
Songs used in this section:
La ritournelle by Sébastien Tellier.
La ritournelle by Sébastien Tellier.
Feeling well rough for a few days probably wasn’t helping but suddenly realising you’re totally out of your depth in a situation like that is unnerving for sure! It had rained a lot over Christmas and the water, although dropped a bit, was higher and faster than normal. In theory that should make it easier. But clearly Cookie and I hadn’t got our steering rehearsed for strong currents and time after time we slammed head-on into boulders catapulting us into the water, the upturned kayak smashing down on your head as you scrambled to grab something and pull yourself up for air. The water is fast and your legs are swept away smashing against sharp rocks and boulders. It was all I could do to just keep hold of the string on the side and keep my head above water while I coughed and spluttered and gasped for breath, the capsized boat filling with water…
This kayaking is not much bloody fun!
The Whanganui River rapids are classified as Class I and II on the international scale, which means it should be an ideal river for land-loving idiots like us. There are 239 of them mind, and there’s been A LOT of rain recently, so she looks pretty fast and furious to me.. Here we go!
So what happened?
Not much visual evidence, as there was way too much spray in the face to risk getting the camera out, but by my reckoning we were going backwards after a spin by rapid No. 7, had run aground and need to get out and push by about No. 10. Trying to pass on the righthand side of a big boulder, that the river really wanted to send us down the lefthand side of, left us heading straight for it and promptly tipped out in to the river, on maybe No. 16. After quite a bit of encouragement, I finally got Nicky back in the kayak only to be tipped out again on a really lame bit of river somewhere near rapid No. 18 by a submerged rock with no white water in sight. Not a great start..
We couldn’t phone for help (no signal), we could flag down a passing canoe, but might be the end of the day before they were in a position to get word to Taumarunui Canoe Hire. The best option looked like just walking back, only was about 4 miles of farmland, jeep track and roads to get me back to the hire place, so I went back into the river (had to be on the wrong side of it didn’t we..) After swimming across the river, I made my way towards the farmhouse where I would hopefully pick up a track to take me back to the road..
Currently we’re chilling in the guest house up at the kayak place. It’s been pouring down and the wind has got up. We camped last night and all our clothes were soaking and mud covered… Ergh. The river looks wide a brown with flood water now… Should we try again tomorrow? I’m petrified! : /
There’s a fine line between brave and stupid? For me anyway! I think some of these Kiwis are rock hard.
I’m still blown away by ‘Kiwi Hospitality’, Don & Cherie were so kind and really looked after us :) Anyhow back to the beef, turns out we were shipwrecked on no normal farm, by the look of all the ‘Meat Awards’ hung on the farmhouse wall, this was a serious meat manufacturing farm of excellence, which has won the ‘Best Beef in New Zealand Award’ a number of times. When the Karen (Canoe hire lady) picked us up, all she could talk about was “Have you seen the muscles on his bull calves, oh my gawd they’re amazing. Even his bloody cows have massive arse muscles”. I don’t know much about cows, but I’d agree, they did have big back ends, I also knew those backends were responsible for a good deal of unpleasantness I’d just dragged my kayak through… Poor Josh (our recently hired river guide), got a whole Croc (sandal) full of it.. “It’s alright” he says, “they’re not my Crocs!” Ha ha, always look on the bright side eh?
Turns out that previously we’d launched out into the hardest part of the river in the hardest to steer, most likely to tip vessel, in low water ( meaning the rocks are all exposed, and there are loads of areas to run aground, be turned and flipped by the current). They are also Grade II rapids, so not perfect for beginners really. We’ve been sea kayaking before, but river kayaking is another matter! Not being able to stop is a bit disconcerting and having obstacles all around and hidden under the water is tricky, plus the likely hood of smacking your head on boulders underwater if you drop out. The sea is definitely much easier! Nothing to hit if you fall out :)
All the other beginners were bundled in a van and taken down to Ohinepane to start on the easy stuff ;) So that was the plan second time around plus with our pro-guide Josh on board, and the river nice and full of water, the rapids softened for us, we headed out to have another crack!
Ps. Ohinepane is my favorite kiwi word so far, pronounced something like Oh-Heeneh-Punny, which sounds like Oh-Honey-Penny with the middles switched around. Tricky words these!
Our first day back on the river was exactly what we had imagined the Whanganui would be like, a big deep and wide river with very little white water or obstacles. In retrospect we should of started from Ohinepane in the first place, we probably would made it all the way with no troubles. I would probably recommend avoiding shallower more technical stretch from Taumarunui unless you feel pretty confident in a canoe.
So here’s our teenage companions for the next 4 days, Josh our guide who is 17 and his mate Mitchell aged 14, who Josh has brought along in case we’re really boring! Quite an odd duo, but more on them later ;)
Bit nervous I was as we set out again. My knees were still pretty sore to move after smacking into those rocks! But the high water, although browner and less pretty to look at was smooth flowing, flat, and wide with no boulders, logs, or steep bits to be seen! And with Josh telling me there was absolutely no way I’d be falling in on his watch, and me a little surprised his mate Mitchell was happily taking on the challenge i started to feel like i’d been a bit of a wuss haha! We were soon all happily paddling along, listening to their banter, and learning how to read the river :) A totally different experience to last time! Good fun :)
I was more nervous about Nicky riding with a well built, bare-chested bloke in the back of her canoe, than the river today.. Thankfully I don’t think the peck-flexing impressed her too much ;) Josh was a good lad though and so pro that he didn’t even need a life jacket.