Long time local samples Whanganui

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 465, 8 December 1992, Page 18 (Supplement)

Long time local samples Whanganui

BY

LANCE

LANGDON

Despite having lived in Raetihi for the past 17 years I had always been sceptical about the Whanganui River, its beauty and wilderness. Despite several opportunities to canoe the river I had always considered it a trip for townies and tourists. But that changed when recently, I was persuaded to join a trip organized by Bob Graves of the Raetihi Motor Camp. It was with a sense of adventure, putting aside preconceived ideas, our party of 10 including seven adults and three children, set out on a three day, two night trip, in two-person Canadian canoes. In transit to Whakahoro (our starting point) it was interesting to note that only one of our party had previously been on the river and was the only experienced ca-noe-man. Tales were told of the rapids we would face and that to arrive at Pipiriki three days later without having been over-turned, swamped or just plain soaked was impossible due to our inexperience. Made haste Soon we were on a river (the Retaruke) which from Whakahoro flows into the Whanganui. As our trip was unguided we had no appreciation of the distances we were travelling and paddled consistently to arrive at the 'John Coull' hut site in what was a relatively short

time. In our haste we had missed several points of interest, namely Wairingia - a section where the river completes a 360-degree turn. This twist of the river which can be observed from the Kirikiriroa lookout after climbing 243 steps. After a shared evening meal and a good night's sleep we were on the river again with all our equipment securely tied to our canoes in watertight barrels. Unlike dayone the weather was overcast with light drizzle, but it was nbt cold. All crews now felt superconfident in handling the canoes, as on day-one it was surprising how quickly one learnt the skills required to navigate and manoeuvre, however one of our crews still had difficulty and managed frequently to put their canoes through 360 degrees, but no one had overturned. Scenic drift Our objective on daytwo was to slowly drift down with the current, stop at the Mangapurua landing and walk to the Bridge to No where ending the day safely at the Tieke Hut'. Crew members now looked for the rapids that gave thrilling, quick rides and a feeling of exhilaration. After completing a rapid intact and upright it was time for all five crews to join their crafts together in what we called the 'Mo-Te- Whanau Waka'. It was a very successful day and although the

drizzle persisted and we were all soaked, spirits were high. Early in the day the unbelievable happened when one crew actually ran aground in the middle of the river much to the amusement of the rest of us. A pleasant evening was spent discussing the day's adventures, and expectations for the final day. Bigger rapids On waking, to our surprise the river had

risen over two metres overnight which filled our imaginations with thoughts of big rapids which hopefully would present a bigger challenge to our new super egos. We knew this to be the shortest distance we would cover so we stopped frequently to explore points of interest (of which there were many) and arrived safely at Pipiriki mid-afternoon after all crews had successfully negotiated the Autapu, Te Auternute and Paparua rapids. Nobody

had over-turned although one crew did its best by attacking the rapids in the most violent waters they could find and took on board fbur inches of water which had to be bailed out. Having safely completed the joumey it was time to reflect on the three days. We were on the river for about 14 hours and had covered 98 kilometres. Unique Whanganui The river is indeed spectacular with many

Local on the Whanganui

From page 2 areas being scenically unique and with views of the wilderness as a national park should be. It would be very easy to extend the trip giving more time to explore the numerous historic sites along the river using a publication produced by the New Zealand canoe-

mg association called 'A Guide to the Whanganui River', which details the locations of all points of interest. All of our equipment was provided by Bob Graves of the Raetihi Motor Camp who also provided transport to Whakahoro and return from Pipiriki.

For me it was an adventure into New Zealand' s heritage and I now appreciate the beauty, tranquillity and wilderness that makes up the Whanganui National Park, that is right on my doorstep. I have already made arrangements for another trip.