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2011 to
2012 Season
Date:
22/1/12
Above: Heading down the Boyle to the Lewis confluence. The first part of the paddle was a little bony but with swiftly moving and crystal clear water taking us past some beautiful scenery, there was nothing to complain about. When we got near the confluence of the Boyle with the Lewis River, we had a short walk across a gravel bar to get us into the main channel and from there, the water volume and level of whitewater fun increased with plenty of opportunities to catch eddies, surf holes and generally make the most of rapids.
Above: More water and fun after the Lewis confluence. Note the blue skies.
Above: A nice little hole to surf. We had a brief stop for lunch/snacks somewhere not to far upstream from the usual put in, having been on the river for over an hour already. From the confluence with the Doubtful River, we picked up more water as it must have been raining in the Doubtful's catchment and the river was running a bit cloudy. This extra water improved the later gorges and rapids, making for a slightly more technical grade 2+ paddle in places. Below left: Looking upstream in the first gorge.
Above right: Looking upstream towards bridge that marks the exit from the first gorge. The three gorges are all quite impressive with their sheer sides of water sculptured stone and have nice rapids in then, a sort of Ashley Gorge lite, which makes for an exciting trip for newer paddlers without too serious consequences.
Above left & right: Running the second gorge. The third gorge wasn't as hard as it used to be when I first did, the drop has levelled out making not quite as dramatic as it was in days of old. There are still a number of boulders to dodge and a choice of routes to take, and a poor choice for Matt the Younger led to a brief swim, the only one for the day. Finding the best place to get out led to a bit of confusion as Hugh led us into a wall of gorse and matagouri, fortunately Bruce appeared and showed us the way out. There was a bit of a walk to the car, but it was nice and flat with plenty of grass to drag the boat over. As we got changed and the shuttle was run, the sky began to darken as the promised southerly caught up with us. Lucky for us, the rain held off until we were all packed up and on our way home. A brief stop for coffee at the Red Rooster in Culverden and then off home after a fun and surprisingly sunny day in the hills.
Date:
8/1/12 Once on the water, it was a fairly sedate float down the river, catching the occasional eddy or surfing a small wave. The weather made me glad I was wear my poggees and I was pretty keen to stay right side up, though some of the other paddlers were keen to practice their rolls. It was nice being out on the river, surrounded by the mountains, I've missed be able to go kayaking regularly, what with my work schedules, earthquakes and all the other things that make up my life at the moment. Eventually we arrived at Devil's Fang Falls and those who decided to walk it got out and the rest pulled into an eddy to take our turns. Debbie got caught on one of the holes above the drop and rolled but was able to get upright and in position to make the correct line. I got my turned, snuck between the holes, slid down the tongue and rode the buffer off the fang without any dramas and best of all, managed to keep my head dry!
Above: Looking back up a very bony looking Devil's Fang Falls Graeme took a little swim just down from Dozy Stream (in the same place that Murray and I have swam in the not too distant past) and bruised his legs quite badly getting out of his boat. He was soon back in his boat but was feeling pretty cold and sore and decided to get out at Seawards with one of the newer paddlers, who had also had a few swims. Robin joins us here for the Gully run and we all took the chance to stretch our legs or eat some food. Maori Gully was pretty cruisy too, had a nice play on the Magic Roundabout but largely just ran the rapids. No real drama but there was a certain amount of nervousness approaching Cheese Grater, which now has a strong kick to the left. There was the odd mystery move as people missed the line (right of centre and heading right with the certain amount of speed). I found a little bit of a tongue and followed it down to the right and avoided the worst of the churning white water at the bottom.
Above: Debbie surfing the last big rapid in Maori Gully.
Above: John R gives a smile. Sun was starting to peak through the clouds by the time we reached the take out and climbed up to the cars and it was a lovely day by the time we reached Waikuku for a BBQ at Robins place. I had to head home as I'd promised Lauri dinner at Pommeroy's, which rounded off the day nicely.
Date:
2/10/11
Above: Part of the group at Jollie Brook. Still plenty of snow on the mountains. The water flowing down the South Branch was cloudy with sediment and cold, a result of the rain falling in the mountains. Based on the flow gauge, this boosted the total flow by approximately 20 cumecs and reducing the cruisiness of the trip somewhat. Devil's Fang Falls was exciting but presented no problems, with those in our brunch, cleanly running the right of centre line. A little further down we had our first drama as Murray ended up swimming after being pushed into a bluff and being rotated a number of times at its' base whilst being battered against the rocks. I took my first roll of the trip here after a bit of kayak on kayak interaction. Bob ended upside down on the "Eddy of Doom" bluff, but this was just a brief interlude and he was probably only doing it to cool down. By Seawards I has a bit tired and sore, but after a bite to eat and a brief walk (to restore movement to my right leg), I crammed myself back in the boat and we all headed down stream into Maori Gully. The Magic Round-About was good though the water level on the rocks tended to indicate that there was more than 25 to 30 cumecs in the river now. The wind was pretty strong and blew me off the round-about circuit and off down the river. I took a roll on the first set of rapids after dropping into a hole at the end of the sequence. Dodged everything on the next rapids and then pulled in to the eddy above Cheese Grater to wait for the rest of the group. Murray went down first, pulling into Grand Stand Eddy on the left, one of the next paddlers tipped above the rapid (something not to do, I thought) but rolled up with plenty of time before going over the drop. I broke out, hit the current and promptly tipped over too, my first roll was rushed and didn't work, the edge got nearer. Fortunately the next roll worked and I was upright as I positioned myself above the drop, the water kicked hard left towards a slightly undercut rock but I managed to avoid that and get into the eddy without much drama.
Above left: Exiting Cheese Grater. Above right: Why it is called Cheese Grater. One of our group had ended up looking a bit battered after some geological interaction but was still smiling and able to carry on. A few pop ups at the Pop Up Spot and then to the long climb up the the cars and dry clothes. A good day out and great to be back out on the Hurunui again with a good bunch of people.
Date:
8/9/11
Above: Lauri and I on our kayak about a kilometre or two off shore.
Above: Watching the whale, we are in the green kayak. Surfing down the swell on our way back to shore was cool and we were both a little tired by the time surfed (and wiped out) through the breakers and land back on the beach again. Then it was time for a well earned cup of tea and a Tim Tam before a group photo.
Above: Our intrepid whale watching group of kayakers.
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= Swims (as if you couldn't guess)
