West Coast, 6 Day, Through trip.
A multi-day trip packed with exciting whitewater, dramatic landscapes and strenuous tramping, the Landsborough provides an unforgettable South Westland wilderness adventure for advanced packrafters.
Tag: Through trip
Waihohonu SH1 to Rangipo Road (IV) or (III+ with portage)
Waikato, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
The Waihohonu has been paddled from well above the road, but this short section between roads provides a good flavour of the river. Waihohonu between the SH1 (Desert Rd) is a short and sharp gorge trip through to Rangipo Road . There are two sections that are portages for most paddlers – be well acquainted…
Kaituna Below Smokey Falls (III)
Bay of Plenty, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
The lower Kaituna gorge is an exciting run in a scenic gorge through jointed ignimbrite which is deeply incised to form a narrow chasm. It is a lower grade than the upstream gorges (none of those are Packraft friendly). This run is pushy and relentless! It is for experienced groups where everyone is capable of…
Waiari Stream IV (III+P)
Bay of Plenty, 1 Day, Through trip.
The Waiari stream is a hidden gem in the Bay of Plenty. It is a must-do run with numerous boofs and crystal clear water. As a bonus it’s a spring fed creek that has a consistent flow year round. It is a typical Taupo Volcanic Zone ignimbrite gorge. The Shuttle Organise access with Kaimai Canoe…
Dobson River (I/II) via Jamieson Saddle to Lake Ohau
Canterbury, 3 Day, 4 Day, Through trip.
3-4 Day through trip.
MacKenzie Basin/Canterbury
Whakapapa below Owhango (III) or (II+ with portages)
Manawatu-Wanganui, 1 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
The lower Whakapapa is an underrated gem, overshadowed by the awesomeness of the upstream reach. It is well worth a look. Below Owhango 42 Traverse Bridge there are a few hours of II+ to Kakahi and then a few more hours Class II on the Whanganui down to Pariaka. Shuttle Put-in The Put-in is at…
North Branch Ashburton River (II)
Canterbury, 2 Day, Through trip.
A great overnight through trip, with continuous wave trains and fun paddling.
Taieri River (I/III) – The Rock and Pillar Run
Otago, 1 Day, 2 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
1-3 day options, scenic gorges and mostly easy paddling.
Grebe River (II/III/IV)
Southland, 1 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
Something for everyone on this scenic and fairly remote roadside run in central Fiordland
Shotover River (II-) Arthurs Point to Tuckers beach
Otago, 1 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
An couple of hours car to car, through the canyons and gentle rapids of the Shotover. From Arthurs Point, near Queenstown
Cascade River (II/III)
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Out and back, Through trip.
Challenging approaches to Intermediate paddling on a remote an scenic Westland River
Polnoon Burn (IV) or (III with portages)
Otago, 2 Day, 3 Day, Through trip.
Steep creeking in the Shotover River headwaters. 2-3 days, Otago.
Whakapapa (III/IV) SH47 to Owhango
Manawatu-Wanganui, 1 Day, 2 Day, Through trip.
This section of the Whakapapa is renowned with kayakers for its annual releases. Release flows allow a kayak day trip. It is a gem of a packraft trip at much lower flows but is much slower and is best done as an overnighter. There are options to enjoy more good paddling past Owhango, down as…
Mokihinui (III+/IV)
West Coast, 1 Day, Out and back, Through trip.
The Mokihinui is a brilliant packraft trip. You can walk in from the west, stay a night and paddle out. You can head in from the Buller end by bike or foot on the Old Ghost Road, then hop on the river where your skills dictate.
Wairaurahiri River (II+)
Southland, 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Loop trip, Out and back, Through trip.
2-5 day options | Fiordland
A classic moderate packrafting trip.
Aorere River (II) Salisbury Falls Gorge
Tasman, 1 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
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)
Tasman, 1 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
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…
Maruia River (II+) Boundary Road to Shenandoah Stream
West Coast, 1 Day, 2 Day, Through trip.
The Maruia is a very pleasant and scenic float that is mostly Class II. There is a Class III rapid in the middle of the run and there are a few Class II+ depending on flow. It’s an easy run as anything above Class II is easily portaged. You don’t need 2 days to complete…
Hunter River (II-)
Otago, 4 Day, Through trip.
