rainy days in hokitika

through my experiences so far traveling in n zed, i have learned never to believe a forecast. more than likely the weather man is close, but if you watch channel 3 six o'clock news and weather then switch to channel 1 afterwards, you may hear two different meteorological predictions.
over the past few days, philly and i have enjoyed a wonderful christmas here in hokitika, the local crowd we have fallen in with due to kayaking connections has been more than hospitable in welcoming us and our foreign holiday recipes: jj's pumpkin pie and the collaborative effort at sweet potato (kumara substitute) casserole were both big hits.
the windy and wet weather spoiled plans for multi day heli adventures for just after the holidays but opened a window of opportunity for a river with road access: falls creek. falls creek is a tributary to the hokitika river; just south of town turn off on a rough gravel road, drive deep in the bush, check the level at the bridge, suit up and you're off on one of n zed's classics.
philly and i were the two "falls creek virgins" in our crew of five: marty, local legend and first decent team member; jj, transplanted local; and eden, kiwi paddling legend in the making. the run features some great gorges that we found in on and off drizzle from the consistently grey clouds over our heads.

philly, exiting the first major section, the bridge gorge, with eden and marty looking on

photo by mw

further down the river here's jj firing into "chernobyl"

photo by mw

eden on is way to avoiding a meltdown at "chernobyl"

photo by mw

the excitement didn't end in the flow. just near the end of the run, we were out with our ropes, locking carabeaners, and webbing for a repel

photo by mw

after that portage, we were just a few rapids above the final drop of the run, "bellaflop": named after Dean Arthur's dog, Bella, who accompanied the scouting mission prior to the first decent, and like all members of that hike jumped this waterfall:
marty, committed

photo by mw

eden same

photo by mw


philly, still glad to be in new zealand

photo by mw

jj same

photo by mw

stay tuned for more exciting adventures. same blog time, same blog channel...

motu river

welcome to my coverage of last weekends trip down the motu river.
the motu flows out the of east cape of the north island of new zealand, a rugged wilderness area just down the coast from the beaches of the bay of plenty.
the motu crew consisted of two parties: downstream and upstream, who would meet up on the second official day of the trip.

here's downstream enjoying their second day of excellent weather still inside the lower gorge of the motu:

photo by mw

sophe hastening the cooking after her long day catching up from her and brendan's put-in above the upper gorge

photo by mw

nick and evan bedding down at first night's camp:

photo by maria noakes

the downstream crew travelled first via helicopter to a suitable put-in below the upper gorge of the motu, then by raft and kayak through a day and a half of blue water, steep canyon walls, sandy beaches and lazy lunches to meet the upstreamers who hired a x-special forces jet boat driver to bring them up river.
the resulting camp was like nothing i had ever seen before: no age groups excluded, family friendly atmosphere, refugee camp decor...

photo by maria noakes

on the third day parents and young ones stole away in a raft, claiming a jar of peanut butter and a triumphant escape from a beach of chaos to a floating rubber island of chaos.
nick relishing the excitement and easy travel of a rafting trip:

photo by mw

the scene on the beach prior to their departure: "has anyone seen my...."

photo by mw

a last look as raft day care descends into the unknown

photo by mw

i am down on the west coast now with philly bear, who yesterday experienced his first heli-supported river trip.

photo by mw

we are enjoying the scenic sights...

photo by philly williams

and wish the sun well as it leaves here on it's way west to our friends and family.

photo by philly williams

left is right

photo by wayne crawford

just a quick note to say that the "right" side of the road isn't always what it seems, but stay sharp and you should find the way.
lots of happenings here in the southern hemisphere: adventures of all sorts in an extraordinary place.
i have thought much of my family and friends while i've been here and look forward to putting up a nice long proper blog post; so stay tuned for tales of the exciting motu river-three-day-many-children adventure.
many happy salutations.
deep south frowsk.


photo by mefford williams