Author Archive

2003-06-17T16:51:21+12:00

ECAN are reviewing flow requirements for the Middle Rangitata (from the Klondyke irrigation intake to Peel Forest). If you have kayaked this section and have kept a logbook, please send details of your trips (ie. dates, flow, degree of difficulty, level of enjoyment) to Doug Rankin who has volunteered collate the reports and provide them to ECAN. The intention is understand how flow affects the recreational amenity for kayakers.

2003-10-03T03:17:15+12:00

A challenging solo run down the Otoko gives Kerry Hoglund plenty to think about, but makes for a memorable day. The article is accompanied by images from an earlier descent by Tony Ward-Holmes, Erik Bradshaw, Richard Lang and Jonathan Hunt.

2003-09-13T05:02:19+12:00

In a press release (PDF, 46k) the NZRCA has endorsed the government proposal “to create a new, statutorily recognised status for land, called ‘public domain’ for the seabed and foreshore of New Zealand, in line with other major environment, conservation and outdoor recreation organisations.” The Association welcomes the promotion and recognition of the Queen’s Chain as extremely positive for recreational kayakers and canoeists. The NZRCA is preparing a submission on the proposal and invites kayakers to have input into the submission, or to make their own. You can make your own submission by writing to Foreshore and Seabed Submissions, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, PO Box 55, Wellington or on line at http://www.beehive.govt.nz/foreshore. The deadline for submissions in Friday 3 October.

Access

2003-09-05T00:58:13+12:00

Warren Hales (of HBCC) advises that Genesis Power have to do urgent repairs on the Whakamarino Dam (which
provides water to the Piripaua Power Station, which in turn provides water
to the Waikaretaheke River). These repairs have already started and should take 13
weeks. The Working Bee on 6 September is cancelled, the flow
below Piripaua on 7 September will only be able to be 24 cumecs instead of 28 (probably sufficient for a reasonable paddle), and the Whakamarino releases for 4 and 5 October is cancelled (although we can get 26 cumecs out of Piripaua as compensation). By the time we get to the November releases things should be back to normal.

2003-10-22T10:44:18+13:00

Polly Miller is preparing for foreign adventures, so the Communications Officer position is available to someone who is keen to coordinate the brand and communications activities of the NZRCA. The Education Officer role is also currently vacant, and would suit someone with an interest in kayak and safety instruction. If you would like to get involved in the organisation dedicated to preserving New Zealand’s whitewater resources, then please contact the President, Robin Rutter-Baumann at president@whitewater.mytestsite.nz.

2003-10-31T04:36:28+13:00

[14 October 2003] The planned releases from Meridian Energy for the Tekapo river, Tekapo Whitewater Course and Pukaki river have been added to Events & Releases. 31 October: The Tekapo Whitewater Course releases for Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November have been cancelled due to coordination diffculties.

Access

2003-10-10T03:31:54+13:00

[23 September 2003] Mangahao releases for the coming season have been scheduled for Saturday 25 October, Saturday 6 December and Saturday 20 March 2004 as listed in Events & Releases. Note that the 6 December release is intended to make up for the missed release earlier this year, and is dependent on approval being granted for a variation to the resource consent for the Mangahao dams. Check this site before commiting to a trip. Update: 10 October, the catch-up release for Saturday 6 December has been confirmed by Todd Energy/King Country Energy.

2003-07-10T22:09:01+12:00

Here’s a winter retrospective of paddling adventures with a historical flavour: An account of an 1889 canoe trip by Mannering and Dixon down the Tasman, Pukaki and Waitaki rivers, and as previously published: The Park Brother’s epic journey from Hokitika to Christchurch via the Taramakau and Hokitika rivers, an early descent of the Clarence River, the first descent of Sargoods Weir on the Kawarau and the first descent of Huka Falls.

2003-06-12T10:10:53+12:00

The Rotorua Canoe Club, originally founded in the 1970’s, has a new lease of life.
Contact them at canoekayakclub@hotmail.com or contact Donald Calder on (021) 343 980.

2003-06-23T23:15:58+12:00

According to the FMC Bulletin, April 2003 Air New Zealand have adopted IATA guidelines which allow camping stoves to be checked in providing they are ‘nullified’. Nullification involves completely draining the fuel, allowing the container to stand uncapped for at least 6 hours, or adding cooking oil (which elevates the flash point of any residual fuel), and appropriately sealing the equipment. Check-in staff may require you to sign a declaration form confirming these actions.

2003-07-01T11:02:06+12:00

Now you can access the NZRCA news feed as RSS (What is RSS?). If you are a webmaster, that means you can syndicate NZRCA news items and have them appear on your site (example, using javascript). As a web user, you can read RSS feeds using RSS readers such as NetNewsWire or others.

2003-10-09T20:58:12+13:00

According to the TDC, Jet Boating New Zealand intends applying to extend the area where the 5-knot speed restriction has been uplifted on the Buller River. Currently the speed limit has been uplifted all year round below the confluence of the Mangles River, just north of Murchison. The intended application will relate to lifting that 5-knot speed limit on the Buller River and its tributaries upstream of the Mangles confluence. This will be for the purposes of recreational boating. If consent is granted it will allow all craft access, without speed limitation, further up the Buller, possibly up to the start of the Nelson Lakes National Park. Given the popularity of the Buller catchment rivers with kayakers, removing the speed limit creates additional hazards for paddlers (for example, jetboat on O’Sullivan’s rapid).

