Access 14 is the Rangipō Dam to Tree Trunk Gorge section of the Tongariro River — a steep, continuous Class IV run with powerful features, sparse eddies, It should only be attempted by strong teams of competent paddlers.
Warning!
Below this run is Tree Trunk Gorge (V+) which has been partially paddled by seal launching and running the last two drops – the preserve of expert kayakers. Lives have been lost in the Gorge so it is essential you know where to take out to avoid heading unwittingly into a tree trunk log jam.
Access & Shuttle
Put‑In — From SH1 turn into Rangipo Intake Road (20 mins south of Turangi). Continue down the road until you reach the dam. Park on river left and walk down to below the intake on river left via the gravel track visible from the dam.
Take‑Out — Drive down tree Trunk Gorge Road off SH1 and park near the bridge (where you can view part of Tree Trunk Gorge). The access track is not far back up the road and follows the river left bank through forest. Familiarise with the take-out when running the shuttle.
On the River
Access 14 is a step up from A10 and deserves respect. Only a strong team should attempt it and be ready to assist rescues and recover gear in continuous Class III+ with Class IV crux rapids. It has similar features to A10 but is steeper and has some bedrock features that provide more confused water in part. Over 6km the run drops a little over 100m (about 30% steeper than A10 which falls 70m over its first 6km).
Rapid names are unknown and will be updated after review with Kayakers and Tongariro Rafting.
The first rapid is at the put-in – it is a straightforward chute with gravel bed and wave train it leads to a calm pool. Gentler water follows giving time to settle in and top up boats. The second rapid is a few hundred meters on where the river turns right and then left. It is a steep chunky rapid with a couple of holes as it approaches the wall and swings left – It is similar in character to Access 10 boulder bank wall rapids.
Staying right the river hugs the edge of the riverbed in a steep and continuous boulder bank rapid with bedrock outcrops on some walls – Long Continuim (temporary name) – It is a continuous section of III+ easing slightly before the Waihohonu confluence ending in a slightly undercut wall. It can be portaged on river left. Bill Thomson ran this solo at the Tongariro Turbo Packraft meet in 2025 and said it was a rapid that warranted a strong team with ability to recover paddlers and gear in Class III+.and “imagine A10 without pools”.
The start of the continuous Class III (screengrab D Duncan)
At the Waihohonu confluence the river spills down a boulder bank and along a wall before a short respite. Eddy out on right and inspect the next rapid (which can be portaged if you have trepidations). Trepidation – sometimes referred to as the skate ramp is 200m after Waihohonu confluence narrowing to 10m or so and passing between two large rocks in a ramp that drops several metres into a robust wave train with an eddy to target on river right.
Down the ramp with Trepidation (screengrab D Duncan)
Mother Buffer (temporary name) is 100m on and comprises a steep bouldery approach (with some big tombstones) to a wall with several bedrock protrusions that create a large buffer of confused water. In a recent release a kayak was pinned on a log hazard in this rapid which highlights the importance of being able to eddy out in pushy flows to bank scout. Scout/portage river right.
Approaching the mother of all Tongariro Buffer wave rapids
Below this the river is similar to Access 10 in character with longer bouldery rapids and walls. It is like an endless rock garden that keeps pumping all the way to the take-out.
The take-out sign is on river left at an obvious sweeping right hand corner. Don’t be tempted by the ledge drop rapid after the take out — there isn’t enough calm water to safely recover gear before Tree Trunk Gorge which should be regarded as un-runnable for Packrafts (some kayakers lower boats or seal launch in to run the final two drops).
Warning!
You must be watching on river left to notice the ‘Danger – Exit river here’ sign
Remember to familiarise yourself with the take-out when running the shuttle.
Gauge
The gauge is Tongariro at Rangipō
Residual flow is only 0.6cumec. This is bolstered by the residual flow form the Waihohonu and other desert road side streams but is essentially un-runnable at residual flow.
Scheduled releases occur three times a year. Flows of 30 cumec will be released from Rangipō Dam between 8am and 4pm on the scheduled release dates.
Maintenance flows occur sporadically and may be at different flows depending on water release from dam storage, Waihohonu flow and Maowhango release rate. Watch for updates from White Water NZ and Genesis.
Sources
Note this write-up is based on Charles, video review, residual flow scouting and discussion with Bill Thomson after release run (Bill walked over Urchin and paddled the Waipakahi through to Pillars a very full day!). Rapid names will be updated once confirmed but locations are accurate. KMZ will be loaded once rapid names confirmed.