Adventure Magazine 226

The river was banks full but still running clear and blue, and so we
pushed off into the flow to see what was downstream. We quickly
found ourselves in a grassy hydroslide, watching the mountains
recede behind us. The paddling was amazing; scenic, and continuous
whitewater with a couple of mini gorges to add a little spice. Far earlier
than we expected we found ourselves beaching the kayaks and
tramping up to Cotters Hut. The cosy hut was to be our home for the
night, and we settled down for dinner and desert while watching the
deer emerge onto the flats.
The next 6km of river entered a gorge, and we were excited to see
what was to come. We quickly had big smiles on our faces, it was
fun non-stop rapids, underneath a spectacular beech forest tunnel. A
few fallen trees in the river kept us on our toes, but we made steady
progress and emerged from the beech forest into the home stretch
towards Lake Hawea. Lunchtime saw us at Dingleburn Station, feeling
thoroughly content with the trip.
With New Zealand’s borders closed our eyes have been forced to look
inwards, and it’s apparent once again that there is plenty of adventure
right here close to home. We’re blessed with an abundance of
wilderness, suiting exploration by all manner of people and methods.
The takeaway from our spring first descents, and a silver lining of the
last twelve months of upheaval, was a renewed appreciation of the
people and places that we have here in our home.
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