Adventure Magazine December 2019/January 2020

Above and below: Stu's Crew enjoying the ride both
on and off the river
"The River Wild is an event
for anyone and everyone,
it’s a great event for friends,
family and there is a fantastic
opportunity for corporates
and companies to use this
event for team building."
Rafting New Zealand & The River Wild
The River Wild is hosted each year by Rafting New
Zealand in Turangi. They offer a wide range of white
water rafting trips from family float trips to Grade 5
white water , raft-fishing and overnight trips.
The perfect activity for a family, a group of friends or
as a corporate challenge. Contact the team at Rafting
New Zealand to find out more:
raftingnewzealand.com
0800 865 226
Being regular fixtures at this event
has meant we have got to know the
staff well and they seem to enjoy our
rather unorthodox style. So much so
that we have been lucky enough to have
the same guide (at both our and their
request) for the past three years. We
first stumbled across Stu when we were
competing in the Spring Challenge a few
years back during the rafting section
of the race. He was politely giving us
the safety briefing and commands for
rafting, to which one of the girls yelled,
“we’ve done this before, just paddle.”
We then blitzed it down the Tarawera
River in record time, telling jokes, talking
inappropriately and laughing the whole
way down. Seems Stu enjoyed our
company as much as we did his and
we meet each year at the River Wild to
catch up and laugh our way down the
river. We even changed our team name
to Stu's Crew, to honour our favourite
guide.
This year a few of us were carrying
injuries so we jockeyed for places in
the raft to suit our list of pains; sore
knees, sore backs, sore shoulders… You
don't have to be in tip top shape to take
part in this event, another reason why
we love it so much. Regardless of our
ailments, it didn’t stop us from setting
off at a blistering pace. However, it did
mean that we couldn't keep up the pace
so decided to simply enjoy the ride, the
scenery and of course, the company.
With over 60 rapids on this section of
the Tongariro River, there’s always plenty
of water flow so you never get stuck
having to really graft it out paddling. It’s
one of the most scenic rivers around
with plenty of trout and loads of the
supposedly rare blue ducks.
As we came off the river and took
our time getting changed into our dry
shoes (and sipped on a couple of cold
beers we’d snuck into our gear bag),
one of the other teams mentioned that
they had dibs on last place so not to get
any ideas. Of course, like every year,
there are teams that are in it to win it,
but there are also plenty of teams who
are there for the experience of working
together to achieve something in an
incredible setting.
With some injuries a little more severe
this year, and the fact that you have to
stay together as a team, we opted to walk
the 8km rather than run it. So, we set
off at a steady pace chatting about life
and continuing the laughs. If there was
a category for the team with the most
chatter, we would have been hands down
winners and would have come home with
a medal! We may not have come home
with a trophy, but we did come home with
a big haul of satisfaction, comradery and
the knowledge that we had not missed a
year.
Rafting, and particularly the
River Wild, is an event for anyone and
everyone; it’s great for friends, family
and there is a fantastic opportunity
for corporates and companies to use
this event for team building. No one is
excluded, there are winners but really
everyone has fun. Paddling the river
you need to work as a team, you need
to listen and understand, you need to
perform but you also need to know when
to stop and enjoy the ride. Set amongst
the most amazing scenic background
in the North Island this is an event for
everyone to enjoy. My only advice is
book early – we have!
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