I’m reflecting on the day in the always stunning New Zealand wilderness from the doorstep of the DOC (Department of conservation) hut conveniently placed mid way through our two day river trip. Sand flies buzz around my head like the memories of another full day of world class, white water. Different strokes and moves, different Canyons and rapids repeat in my head but it is the crux of the Canyon that my thoughts return to.It is most kayaker’s worst nightmare, a horizon line that needs scouting that is flanked by vertical walls and with no way back upstream.
These are the realities of the complexity of kayaking the New Zealand Heli runs, steep boulder choked channels with irregular vertical walled gorges and the risk of getting trapped in them. More than most rivers around the world the rocks in these channels are in a rush to get to the Ocean and so the rapids often change from year to year.
Even with Dave Kwant who has paddled this section before we’re probing in the dark. I find a one boat eddy just above some large boulders on the right against one of the canyon walls. The current is slow enough that Kevin England can stay in the current but hold my boat in the eddy with the bow of his kayak while I climb out. Standing chest deep in the eddy on a small ledge I shuffle along underneath a boulder and then chimney 10 ft up the downstream side of this to get up on the Right hand bank. At least we’ll know what is coming now.
As I get a good look at the rapid, the group eyes me nervously from upstream, I could mess with them but I don’t need to, after a four foot ledge, the river splits in two. On the right it disappears under the rock that splits the river channel here - death. On the left a small slot will allow us to pass as long as we don’t drop too far right off the top drop, I can see a small eddy further downstream but am not sure what comes next.
I go first to try and spread some confidence into the sceptically received description of the line, these guys running it on my explanation alone. Everyone drops through fine, but then just downstream there is another large class 5 (easier to run than portage) with a boat sized eddy to catch at the bottom before the whole river disappears under a house size boulder that fell into the gorge god only knows how many years ago.
This is the crux section of the Mungo or Upper Section of The Hokitika, one of the many classic runs that pile off New Zealand’s Southern Alps, drawing kayakers from around the globe each year. The dynamic nature of these rivers means that they are in a continuous flux, moving with floods, creating new rapids, removing old ones, this is best summed up in Graham Charles’ Guide Book,
“The valley sides in the Hokitika are constantly moving and the yearly changes are phenomenal. If it has been more than a few weeks since anyone has been in, or if there has been a big flood treat any run on the Hoki as a first descent - your family will love you for it.”
But then that’s the appeal isn’t it? People have been here before several, if not many times. But it doesn’t feel like it. Continuous technical rapids made of water that you could bottle and sell, canyons that you can’t see the top of, all set in pristine (sand fly infested) wilderness, always providing something to be treasured. And so we take these risks knowing that two who came before us stayed here, forever.
But now it’s our turn and working as a team we scout, communicate, signal, portage and paddle ourselves through this incredible gift one rapid at a time. Slowly, scout by scout, stroke by stroke, rapid by rapid we made it through the Mungo Canyon, The Frisco canyons and the rapids in between and eventually arrive at the hut.
As I sit nursing my tea I look downstream along half a kilometre of class 5 before it disappears into another vertical walled canyon.
Yeah, tomorrow is going to be another spectacular day.
Thanks to Kev England for the Photos.
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