Whanganui River

Wow. I just got done with the 100 mile canoe section on the Whanganui River and I’m shattered. We were talking this section up as a chance to rest our feet and legs but I had no idea how hard this was going to be. We met our canoe rental company at Whakaharo at 9:30 AM and the next hour loading and packing was chaos. We only had a few minutes to get everything packed into our barrels, get maps, life jackets, a bail bucket and paddles before we headed out. Everything had to be tied down or attached to your body in case we dumped everything in the many white water sections coming up. I had some major butterflies in my tummy as we signed off on our checklist and liability waiver and headed down the river.

Saad and I were in a boat together and we decided that we wanted to try to do this section in four days instead of the recommended five. Not sure why – testosterone for sure but also because we thought this was going to be a cake walk. Boy, were we wrong. The first day was a long one – approximately twenty seven miles to our campsite. We had fun chatting with the other paddlers and learning how to navigate the white water. Saad and I made all decisions together – are we going left or right of that rock. We had two close calls on the first day getting stuck on rocks and tree limbs but managed to keep the canoe on top of the water but not after nearly flooding it in one particularly harrowing moment. We hit a rock sideways and took on several dozen gallons of river water in just a few sections. We pushed on to our first campsite called Maingawaiiti in heavy rains and wind. We were freezing and exhausted when we got to the landing and realized that we had a really muddy and steep climb up to the camp. It took us nearly an hour to get all of our barrels hauled up there and our tents up before we could make dinner and try to warm up. We met a great couple from Oregon – Sara and Bear. They were excellent paddlers and we soaked up their advice as they taught us the “J” stroke that the rear paddler uses to keep the canoe straight. After a good nights sleep, we hauled all our stuff back to the canoe and headed of for day two – excited to try out our new skills.

The day started off great but the wind really started to pick up. By midday we were trying to paddle into thirty mile per hour headwinds that were funneled through the narrow canyons. Our new “J” stroke skills were worthless as the wind caught our heavy canoe and spun us around and into the three foot whitecaps backwards. We caught a big rock on the side and started to take on water fast. We both yelled out – lean away! It worked in the nick of time and we recovered ourselves off the rock with a boat full of water. We paddled furiously over to the wall and bailed everything out just in time. That was another close call! We stopped for lunch at a Māori hut called Tieke Kainga and were treated to hot coffee and a lesson on the Tim Tam Slam.

Tim Tams are these awesome chocolate cookies that have become a staple on the trail and the Slam is a trick you do with hot coffee or hot chocolate. You carefully bite the ends off of the cookie and then suck the hot coffee or chocolate through until it melts and then suck it in your mouth really quickly. I was in a pretty bad mood when I got to the hut but after two Slams I was as good as new. Here are details on the Slam so you can try this at home: https://firstwefeast.com/eat/2014/10/how-to-do-a-tim-tam-slam

After leaving the hut, we had another six miles of headwinds and big river to tackle until we got to Pipiriki. It was miserable. We were paddling head down and as strong as we could and were only getting about a mile per hour. We had to take several rest breaks hanging onto the wall so we would go backwards. If we couldn’t get to the wall fast enough we would start to loose ground which was so demoralizing. After another six hours on the river we finally made it to Pipiriki and stumbled up to the holiday park for a dorm bed and a shower. We weren’t making a lot of sense to the woman at the front desk and I had to apologize. We were broken and just needed to sleep and hope for better conditions the next day. I made a huge dinner and took a long hot shower. We fell asleep fast and got up early for the third day.

Thank the river goddess! No wind or rain today but a long twenty five mile day into Downes Hut. We hit a few fun whitewater sections but had time to enjoy the many waterfalls and animals along the way. We saw wild goats, cattle, horses, sheep and tui birds. The river canyon is down right Jurassic. It’s so green and wild. Silent except for the singing birds and the beautiful sounds of the river. We spent many hours just quietly paddling. We pulled over for lunch and noticed a small sign advertising coffee in a small village about a mile from the river. It was worth the hike for a great coffee and a chance to see their piglets playing in the front yard. We got back on the river and competed a twelve hour day at Downes Hut. We had the place to ourselves and made a big fire and even bigger dinner with a few beers we had packed away. It was warm and cozy.

I got a good nights rest for our last big push – a twenty seven mile canoe to the finish. The weather was great but the river got really wide and slow. It was like paddling a still lake all day and everything hurt. My neck and back were twisted out of shape and I had weird electrical spikes of pain up and down my left arm. It was an ugly day but we got started really early and managed to get to the end at 1:30 to pick up my new hiking shoes I had shipped to myself at the Whanganui Holiday Park. Not a day too soon! My first pair were coming apart at the seams. I kinda know what that feels like now.

I’ll never forget this extreme and beautiful trip down the remote Whanganui. The TA never lets up. The rest days are not. The logistics and weather are daunting. But, after all of the craziness you find yourself in amazing places. Deep in the rainforest with no cell coverage for days. Talking to the birds and learning to read the river. It’s taking everything I have but I’m hanging in there. I’m enjoining the feeling of being wiped out at the end of the day and pilling it together for the next.