The Whanganui River Journey

Day 178 (December 23, 2018) – Taumarunui, North Island, New Zealand

New Zealand has thousands of hiking trails, but they note only a select number of them as being Great Walks, meaning that they are some of the best hiking New Zealand has to offer. However, one of these Great Walks is not a walk at all, but a river journey. The Whanganui River Journey is a 5-day canoe or kayak trip down 145 kilometers of the Whanganui River on the North Island. This is what we were going to spend our last week in New Zealand doing, but first we had to get there.

Repacking all our stuff after hiking down from Mueller Hut in the early morning. And a curious bird coming to inspect.

In what felt like possibly the longest day of our entire trip, we woke up at the top of a mountain in Mueller Hut before dawn, hiked all the way down, repacked all our bags in the car park, drove the four hours from Mt. Cook National Park to Christchurch, dropped the rental car off, took a shuttle to the airport, flew from Christchurch to Wellington, took a taxi to our hotel, showered for the first time in days, and finally managed to get to bed. The strangest part of the trip was that we never had to go through security or have our IDs checked before getting on the flight. It was a really short flight and one of the fastest ways to get from the South to North Island.

Driving past the massive Mount Ruapehu on the bus. It's an active volcano that you can ski on in winter. How cool is that?

The next morning, we woke up and made our way to the Wellington bus station to catch the 6-hour ride to Taumarunui. We arrived in Taumarunui in the afternoon and made our way to the grocery store to pick up our food for the next seven days. You’d think we’d have gotten better at grocery shopping for camping at this point, but it still took us forever. An hour later we finished shopping and got picked up by Taumarunui Canoe Hire, who brought us, our luggage, and all our groceries to their facilities where we could set up camp for the night. We spent most of the remaining evening repacking our bags yet again and sorting through our stuff to decide what was going with us on the canoe and what was going to be left behind. We would be returning here for one more night of camping at the end of the trip.

Walking to the grocery store in Taumarunui.

The morning of our first official day on our Whanganui River Journey started with a safety briefing. They gave us some pointers on how to navigate the river and showed some video clips of people doing things the right way and the wrong way. While the Whanganui River is a lazy river in many parts there are also a fair number of rapids. Doing things the wrong way on a rapid usually ends in the canoe being tipped over and you being dumped into the river. We were hoping to avoid taking any unexpected swims. I found their refresher course to be really helpful, but Travis reminded me that he had his canoeing merit badge from way back in the day so I was sure we’d do just fine.

Looking over the camping spot at Taumarunui Canoe Hire.

We were given six barrels and sent back to our tent to pack our belongings into them. Five small barrels were guaranteed to be water tight, three packed with food two with clothing and personal items. The last barrel was much larger than the rest and could fit the tent, mattress pads, and other camping equipment, but it wasn’t guaranteed to be water tight. These items were too big to fit in the smaller ones, so we had to take our chances and go with it.

It's New Zealand, so of course there is a sheep and a baby cow just hanging out around the yard.

Down at the river we learned how to strap the barrels into the canoe, with the five small ones wedged into the center and the big one on its side in the front. After demonstrating to the canoe rental company that we had enough competency to maneuver around on the water we were pushed off and on our way.

Packing the last of our barrels before heading out.

Being in the canoe was a bit awkward at first and took some time to get used to. Everything had to be strapped down, so nothing other than a water bottle tied to our seats was very accessible. For the most part, when we were in the canoe the only thing we were doing was paddling. We’d paddle to the shore if we ever needed to get anything out of the barrels. This also made it really difficult to take pictures, but Travis kept his phone in his pocket so we could get a few. We never got a shot of any of the excitement on the river because as soon as we approached swift moving water the phone went away and we went back to paddling and trying to keep the boat upright.

First photo on the river. Almost all our photos for the next five days look like this. Not much else you can really do in a boat.

Just around the corner from where we pushed off were our first set of rapids. It was trial by fire, but we got through them, even if we were a bit sloppy. There were a lot of dead trees and debris in the water during the first couple days, making them the most challenging. It was sometimes hard to see what was ahead, but we could usually see the location of big waves and trees that had fallen into the river. It’s kind of frightening when you can see these huge waves ahead of you and you have no choice but to literally go with the flow. There is no slowing down or going back, only forward. And we’re only in a canoe, not an inflatable raft that is usually used on river rapids.

After only 15 minutes on the river we got hungry and pulled over for breakfast.

