Whanganui River

Day 25: Whakahoro to John Coulls Hut (35km)

A leisurely start to the day as we waited for the canoes to be delivered. This allowed Roger to take more early light photos and for us to chill out and eat more good food at the Blue Duck cafe!

Roger and I were in one Canadian canoe with Charlie and Emma (another TA walker) in another. We were the only ones all set for five days down to Whanganui whereas most people were finishing their river experience at Pipiriki (three days from Whakahoro).

Our first day introduced us to a few rapids but nothing too dramatic. Not that that meant I was any less apprehensive (aka scared) each time we went in to one!

That said, the river was beautiful with its steep tree - covered cliffs each side, creating a calm tranquil valley along which we paddled.

Approximately 5.5 hours from our start we arrived at the very smart John Coulls hut. Along with 16 other human guests the highlight of the evening was the avian visitors - numerous Kereru (Wood Pigeon) who were feeding on the Pigeonwood tree (yes, that is really what it is called!) very close to us.

Day 26: John Coull Hut to Tieke Kaainga

Day two on the water. More dramatic cliffs either side. We truly are deep in native bush.

One of the highlights today was having the chance to (re)visit the Bridge to Nowhere. We moored our canoe along with many others at the “jetty” and walked the 40 minutes each way to go and have a look. Both of us had been there before but it was great to go back and remind ourselves of the history (see www.doc.govt.nz website for more info if interested).

We made good time on the water and were soon at our campsite for the night, Tieke Kaainga. This is a very interesting campsite with a marae at its centre. A large group of Maori who were all affiliated with the river were staying there for the night and it was great to witness their arrival and their traditional welcome on to the marae.

It had been very hot on the water and the lack of shade at the campsite made it quite uncomfortable for a while but this did not dampen our spirits as we went for another swim then ate our dinner in the evening sunlight.

Day 27: Tieke Kaainga to Flying Fox (approximately 40km)

Our third day on the river. I knew that today we would be entering the 50/50 rapid (so called as 50% of people fall out of their boats as they go through) and was already nervous. This was made all the worse by the DOC warden at John Coulls hut telling us that as the water was so low it was more like 80/20 at the moment!!

Prior to hitting the rapid we had a good morning. We had been told about a good tributary where there might be Blue Ducks and trout. We paddled up there and sadly found neither but it made a good morning tea stop!

And then it was on to the infamous rapid! Sadly we fell in to the 80% statistic but at least the water was warm and we did not lose anything as we floated down river holding on to our paddles and our upside down canoe!

A brief lunch stop soon after at Pipiriki gave us a chance to dry out a bit in the sun and re-group for what we knew would be a fairly long afternoon of paddling.

The four of us soon got going again, knowing we would be the only paddlers continuing on that day.

We planned to stop at Jerusalem, not knowing it was a “blink-and-you-miss-it” place. As we all seemed to blink at the same time that one quickly passed us by. Soon after was a nasty rapid which took us through willow trees in to a large rock. Somehow Roger and I managed to stay upright but this time Emma and Charlie took a tumble. We towed them over to the nearest “land” (which was basically a knee-deep mud flat) so they could get sorted.

The four of us then carried on and, after 11 hours on the water, we finally made it to our campsite for the night.

Exhausted and relieved, we examined our kit for levels of dampness (fortunately not too bad), had a beer or wine (or two) and settled in for the night.

Day 28: Flying Fox to Hipango Park (24km)

After our big day yesterday we decided to just get up when we wanted and leave at leisure. We loaded up the boats and set off in the morning sun.

Today was much less stressful as there were no major rapids. I was still nervous whenever we approached any but we got through them all OK.

We stopped at a really cute DOC hut (Downes Hut) for morning tea (and a swim for Charlie), a lunch stop in the shade (another very hot day).

After this we then headed down towards our campsite for the night (Hipango Park).

This campsite was a little overgrown and pretty filthy but it was home for the night.

Day 29: Hipango Park to Whanganui (19km)

Our final day on the water (woohoo!). Very few rapids but we had wind and tide against us for a lot of the time which gave us a good upper body workout!

It was with huge relief (for me, anyway) that we reached the Whanganui Holiday Park, emptied our barrels and walked away from the river!

An unbelievably kind and generous Trail Angel, Rob, came and picked Roger, Charlie and me up from the river and took us back to the beautiful home he shares with his equally kind and generous partner, George (Emma walked there). Our evening in their home was out of the world. A delicious meal with beer and wine, a chance to wash all our gear and a double bedroom with en-suite! But most importantly was the conversation, the stories, the laughter and the new friendships quickly formed.

The next day: Whanganui to Auckland

The morning brought more delights in many ways. A delicious full breakfast, a fascinating tour of the garden and a special ceremony for the gifting of my shoes (which I was leaving behind). It was hard to leave such a wonderful home. Mid-morning, Roger and I started our journey back to Auckland (via Palmerston North).