Whanganui River adventure for the family

Ruapehu Bulletin, 21 December 1993, Page 12 (Supplement)

Whanganui River adventure for the family

BY

Lance

Langdon

It was with a sense of adventure our party of 10 including seven adults and three children, set out on a three-day, two-night trip, in two-person Canadian canoes on the Whanganui River. 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 canoeist. 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 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 1 80-degree turn. This twist of the river can be observed from the Kirikiriroa lookout, perched on a bush-cov-ered razor-back ridge after climbing 243 steps. It' s

a spectacular view, looking over one shoulder at the river flowing way down below, then looking over the other shoulder at the mighty Whanganui flowing in completely the opposite direction. 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 water-tight barrels. Un- ► like day-one the weather 1 was overcast with light | drizzle,butitwasnotcold. t All crews now felt super- * confident in handling the | canoes. On day-one it was » surprisinghowquickly we * learnttheskillsrequiredto navigate and manoeuvre. » Scenic drift * Our objective on day- * two was to slowly drift » down with the current,stop

at the Mangapurua Landing and walk to the Bridge to Nowhere, return to the river and end 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. On waking, to our surprise the river had risen Turn to Page 15