We eventually starting to get the hang of things. Go for the center of water flow and paddle hard. As we got better, we could try and hit the rapids just off center which got us through all the same, but we’d get less wet and take on less water. I was at the front of the canoe and spent most of the day wet, getting constantly splashed by water and having to sit in my flooded seat. In the back of the boat Travis got a lot less wet, but he was responsible for bailing us out when needed.

Travis showing off his canoeing merit badge skills.

The scariest part of the first day was towards the end when we were started to hit our stride. We were approaching a particularly intense set of rapids along an S curve of the river. As we’re approaching and scoping out the best path, a jet boat approaches us from behind. We were told that we could encounter these along the way and not to worry so much about the boat itself but worry more about the wake it leaves behind. Fortunately, the driver did us a favor and slowed down as he passed us, preventing us from having to deal with his wake, and then ripped it through the rapids. It was crazy how fast he made it through them, but the faster the boat goes the less clearance it needs, so they go as fast as they can through shallow and turbulent parts of the river. We didn’t have the boat to worry about anymore, but it completely ruined our approach into the rapids. By the time we learned that the wake wasn’t going to tip us over we were entering the start of the rapids. We were pretty much as the mercy of the river. We had no speed, which meant we couldn’t steer, but we made it through ok. Luck was on our side that first day.

A very fancy coffee and cake at the lavender farm.

The nicest surprise on the first day was when we stopped for coffee. We were told there was a small coffee shop accessible from the river just before our campsite. We pulled the boat over to the shore, tied it to a tree, and hiked up a muddy staircase to a stunningly beautiful lavender farm. It was shockingly fancy, with a perfectly manicured lawn and a few groups of very well-dressed patrons enjoying their afternoon tea and snacks. We felt so out of place. We arrived dripping wet, wearing swim suits and life jackets. Our water shoes were soaked through and leaving wet, muddy footprints behind us. Despite our casual dress, we ordered a couple cappuccinos and a slice of carrot cake, and sat on the patio enjoying the smell of lavender and pretending we were better dressed for the occasion.

The fancy lavender farm 

Not much farther from the lavender farm we arrived at the Ohinepane campsite. We parked the canoe, untied the barrels, and lugged them up the hill to the campsite. Carrying barrels up and down hills would become routine, but it always remained an awkward activity. The day had been mostly overcast and soon after arriving it started to rain. We made dinner under the shelter and got acquainted with a couple others who were on the same itinerary as us.

Setting up camp at Ohinepane.

Walking along the river at the Ohinepane camp site and checking out the first set of rapids we'd encounter the next morning, just around the corner.

The start of our second day was not promising. It was raining and gave no sign of stopping. We took our time with breakfast, but there was no hope. We had to pack up and push off in the rain. The second day, like the first day, took us through dozens of rapids. We were getting wet from the rapids, but it didn’t make much difference seeing as we were already soaked form the rain. The worst part was how cold it made us. The life jacket held in some warmth, as did my rain jacket and rain pants, but we spent most of the day freezing and completely soaked. We felt doomed to a repeat performance of our Saint James Walkway trek. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and the sun eventually came out many hours after we started paddling, but it gave us a chance to thaw and dry ourselves out.

A moment of happiness when the rain stopped and the sun started to shine. It would still be a long time until we got completely dry.

All the streams were overflowing from the rain and cascading as waterfalls into the river. It made the scenery much more interesting but I’m not sure if it was worth the cost of being wet all day.

Paddling past white cliffs.

One of the hundreds of waterfalls we passed, surging from the rain earlier in the day. 

With all the rain going into the river we made really good time to our next campsite at Whakahoro. The campsite was nice and spacious and had great facilities, but the canoe launch point was terrible. For starters, we had to paddle a ways up a small side river against the current. Then, when we finally got there, there was hardly any bank to park the canoe on. It was just a steep, muddy slope up from the water. There wasn’t any room to pull the canoe up onto land, so it just sat in the river overnight. The worst part was trying to maneuver the barrels out of the boat, up the steep bank, and then carrying them along a gravel road until we reached the campsite. It was a surprisingly far distance to have to lug these awkward barrels along.

At the Whakahoro camp site.

The third day of the trip was a good one. The weather was great, and we had entered the Whanganui National Park area. There were no more roads from here until the end. The only remaining road access was at the end of our trip in three days’ time. The river banks were becoming steep and more canyon-like. The river was getting larger and the rapids were less frequent from here on out. There were plenty of fast-moving sections to keep us on our toes but we had to spend a lot more time paddling to keep moving.

One of our nicest days on the river.

Canoeing through the Whanganui National Park, where the river was most beautiful. 

