kayaking the pacific islands. - Canoe & Kayak

Mokihinui Magic
by Debs Martin
U n d e r t h e w e s t e r n s h o u l d e r o f
Kahurangi National Park, on the
West Coast of the South Island, water
cascades off the mountains through
steep-sided bedrock canyons and
stunning, dark green beech forest to
become the Mokihinui River. It rushes
through an earthquake-shattered
gorge, emerges at Welcome Flat and
charges on to the sea.
In the heavy downpours for which the West
Coast is notorious the water level in the gorge
rises to 6 metres. It thunders past tall climber
draped podocarps and blossoming ratas.Twenty
endangered species live here. A long-finned eel or
a curious weka may join a lunch stop. Bats, kiwi,
and our large land snails (powelliphanta) hide in
the bush. The blue duck (whio), one of our most
endangered species, calls the Mokihinui River
home. If you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse.
Kayaking or rafting the Mokihinui River is the best
way to experience the twisting, steep 14 kilometre
gorge. The crew I joined started from Welcome
Flat in a chopper, but an adventurous person,
prepared to spend 8 hours, might tackle the
ancient pack route to Karamea. Clinging to steep
valley sides it served the goldfield villages of the
1800s. Remnants can still be found in the bush.
An iron bridge, swept away in the massive slips
of the 1929 Murchison earthquake, is visible at
the confluence with the Rough & Tumble. The State
owned company Meridian Energy plans to build an
85-metre high dam to flood more than 330 hectares
within the gorge. It will obliterate the fantastic class
III & IV rapids, drown forests and river terraces,
and leave behind a rotting lake for electricity,
boaties and whatever can survive. It will destroy
rare wild life, deprive rafters and kayakers of an
outstanding helicopter/wilderness adventure, and
dismay Mick Hopkinson, NZ Kayak School, Hugh
Canard, NZRCA, and many others who support the
Rafting on the Mokihinui River.
campaign to Save the Mokihinui.
For information see Forest & Bird’s website
www.forestandbird.org.nz “Mokihinui”.
Debs Martin is the Top of the South Island Regional
Field Officer for Forest & Bird. In moments of sanity
away from the office she enjoys the wild rivers of
New Zealand.
Thanks to Graham Charles of Image Matters
for the photographs on pages 24 & 25.
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