Wilkin and Queenstown

Took a helicopter high into the Wilkin valley for what turned out to be a long 7 hour paddle out. Huge house sized boulders create monster sieves which means plenty of gruesome portaging but also some nice drops. Pictures shows new English friend Robin Scott nailing his line near the put in and Jimmy roaring tango tango roger that into his microphone. We are now in Queenstown - a tourist hot spot and big party town. The lads scored a run on the Shotover at a high water 70 cumecs. However, last night the river hit 500 cumecs - so it's been raining a bit!

Rob's Boating Pics

Some of Rob's shots of myself and Jimmy on the Rangatiki and Taipo earlier in the trip.

Nice Weather in Central Otago!

We're moving South and are now in the region of Otago - stunning scenery and finally, some sunshine!

Farewell to Talbott

Talbott left today, back to the North island and the lurve of a good woman. It was good to have the old hippy on the road again. We will remember him for his vegetarianism, conspiracy theories and his raw, capitalist, entrepreneurial drive - Talbot brought 5 lifejackets over from the States to sell for a profit to gear-starved Kiwi boaters. Problem is, he can't remember how much he paid for them. Mostly we will remember his good humour and (being American) the additional freedom and bravery he brought to the team. Pity you're leaving big man - Jimmy has only just stopped calling you Talbert...

Fox Glacier

We hit the road again and scored a nice run in FREEZING water on the Fox, which runs directly from the Fox Glacier. Incredible place, once we got feeling back in our hands...

Hokitika Levels

Levels in Hokitika are in a funny place right now. With all the heli runs still too high and frequent fronts coming in, we are trying to catch road or hiking accessible runs where we can. The lower Kakapotahi and Toaroah have served up some quality high water class 4 boating but since it was lashing rain I have no photos! Here's a picture of Jimmy's new rain gear instead...

Wash Day!!

After about 10 days without washing we took advantage of a break in the weather to have a wash in the lake. Ah the glamour of being on the road...

The World Famous Poo Pub

In between getting rained on there's a multitude of cultural activities to get involved in, such as sampling the random delights of the Mahinapua pub. What looks on the outside to be a arse end of nowhere establishment is actually the venue for backpacker fancy dress parties 4 nights a week. Pics show James showing off his head torch, Talbott drinking from his wetsuit boot (for swimming) and Jimmy capturing Osama Bin Laden.

Taipo

With levels in the area high, the Taipo is one of the few heli runs that goes. A great experience flying right into the mountains and paddling all the way back. Photo shows Jimmy scoring some freestyle points on a drop in the first gorge...

Hokitika

We are now in Hokitika - the main gateway for New Zealand's west coast runs. The rivers around here are pretty remote - either hike in or helicopter access. Hiked into the Styx yesterday which took almost 2 hours but well worth it with some nice class 5 rapids easing to a class 4 run out. River levels can spike to crazy levels here with weather very changeable so watching the weather forecast and flow charts is key. We're camping outside the town by a cool lake and a pub that opens 4 nights a week, solely to throw parties for the backpacker buses that pass through - so there's plenty of craic and banter to be had...

Murchison

After a drive south to Wellington and a 3 hour ferry we were on the South Island. Murchison is a tiny town in the mountains, a few hours from the ferry. It was raining heavily when we arrived and the rivers are all off the scale. We have been running easy sections in full flood.

Rangitiki

The Rangitiki is a lovely class 4 run, in the lower North Island. Camped at River Valley lodge, complete with play wave, volleyball and sunshine. Our team now numbers five - James from Colorado joins with a second vehicle so it's all go for our tour South.

Kaituna River

This is a short but very sweet wee creek just outside Rotorua. The 7m Okere falls is commercially rafted which is a touch crazy. Got a few runs in with a great playspot at the take out - pity we're in creek boats...

Collected an American

Drove south to Raglan to collect the mandatory American. I first met Talbott in Costa Rica in 2001. He is a shameless hippy and brought us to his favorite scrapyard where Rob turned some timber into a temporary roof rack...

Purchased a Vehicle

It took less than 48 hours to drive out of Auckland in our own vehicle, fully insured, registered and serviced - a beautiful 1993 Nissan Serena people carrier. We are now in Raglan visiting some mates from Colorado.

Arrived in Auckland

We finally arrived in Auckland after an unexpected diversion to Sydney and almost 48 hours after leaving Dublin. We are now searching for a cheap vehicle...