Now that things have settled down at work, we wanted to jump right back into adventuring - so this past weekend Rob and I headed down to Raetihi with two friends, Katie S. and Kristen, for a 2-day, overnight canoe trip on the Whanganui River. We left straight from work Friday, stayed in a cabin Friday night, and got up before the sunrise Saturday morning to pack up our stuff and get on our way.
The company in charge supplied us with two canoes, six waterproof barrels, life vests and a map. They did a quick overview of some rowing strokes and told us how best to navigate rapids and then sent us on our way!
We began our journey at the Whakahoro campsite, and rowed down to spend the night in the John Coull hut. It may not look very far on this map, but it was nearly 37.5km (23+ miles). It took us roughly 7 hours including our lunch break at Mangapapa.
On Sunday, we canoed a further 18.5km (11.5 miles) to Mangapurua, where we did a two-hour hike up to the Bridge of Nowhere and back. From there, a jet boat picked us up and took us back to our car, and it was another five hours of driving to get back to Auckland and our beds.
The hut warden told us that this was the slowest he'd seen the river in 40 years - lucky us! At points the wind was blowing so strong in the wrong direction that it felt like we were rowing against the current (I believe the nautical term for this is a headwind). This meant we had to row every last meter of those 56km - no lazily floating down the river as we expected.
It was one of the harder things I've ever done, but also one of the best. I think a small part of me is starting to understand why some people push themselves so hard physically - the sense of accomplishment can be a little heady. Plus, the complete and total immersion in nature is such a unique experience. Knowing the nearest call for help is a 7 hour canoe ride down river is a little terrifying, but it can also be both liberating and empowering.
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| View from the shuttle to Whakahoro |
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| Starting out - we're all smiles and Disney songs |
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| From top left: spotting the first of many wild goats on the river bank; watching dozens of birds flitting around like falling leaves; a stunning reflection - at least that glassy water is good for something! |
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| From top left: Lunch break, where Rob stabbed (and killed) a bee with his Swiss army knife; O Captain my Captain; finally making it to the hut around twilight |
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| Our lovely hut - complete with "nice long-drop toilets" |
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| Oh, misty eye of the mountain below... |
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| Bridge to nowhere, hiking and jet boat! |
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What I love most about rivers is
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing...
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