Kayaking – Lower Hokitika and Arahura

Well, it was a funny old week, and great to get away with Glynn, Dave, Emma and Matt for the weekend. Left ChCh on Friday night and drove across to Lake Kaniere over by Hokitika. Hokitika is the place where the wild foods festival is held. If you want to read how huhu grubs taste.. read on :)

We camped that evening by the lake..

..I was so happy I’d brought my tent back from Ireland.. I’ve really missed having it actually! Mind you.. I woke up the second morning to that shrill whine which tells you that there are insects intent on sucking your life away millimeters from your ear. I waged warfare and my tent is a little redder now ;)

That morning it was down to the lake and after launching in off the jetty Dave and Emma took Glynn and I through the basics again. Practiced how to paddle in a straight line (not as easy as you might imagine to do properly), how to turn quickly (sweep strokes). How to rail (turn your boat so that water flowing over it wont’ flip you over). How to T-Rescue (when another boat comes along and you grab onto it (under water) and flip your boat up again.. and finally rolling. I was totally happy – it took me three attempts, but I did get a roll working. Not that I managed to do so on the river! but still.. most happy.

Packed the boats onto the car – and off to do the Lower Hokitika. Glynn has been throwing himself at the sport hard – and tries all the crazy things that Dave asks him to – and it has spurred me on to try them too!

Really nice river though, pretty easy (though I did capsize at the very end of it), but all good fun.

The next day we did the lower section of the Arahura (top section is grade 5, just a little beyond me at the moment). More play on this river – lots of eddies to practice getting in and out of – and we all tried a go surfing on a wave. Still, I was happy enough to be finished and warm and try at the end!. But really good, I can see more kayaking trips happening for sure.

Funny now with energy prices increasing etc… the old Kerryman joke about the solar powered light bulb isn’t quite as silly sounding any more is it?

The pictures on the river are courtesy of Dave! Thanks!