2003-10-01T21:42:08+12:00

Alan Bell reports, “The Hutt Gorge turned on a nice flow of 2.0m on the Te Marua gauge for the 2003 Percy Dowse Memorial interclub shield race. Nine teams (30 paddlers in total) ran the Hutt Gorge and had a great paddle followed by a sausage or two. Thanks to everyone who came along. Results were as follows: 1st Hutt A – Lea, Phil Mac, Phil C 45 mins; 2nd VUCC B – Mark, John, James 49 mins; 3rd Ruahine Raiders – Max, Matt, Leon 52 mins. Feedback suggests competition will be fierce next year with more of those old long boats being rescued from under houses, rubbish tips
etc.”

2003-11-06T05:22:09+13:00

Ian Gill-Fox reports “On the weekend of 29-30 November, Venture Out is sponsoring an event at the Tekapo White Water Course in conjunction with the White Water Canoe Club and the Canterbury White Water Racing Group. There will be a Slalom, a Down River Race and a Rodeo. The Rodeo will be judged by Donald Calder and will be a ranking event. The Slalom and DRR are organised by the WWCC and CWWRG. The Slalom is the 3rd in the SI series. Spot prizes will be available for all events. Demo boats from Liquid Logic, Prijon and Necky will be available to try out. All paddlers and spectators welcome, so show up and have a go or just hang out and watch. Further details from ian@ventureout.co.nz.” (Refer Events & Releases for other kayak events.)

2003-10-16T21:11:15+13:00

The MNZ have developed Rule Part 91 – The Navigation Safety Rule. Rule Part 91 became law on March 21, 2003. The new rule makes it compulsory for a certified PFD to be worn at times of “heightened risk”. Kayakers in New Zealand typically wear PFDs as a matter of course, but all kayaking PFDs are currently uncertified (and likely to stay that way for the immediate future). Technically almost everyone paddling since March is breaking the law. The rule apparently also restricts playing on waves and navigation in river channels. Jonathan Hunt and Tony-Ward Holmes provide an overview of Rule Part 91 and its implications for kayakers.

Safety

2003-11-17T08:03:44+13:00

[1 May 2003] Following concern expressed by the NZRCA and other outdoor recreation groups, Air New Zealand has reduced their $50 charge for kayaks and other oversized items to $20. Update 17 November: From 29 October, Air NZ is counting oversize items (eg. kayaks) as part of your checked-in baggage allowance (Domestic Economy allowance is 20kg). Excess baggage charge is $5/kg.

2003-12-09T23:16:01+13:00

[6 October 2003] The Niamh Tomkins Memorial Rodeo is an annual freestyle kayak event at Fulljames rapid on the Waikato River, Taupo, New Zealand, for all skill levels. It is planned for Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December this year. For details, see http://www.kayakhuka.org.nz/rodeo/. Update: 9 December, Mike Birch reports the rodeo ‘went off’ last weekend with Stephan Paetsch (C1), Polly Green (Women’s Open K1), Lawrance Simpson (Men’s Junior K1), Darryl Bayly (Men’s Novice K1) and Nick Wimsett (Men’s Open K1) winning their respective finals. Full results are on the Niamh Tomkins Memorial Rodeo site.

2003-12-12T23:43:44+13:00

The definitive guide to the Whanganui river has been updated for the new season. NZRCA members can receive a discount; refer Order Form (PDF, 12k).

2003-12-19T13:34:01+13:00

To support maintenance work, the NZRCA has agreed to a Meridian Energy request to reschedule the Tekapo River releases from 17 and 18 January to 27 and 28 March 2004.

2003-12-18T23:11:40+13:00

The Summer 2003 (03.3) issue of NZ Canoeing has been dispatched to members and includes articles such as Roll on summer! (Tony Ward-Holmes), Newssplashes (Tony Ward-Holmes), Releases (Tony Ward-Holmes), Public Liability (Glenn Murdoch), Labour weekend on the Clarence (Polly Miller), Alan Hoffman: COTY 2003 (Kirsty Hoffman), Conservation and Access (Anonymous), Steep action in Bolivia (Dave Moore) and Legends of Aotearoa Whitewater: Sargood’s Weir (Tony Ward-Holmes, Robin Rutter-Baumann).

Whitewater NZ

2003-11-09T14:51:00+13:00

Dave Nelson relates a tale of a trip down a flooded Mangorewa River that turned into a weekend epic on 24, 25 May 1997.

2003-11-13T00:20:31+13:00

[10 September 2003] All paddlers are welcomed to the opening of the Evironmental Whitewater Park (8 November 2003) below the Mangahao Dam near Shannon. The opening will include a slalom ranking race and selection for an Athens test event. Following weekends will feature six ProSeries races with cash prizes. Update: 13 November, John Snook advises the ProSeries races have been cancelled due to lack of interest. Kayakers are invited to make use of the water that will be flowing on 15, 22 and 29 November.

2004-01-06T11:16:46+13:00

DoC are conducting a national review of facilities including bridges and huts. There is an overview document (PDF, 283k) and specific proposal documents are available for each region.

Some of these facilities will be relevant to kayakers, for example bridges on the Kokatahi track, Mid-Taipo Hut and Venus Hut on the Karamea. Access to the Kokatahi (from a safety perspective) could be affected by removal of the Top Kokatahi and Crawford Junction. The Mid-Taipo hut is scheduled for expansion, which would enhance the experience of running the Upper Taipo as a multiday option. It is proposed to remove Venus Hut from the Upper Karamea, which could affect paddlers starting high on the river.

Indicate your support or opposition to DoC’s proposals using the online form or a hardcopy form (PDF, 16k), before 31 January 2004.

2004-01-21T00:07:26+13:00

The TEVA 2004 Wairoa Whitewater Extreme Race, organised by Andi Uhl, is on the weekend of February 14 and 15. Pre-entries are requested by 3 February, and you can use an online form. A RED BULL Party is planned for the Saturday night.