubers, itās a great trip, but even though the road isnāt far away, the gorge walls mean that its not easy to escape once youāve started. Thanks to Martin Robertson and Carol Exton…
Moeraki River (I/II) from Boulder Creek to the ocean
Unlike the section above Haast-Paringa Cattle Track, the lower Moeraki is a very gentle paddle. This trip involves travel through the river, a lake, a bush bash (or coastal walk at low tide)to a penguin colony, then back to the road via an excellent track. The coastal walk section is very subject to tide and…
Lewis River (III) from Deer Valley
One of a series of āteaserā trip pages for those heading to the 2017 NZ Packrafting Meetup. Thanks to Hugh Canard for the information. Iām hopeful that the Meetup will result in a little more info plus a few photos so we can expand these pages. View Larger Topographic Map Lewis River (III) from Deer…
Lower Hope – middle Waiau (I/II) from Hope Bridge to Handyside stream
One of a series of āteaserā trip pages for those heading to the 2018 NZ Packrafting Meetup. Thanks to Hugh Canard for the information. Iām hopeful that the Meetup will result in a little more info plus a few photos so we can expand these pages. View Larger Topographic Map Lower Hope ā Middle Waiau…
Boyle River (II+) from Boyle Village to Windy Point
One of a series of āteaserā trip pages for those heading to the 2017 NZ Packrafting Meetup. Thanks to Hugh Canard for the information. Iām hopeful that the Meetup will result in a little more info plus a few photos so we can expand these pages. View Larger Topographic Map Boyle River (II+) from Boyle…
Pelorus River (II/III) from Roebuck Hut to Pelorus Bridge
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…
Ahuriri River (I-II) from Watson Creek
The upper section needs a bit of rain to be worth a trip, but itās a beautiful valley and a very mellow paddle. Depending on your enthusiasm, time and objectives, you could visit the Ahuriri for a day trip, a short shuttle run, or a long float all the way to Omarama. View Larger Topographic…
Eglinton River West Branch – upper section: Cascade Creek to Mistake Creek (II/III)
Great roadside run in Fiordland, but watch for strainers! Solid grade III skills needed.