2 days hike, 1-2 days paddle.
Remote and scenic headwaters, in a seldom visited valley | Otago.
Waiatoto River (III/IV) via the Wilkin
West Coast, 5 Day, Through trip.
5 Days | Camping | Wilderness Area
Challenging through trip into the Olivine Wilderness Area
The Rangitikei Canyon (II/II+) River Valley Lodge to Vinegar Hill
Manawatu-Wanganui, 2 Day, 3 Day, 4 Day, Through trip.
The headwaters of the Rangitikei run through the Kaimanawa Range, offering a classic and challenging wilderness multiday trip. A while after crossing State Highway 5 (The Napier-Taihape road) there is a short, sharp class V gorge that ends at River Valley Lodge. The “Rangitikei Canyon” begins here, and offers a very scenic 2-4 day…
Waingaro River (IV) Forks Hut to Paynes Ford
Tasman, 2 Day, Through trip.
The Waingaro in Golden bay has been run mostly as a heli- kayak trip from the forks hut but it’s probably only been run 10-15 times in total, it is definitely an exploratory type adventure run. For advanced packrafters, I’d suggest that it is bucket list material: incredibly spectacular country, prolific Whio numbers and over…
Broken River (II/III) with portages
Canterbury, 1 Day, 2 Day, 3 Day, Through trip.
Curious geology is the highlight of this run: that and the caves, gorges and fence hazards. Information on the Porter River (II with mandatory portage) is included at the end of this page as it looks like an enticing ‘no walk’ option. However, there are fences, nasty sieves and a mandatory portage. View Larger Topographic…
Shotover River, upstream of Arthurs Point II+ to IV (P)
Otago, 1 Day, 2 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Out and back, Roadside, Through trip.
A classic Otago run, with options for road, foot and heli access, and trips from 1 to 5 days in length.
Raukokore River (II)
Bay of Plenty, 1 Day, 2 Day, Bikeraft, Through trip.
The Raukokore from Te Kumi Station is a pleasant Grade I-II trip in the East Cape Raukumara Ranges with a wilderness feel. It can be done in a long day or split over two. Description and photos Stu Bilby. View Larger Topographic Map Put in Put in on the Waikura River on Te Kumi Road….
Motu (III+/ IV)
Bay of Plenty, 4 Day, 5 Day, Through trip.
This wild and remote epic through East Cape country is one of the top multi-day Packrafting trips in the North Island. It flows through spectacular dense forest and gorgy scenery. It is a popular rafting trip particularly with hunters who also utilise jet boats for access. The Motu River is the premier whitewater wilderness trip in…
Taruarau (IV)
Hawkes Bay, 2 Day, Roadside, Through trip.
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…
Thomas River (III & IV/V P) via Mataketake tops
West Coast, 2 Day, 3 Day, Out and back, Through trip.
Haast area, West Coast
3 day through trip with good huts, tops, bush bashing and challenging paddling.
Mohaka River (III) “Te Hoe”
Hawkes Bay, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
Mohaka River (III) “Te Hoe” The Mohaka “Te Hoe” section from Bridget’s Clearing to the bridge just above the Te Hoe River confluence is 19km. Allow about 5 hours on the water, more if you are going to portage the bigger rapids or run laps on them. This run is through a scenic gorge, can…
Mohaka River (I/II) “Beginner’s run”
Hawkes Bay, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
Mohaka River (I/II) “Beginner’s run” A great introduction to packrafting can be had by camping near the Napier Taupo Road (SH5) bridge and running the road-accessible sections nearby. Camping options Mohaka River Farm, is a fantastic place to stay. It has A-frame cabins, a bunk room and lots of campsites. There’s also a small conference…
Okarito River (II/III)
West Coast, 1 Day, Car to car, Through trip.
West coast.
A car to car trip with a variety of paddling, from lake, to easy river to class III rapids to esturary!
Very scenic paddle.
Windley River (III)
Southland, 2 Day, Through trip.
A classic packrafting trip; an excellent approach over the tops, followed by clean, challenging paddling through bedrock gorges.
Dingle Burn (III+)
Otago, 2 Day, Through trip.
2 day through trip with a crux gorge in the middle.
Long car shuttle, and tricky to get the right flow.
