Christmas celebrations are difficult for those in New Zealand whose family is somewhere on the other side of the globe. And it's also difficult to feel like Christmas if the summer is just about to kick off. Anyway, a group of us teamed up to spend the Christmas days canoeing down the Whanganui River, one of the ten Great Walks of New Zealand.
We hired canoes, waterproof barrels etc. from Wades Landing Outdoors. As usual in New Zealand, organized outdoor fun is not for free, but at the end of the day, it's worth the money.
We set out from Whakahoro with fine weather, and after a hard day's work of paddling arrive at John Coulls Hut. The river valley is amazing! Really beautiful, stunning scenery, and lots of fun. Wide, slow parts of the river mix with "rapids" that are kind of exciting.
Unfortunately, it rains basically all day. However, we have to reach the Tieke Marae, our second night's stop. During the day, we set off to a 1 hour hike to the Bridge to Nowhere, a massive concrete construction in the middle of the bush. It connects two footpaths, but was once built to provide easier access to the land for farmers. After the farming ideas were abandoned, the bridge remained as a symbol of incompetent landscape planning and a tourist attraction.
The Marae campsite is overcrowded, and we find space only in the marae itself. The punishment for that offense was due the next day.
The third day's trip is the shortest one, only 22km. We take our time, especially since we are promised to come across some real rapids. And indeed: 200 meters from the landing site there's a nasty rapid that is difficult to master for all of us. However, I am the only captain who manages to capsize his vessel. Well, technically we did not capsize, just took so much water that the canoe sank below the water line. Anyway, a little too exciting an end for a real fun trip! However, nobody was hurt, nothing was damaged, and we put up a little show for those already waiting at the landing site.
Dec 24, Christmas Eve
We hired canoes, waterproof barrels etc. from Wades Landing Outdoors. As usual in New Zealand, organized outdoor fun is not for free, but at the end of the day, it's worth the money.
We set out from Whakahoro with fine weather, and after a hard day's work of paddling arrive at John Coulls Hut. The river valley is amazing! Really beautiful, stunning scenery, and lots of fun. Wide, slow parts of the river mix with "rapids" that are kind of exciting.
Dec 25, Christmas Day
Unfortunately, it rains basically all day. However, we have to reach the Tieke Marae, our second night's stop. During the day, we set off to a 1 hour hike to the Bridge to Nowhere, a massive concrete construction in the middle of the bush. It connects two footpaths, but was once built to provide easier access to the land for farmers. After the farming ideas were abandoned, the bridge remained as a symbol of incompetent landscape planning and a tourist attraction.
The Marae campsite is overcrowded, and we find space only in the marae itself. The punishment for that offense was due the next day.
Dec 26, Boxing Day
The third day's trip is the shortest one, only 22km. We take our time, especially since we are promised to come across some real rapids. And indeed: 200 meters from the landing site there's a nasty rapid that is difficult to master for all of us. However, I am the only captain who manages to capsize his vessel. Well, technically we did not capsize, just took so much water that the canoe sank below the water line. Anyway, a little too exciting an end for a real fun trip! However, nobody was hurt, nothing was damaged, and we put up a little show for those already waiting at the landing site.
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