Third try at white water rafting
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2005
1
167
270
Trip End
Apr 09, 2006
Christchurch, New Zealand
Thursday, October 13, 2005
We have pre-arranged a pick-up with Rangitata rafting guides in Ch'ch suburbs. From here we board a small mini-bus and drive for two hours out into the countryside to the Rangitata river. Ok, so the four hour return trip was not pre-mentioned, hmmmm. Thankfully we have a crossword to keep up occupied.
On arrival, unlike our rafting experiences in the North Island, there is a lovely log cabin complete with changing rooms, showers etc, better than ducking and diving into the bushes to change. We're promtly offered tea/coffee and a sandwich before our instructions talk. We're then kitted out in thermal vests/fleece/wet suit/rubber shoes/helmets... looking good let me tell you!
A twenty minute drive later we arrive at our river point of entry. It is only at this stage that we're informed of how cold the water truley is... that is, yesterday it was a glacier! The Rangitata river rises just up-river from our point of entry, where two rivers meet and merge into one. Each of these rivers rise at the terminal face of a glacier in the Southern Alps. The river maintains its grade 5 rating even with the changing river levels. Mind you from our current position it looks quite calm and peaceful.
Aside - The site for Edoras in "Lord of the Rings" was filmed in the Rangitata Valley - the scenery is quiet spectacular.
There are two rafts going out today and our raft is very cultural; A Swiss couple, a Japanese guy, a French guy and his Greek girlfriend, our Kiwi guide Dave and ourselves. In the initial stages we received a full safety briefing, instructions and training from Dave. After twenty minutes of easy 1-3 grade rapids, our entire group must all disembark our raft and climb up the cliffs, to LOOK at the grade 5 rapids. Dave then proceeds to give us turn by turn detail of how we will (ideally) manipulate the rapids and waves. The entire lecture really only serves to worry us. After all, it matters not what his instructions are: "left back", "draw", "hold on", "get down" or even "abandon raft" - we'll do it... No questions asked.
Back aboard our raft, with Fergus and Michael (Swiss) up front, paddles in hand we're fully prepared and ready for action. We are less than 20 mtrs from the initial drop into the rip-roaring grade 5 rapid section, where the gorge narrows to a pinch.
I would love to describe accurately how or what we did, but I can't. We did manage to stay afloat, unlike the photographer and his guide who flipped their raft. Shortly afterwards there is our second and final grade 5 rapid, this time over a distance of 400 metres. Its great fun with a lot of splashing, some "hold on and get down" calls from Dave and a couple of close-fits. We're triumphant, no flipping the raft. The entire rapid experience was just that, rapid, over in a matter of seconds.
Its a very easy trip after this, Dave sneakily distracts his entire crew just before a rather small drop over a rock and manages to toss out three of his crew much to everyone elses amusement! Fergus and I are still safely inside the raft and help to drag the three back into the raft. Next there is an optional jump off a ten metre cliff, before the bus drive back to the lodge for showers and a BBQ.
The trip was not quite what we were hgoping for ie. river of grade 5 rapids - it did have two grade 5's but the rest was rather boring. Whats more many others were dissapointed too. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this excursion - a bit pricy for what we got. We have since been advised that Nov is preferable, as the snow is melting and the river is higher. Our third rafting trip, but unfortunately it wasn't third time lucky. I don't think we'll be in any hurry to fork out any more money on rafting.
Given our dissatisfaction we didn't purchase the professional photographs available, (NZ$35 or 19e for about 20 not so great photos half of which were of the other group) so no photo's for today.