Upper Rangitikei (III/IV)
Manawatu-Wanganui, 5 Day, Through trip.
This hard to get to and hard-to-time remote experience is one of the North Islands best-kept secrets. From tussock covered desert plateau to beech forest, to scrub and high country sheep station it has so much scenery packed in. It is also one of our premier trout fisheries and is protected by a Water Conservation…
Waiau River (I/II) Te Anau Control Gates to Lake Manapouri
Southland, 1 Day, 2 Day, Loop trip, Through trip.
This section provides lots of options for trips; half day trips using shuttles or walking, full day paddles, overnight options including paddling on Manapouri itself. Despite being bordered by the Kepler track on the true right and roads on the true left, it has quite a wilderness feel, with lots of options. View Larger Topographic…
Ruamahanga River (II+) Cleft Creek to Mt Bruce
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
Rangitikei River Utiku to Mangaweka (II)
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…
Waipakahi River from the Urchin Track (II)
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…
Tauwharenīkau River, Cone Hut to Bucks Rd (II/III high flow)
Wellington, 1 Day, 2 Day, Out and back, Through trip.
Gorgeous gorges, which need a little rain The Tauwharenīkau 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 Tauwharenīkau exits the range, it flows through a stunning gorge. It is the smallest of the three…
Upper Whanganui (II+/III)
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…
Waimakarirri River Gorge (II) from Mt White to Sheffield
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….
Grey River (II/III) via the Nina Valley
West Coast, 4 Day, 5 Day, Through trip.
A long distance through trip that crosses the main divide from east to west. Most people would probably want to allow 4 or 5 days for the trip which is evenly split with 50km of trekking and 50km of paddling. Some off-track navigation is required and the class III Gentle Annie gorge has no easy…
Okuru River (I/III/IV-)
West Coast, 3 Day, Through trip.
3 days including a challenging approach or a cruisy overnighter using heli-access
South Westland
Pororari River (I) swingbridge to SH6
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…
Taipo River (II/III, with optional IV/V top section) via Harman Pass
West Coast, 3 Day, Through trip.
The Taipo below Julia Hut is already well known as a heli-kayaking run, with some detailed paddling information in the Whitewater NZ river guide book. Taipo means ”devil” or evil spirit in Maori. It is interesting because Maori used it thinking it was English and the early English settlers used it thinking it was Maori….
Moeraki River (I/II) from Boulder Creek to the ocean
West Coast, 1 Day, Through trip.
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…
Waiohine River (III/IV) Middle Gorge
Wellington, 3 Day, Through trip.
With fickle flows and long gorges, the Mid Waiohine Gorge has a fearsome reputation, with as many successful trips as aborted ones. It is the classic Tararua Gorging trip, and with the right flows a brilliant pack raft. It’s definitely not one to underestimate…. Updated 2020 by Martin Robertson View Larger Topographic Map The river…
Mikonui River (II)
West Coast, 1 Day, Through trip.
Fantastic beginner run with a wilderness feel
Maruia River (III) Cannibal Gorge to Maruia Springs
West Coast, Through trip.
One of a series of ‘teaser’ trip pages inspired by Hugh Canard, prior to the 2017 Boyle Outdoor Centre PRANZ Meetup. Treat the information with healthy scepticism – if you’ve done the run, then please contact us with more info and a few photos to expand this page. View Larger Topographic Map St James Walkway…
Pelorus River (II/III) from Roebuck Hut to Pelorus Bridge
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…
Upper Waiau River (III/IV) from Lake Guyon to Hope River
Canterbury, 3 Day, 4 Day, Through trip.
The Upper Waiau has long been regarded by the NZ Paddling community as a classic multi-day intermediate trip. Access was usually by Helicopter or walking in over Mailings pass, an expensive or exhausting option with hardshell kayaks. The below information is from a packraft trip by Chris Coutts and Thomas Land in January 2015. Chris…
Ngaruroro River (II+/III) Boyd Hut to Kuripapango
Hawkes Bay, 2 Day, 3 Day, 4 Day, 5 Day, Loop trip, Through trip.
The Ngaruroro is one of the great wild rivers in the north island, suitable for long, relatively easy packraft trips through fantastic scenery. There are countless options for making this trip long or short, with a helicopter or fixed wing flight to the start, a car shuttle and a through trip or even doing loop…