Spinal Network News - August 2017

down the country seemed to threaten our plans, but
fortunately, it was spinning off towards the east leaving
settling weather in the west. We pushed back our fly-in
by a day, but the call was GO with a dropping river level
and improving forecast.
I was anxious leading up to this trip, more so that I had
been for quite a while. I kept telling myself that we had
all the right people, planning, and gear. But the nerves
continued, valid or not. It is easy to operate within
comfort levels; so much harder to really extend into the
unknown—particularly in an environment where your
independence is challenged and you are heavily reliant on
others to help. Waiting on the airstrip at Waiatoto for
the helicopter, the nerves continued. Is the water level
going to be okay? Is the weather going to hold? As the
arrangements stood, I was up first load into the chopper
and flying up the valley. Strangely, a massive sense of
relief came over me as the chopper departed, leaving us
completely in the wilderness: me, my wife, and Pete; no
gear, no food, nothing. Somehow, the anxiety lifted; we
were committed. No more to worry about, just execute.
The gear and the crew arrived in three more loads, and
there we were, 10 of us, and everything we needed to
get down the river. Stoke was high, as was the campfire
(check).
The following morning, we geared up and hit the river.
Pack up was easy with a proficient bunch—evidence
of a good and capable crew (check). Although starting
out was easy enough, Day One on the river proved to
be both challenging and exciting (check): the after-lunch
session of paddling requiring constant scouting and
aggressive paddling to hit the line down technical, but fun
white water, in an amazing wild setting. The challenge of
a fully-loaded raft with six people proved tough to get
around tight corners and chutes, with more than one
rapid being negotiated backwards—not completely at
our will! The river mellowed, just as the light was tiring,
to reveal an open flat where the Te Naihi River joins the
Waiatoto: another ideal camp-site for good company
and stories of the day and previous adventures.
Day Two on the river was a little less in terms of quantity
of rapids, but the river certainly didn’t let us go easy.
The last major rapid of the river—and probably its
most significant—is called the “Shark’s Fin”, which was
formed by a massive landslide crashing down into the
river gorge. The result is a steep and dramatic rapid that
drops a significant amount of height in some 100m or so
of distance. It did not disappoint, being a truly exciting
ride. The river then mellowed, and meandered through
a beautiful rocky gorge before opening slowly to the
coastal flats. The last couple of kilometres proved hard
work in slowing water, as we paddled on towards the
last of the day, retiring at a small boat-ramp just a stone’s
throw from the sea.
This was a trip that will go down as truly one to
remember! The perfect combination of great friends;
great campfires; wild places; and challenging and exciting
adventure made all the better by a perfect forecast. It
ticked all the boxes, and then some! Truly a mountainsto-the-sea
experience: from the back of Mt. Aspiring,
to the West Coast and the Tasman Sea. It was exactly
the adventure I sought to mark coming across the big
40, and it somehow made the age-passing much less
significant. It was also a timely and refreshing reminder
that pushing beyond your comfort zone and seeking
out the road less-travelled, is abundantly rewarding and
nourishing. You somehow come back a little better for
the experience. These things rarely satisfy the thirst, but
rather, heighten the desire for more. Watch this space…
Thanks to the crew that made it possible; Greenstone
Helicopters; MakingTrax for the raft seat; and Nana for
minding my daughter!
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