C&K mag #34 dps-f spg - Canoe & Kayak

Pete Townend promised, “Cool mornings, warm days,
roaring bonfires and stunning,star-filled evening skies.”
The Whanganui River trip provided all these, plus cold
rain, misty mornings, a full moon and the weather
pattern which covered the Central Plateau with snow.
23 paddlers turned out to be a hardy lot.
We put in at Ohinepane. Two heavily laden Canadian kayaks manned
by Pete and Roger, supported by Canoe & Kayak shop’s Russell from
Auckland, Terry from Hawkes Bay and Brian from Taupo, ensured that
we would be royally fed. We paddled between 14 and 31 kms on each
of 6 days, pausing for snacks, and camping at Poukaria, Maharanui,
Ohauora, Upper Mangapurua and Tieke Marae where we ate huge
meals.
I specially remember Pete’s corn fritters one day, banana fritters the next,
and hot scones smothered with melting butter, jam and sour cream. We
ate chicken, chicken and tomato soups, bacon eggs and fritters, mince
bolognaise, apples, bananas and custard, nuts and raisins, strawberry
and chocolate mousse, porridge, muesli, gourmet sandwiches, scrambled
eggs, chocolate biscuits and more from the Canadian kayak larders.
Some of us swelled, to rival Sue’s blue throne - remarkable for its size,
colour and design ! Next to eating - seating influenced our social life
and pecking order. Folding chairs, arm-rests, arm-rest drink holders,
collapsing minimalist models, converted barrels tended to flock together.
But Sue’s blow-up, portable throne was pre-eminent!
The food was superb; the river was magnificent, beautiful and stunning.
Its rapids were fun. On 5 occasions they claimed a miscalculator who
joined the “I capsized in a b... rapid” club, testing our skills in deep water
rescues and proving that we were a close knit bunch of caring friends
whatever we sat on!
Memories of competent friendship in unrivalled wilderness will stay with
us all. I’m sure you’ll regret it if you don’t paddle the Whanganui in 2006.
Photos by Ron Pinkham
ISSUE THIRTYfour • 2005 9