Aotearoa Landscapes: Summer Kayaking on the Kaituna

Summer Road Trip on the Tuna

After five days in Sydney, the summer sun was luring me north, so in anticipation of a couple of weeks on the Kaituna with the lads, I flew Christchurch to Rotorua with Tim and Jo.

Over the course of our time in the North Island we didn't explore too much as we were spoiled with the quality whitewater that was the Kaituna. We did venture as far afield as the Wairoa and to Huka Falls on the Waikato, however the majority of our time was spent basking in the warmth of the Kaituna.

Kaituna River

Home for a few weeks!

Native bush at the put in

Werner city - not bad for a bunch of students!

Tim ripping up the slalom rapid in his playboat

Jo carving up the slalom rapid

Shuttles on the Kaituna are always done in style

and boats get priority over people!

Okere Falls and the Weir (Kaituna River)

Trying to line up four people on this move isn't as easy as we thought

Kaitiaki raft trip, one of about a thousand for the day

When you miss the eddy, you drop sideways into the weir - bugger!

Chris gets it right this time...

...but isn't so lucky this time after missing the eddy. This beatdown was impressive and I was surprised he didn't swim!

Jo back-boofing the weir

Fine lines in the sun

Tutea Falls

Tutea falls is 6-7m and is the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall. Throngs of kayakers go off it every day, in playboats, creekers, and it has been swum, sledged, SUPed, jet skiied, paddled in a slalom boat and even with inflatable pool toys - you name it. Despite kayakers relaxed nature, this waterfall has been known to dish out a hiding or two.

Andrew Yates

In a stupid move, Lou Jull rallied off Tutea after seeing Ben drop out of Sam's eddy (the difficult, last move eddy at the lip of the falls) backwards, only to land on his cockpit as he rolled up. Lou Urwin isn't far behind about to enter the carnage scene!

Will stomping centre after catching Sam's eddy

In a few seconds, excitement turned to hilarity as we watched the normally classy Jo flush out of Sam's Eddy backwards and upside down...little did we know things had gone tits up

Here the crew rafts up and helps Jo who dislocated his shoulder above the falls

Tim Grunshaw

Jo Jury

Ellie Hammond getting her 'pukana' on

Will styling it with hand paddles

Tim pulling on his boof in a playboat

Bottomhole (Bottom Hole)

Tim Grunshaw

Will throwing (hand) loops in the bottomhole

Troutpool Falls

Chris rolling in for his first lap

Will stomping having spent weeks honing his line

My second line, not quite as clean as the first!

Lower Gorges (of the Kaituna)

A limited amount of beta is available regarding the lower gorges of the Kaituna with footage, especially of rapids, not broadcast on the internet to keep this place unknown for first timers. Ben txtd me a week prior to our trip kicking off and gave me explicit instruction: "don't watch any footage of the lower gorges!". Armed with the beta of Will and Ben regarding what wood was in play in the gorge, having been down the week prior, we set off early one morning to check out the goods and boy were we rewarded!

Go Pro selfies: "is this thing on?"

Sheer canyon walls, at times up to 20m high

Stunning whitewater in an inescapable box canyon

No scouting, no portaging, it's all good to go though!

The crew soaking up the scenery in the spectacular run out of the Lower Gorges

Tim, Jo and I spent the afternoon 'safety rafting' the main gorge of the Kaituna with Blue after running the Lower Gorges. Stoked to guide the raft off Tutea upright! Gimmie my raft ticket!

Huka Falls

With the flows coming down, we took off to Huka Falls near Taupo to run Huka Falls. I wasn't feeling the buzz with my paddling so didn't rally off though Will, Jo, Tim G, Chris and Tim R did with varying levels of success!

Tim talking through the line with Will and Jo

Walking to the put in

Jo feeling the celebrity status with a crowd on the bridge

Jo lost in the whitewash of the Pencil Sharpener rapid

Grundy firing Huka!

Jo stern squirting in the Pencil Sharpener rapid

This chap was so impressed with Jo's balls that he made his son pose for a pic with the 'famous paddler'. In the background, Will loses his shit.

Wairoa River

We travelled to the Kaimais for the weekly release on the Wairoa and were stoked to get three laps in some pretty average weather.

Hughes firing off Mother's Nightmare

Tim Grunshaw firing off the same drop

Chris rallying down Rollercoaster, the steepest and longest rapid on the run

Huges getting his lean-to-boof on the bottom waterfall

Tim Riddell looking for the troll at the seam of the bottom waterfall

The Luge (Rotorua)

Needing a break from laps and laps and laps on the Tuna, we took off to the supermarket to get some chips and goon and headed for the hills, time to make some carnage on the luge track!

Hydrating in the gondola on the ride up

Chris hydrating between laps

Asian invasion

Asians are everywhere!

Hoony Jo

It's all a bit of a blur at race pace

More Asian drivers

Will looking a little too enthusiastic for his trolley load

Some ex-UCCC folk who I befriended at a WhitewaterNZ meeting a year or two earlier, Miriam and Ra, were our wonderful hosts for our stay in Rotorua. Mim and Ra live in luxury on the outskirts of Okere Falls and have a great set up with native bush in their spacious backyard, a permanent slackline, wood-fired pizza oven and a boat rack for the toys!