MHMF Challenge Complete - White Water Rafting NZ
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
19
27
Trip End
Apr 04, 2007
Wellington,
New Zealand
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
On Monday 5th February AD and I went white water rafting on the Tongoriro River in central North Island, New Zealand, in the name of the Miriam Hyman Memorial Fund.
We were staying in Taupo, the small town on the north shore of Lake Taupo, and we had a 45 minute drive to the town of Tokaanu on the south shore where Wai Maori Freshwater Adventures are based - the company who we chose to do our rafting with. You can see their website at www.RaftingKayaking.co.nz. We arrived at 9am and were given our gear for the day - fleeces to be worn over our swimming gear, wetsuits, booties, waterproofs, life jackets and helmets. After congratulating ourselves on how good we looked in the gear (!) we were taken by minibus to the banks of the Tongoriro River, a few kilometres away, where the group of twenty-four was split into four teams, and we practised the positions and safety moves we would need while still out of the water
01 Before the start of the challenge
. AD and I had been white water rafting in Canada a few years ago but it was good to be reminded of the moves.Then it was time to carry the rafts down to the river and set off. Our leader, Brett, is a very experienced rafter who has rafted and kayaked all over the world, and he knows this stretch of the river inside-out. He guided us through the sixty or so rapids and after just a short time he told us how pleased he was because we were acting well as a team and managing to find good lines through the rapids.
The beauty of the scenery was very striking. For a start, the water was so clear that it reflected a rich blue, and even in its deepest parts the river bed was visible. We saw many trout and other smaller fish along the way. The banks of the river varied between steep cliffs and small coves, and it occurred to me that much of the route we took would have been inaccessible by any other means. We started to notice the bird life as well, and we added the native Tui to our growing list for our bird identification challenge.
The rapids, which reached Grade 3 on the scale on which Grade 6 is the most difficult, were interspersed with stretches of calm, gently flowing water
02 Oars in the Air!
. The aim was not to get stuck on any rocks, which we did a couple of times, but with a lot of bouncing and manoeuvring we were able to free ourselves. The thrill of going down a rapid, with cool water splashing into the raft, is hard to describe. I'm not one for theme-park rides, but this was much more fun!About two thirds of the way we stopped and hauled the rafts to the bank of the river. From there we were invited to walk up a tributary stream where we were shown a "secret" waterfall. A two-tier fall, the lower of the tiers is about five metres high and the water crashes into a deep pool. We climbed the bank of the tributary with the aid of a knotted rope and jumped the five metres into the water below! What a feeling of achievement - not everybody wanted to do it!
Back in the four rafts, all of us joined together mid-stream for hot Milo from flasks and chocolate to sustain us. Then we completed the fourteen kilometre course, with a photographer waiting to take photos of us at the end.
This was a unique and delightful challenge. I wish I could've taken my own photos as we went down the river to record the glorious scenery, but we have to make do with the ones we have
03 Splash!
!Thanks to Tui and Rod who are the owner/operators of Wai Maori Freshwater Adventures for a well-organised, safe and memorable morning.
If you would like to sponsor us you can do so by following the link on the Home Page of www.miriam-hyman.com to our ORBIS sponsorship page - thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far and helped us to raise over half of our £1000 target! Please forward the TravelPod link to your contacts if you think they would be interested in our diaries and in sponsoring us - thanks!
I'll be posting a diary update very soon!
xesther & AD
Comments
Kiwi Adventures
Glad to hear you have sampled the local kiwi delicacy - MILO - have you tried the trout yet?
Glad to hear all is going well (great photos!) and I'll see you soon! Love and hugs, Rosie xxx