Looking cool on the river.

The foliage was incredible. It felt a bit Jurassic Park-like. We kept waiting for some giant creature to come crashing through the trees, but we really only saw birds. 

We were some of the first people to arrive at our next camp, John Coull, but we were not going to be the last. It was late afternoon when it started to rain so we took shelter under the cooking facilities. We waited out the rain and watched as a large family arrived, drenched from the rain but trying to keep their kids in high spirits as they moved their barrels up the hill to the campsite. Then another huge family arrived. It was starting to get a little full at this point. And then more and more families arrived. It turned out there was a huge group of people going on a giant group trip together. So much for being out in nature. We were out in the middle of nowhere but surrounded by hundreds of people and their tents and stacks of waterproof barrels. It was crazy. We couldn’t wait to get out of there.

All the canoes from a giant group of people sharing our campsite at John Coull. There was hardly any room left on the beach. We were one of the first to push off the next morning... once we found our canoe.

We woke up early on our fourth day, eager to make our escape. We had become friends with a few other people on the same trip as us and we all decided that we were going to make an early departure so we could paddle to a campsite further downriver from the one that we, and this giant tour group, were supposed to stay at that night. It was going to be around nine hours of paddling in a single day, but we were all determined.

Paddlers on the river.

We had another nice day with lots of sun. Parts of the river were so still and slow moving that we really had to paddle hard to make any sort of progress, while other parts were intense, with rapids forming from lots of water trying to fit through too narrow a space. The scenery was still beautiful and being on the water was peaceful. We stopped occasionally for snacks and lunch, including at the Tīeke Kāinga campsite, where we were supposed to be spending the night. While there we had an afternoon snack and reconfirmed our group’s commitment to continue onward to the next camp.

Canoeing past green cliffs and waterfalls for most of the day.

It was slow going the entire rest of the way until just before the camp. We could see the sign for the Ngāporo camp, but between us and shore was an enormous standing wave rapid. It was the largest we had encountered yet, and we spent a little too much time trying to figure out if we had to go through it or if there was an alternative path. We decided to stick with what we knew and hit it straight on and as fast as we could go, but we spent too long making our decision and had a slow start.

Another nice day on the water.

We hit the first standing wave and after rolling down the back side of it I was looking at a giant wall of water. The water from this wave was feet above my head. I gave up my paddling and held on tight as we went straight through it, scooping up a canoe-full of water. I was absolutely drenched. The remaining waves were a bit of a blur. I was more concerned with holding on rather than paddling. We made it out of the rapids, but we had taken on a comical amount of water. Travis and I were looking at each other, both trying to keep the boat balanced upright as we’re sitting in water up to our seats. Just as we determined that we able to keep the canoe balanced, the barrels, that had been wedged into the center, popped out and started floating in the canoe and out onto the river, all held together by their rope. It turned out that the barrels were quite buoyant and their wedging into the center of the boat had been keeping us afloat. Without them the boat sunk to the surface of the water and there was nothing we could do at that point. We jumped out and went for a swim.

Struggling to paddle through a slow section. Little did we know that shortly we'd be going for a swim.

We floated down the river a bit until it slowed enough for us to start swimming the canoe and all our barrels back to shore. The water was warm, but we were still wearing more clothes than we would have liked had we known we were going for a swim. We managed to make it to shore along with all our belongings but were a bit shaken and started to feel cold in the breeze. At least we swamped out so close to camp. We were able to call it a day and set up our tent at the Ngāporo campsite, which was the nicest campsite of the whole canoe trip. It had great views of the river and just like we had hoped, there were only a few sets of campers there. We changed out of our wet clothes and had a hot cup of tea to warm up. We confirmed that all of our barrels where, in fact, waterproof, as was Travis’ phone which went for a swim with him in his pants’ pocket.

The Ngāporo campsite was the best of the trip. Great views of the river.

Parked canoes at Ngāporo. This was where our canoe was supposed to be, but we were still helplessly floating down the river here and managed to swim ourselves ashore just around the corner.

We didn’t have very far to paddle on the last day, so we slept in later than usual and had a leisurely breakfast. After our spill in the river the day before we were a little intimidated to get back on the water again. We lost a lot of our confidence and found ourselves dreading what came around every corner. As we continued along the river and through various rapids, we started to slowly get our confidence back again.  

Our last breakfast on the river. You can't really see the rapids, but right behind us is where we swamped out.

There was one more huge set of rapids that we encountered towards the end, but we were determined to make it through without tipping over and we paddled like maniacs. We did awesome. We hit it just off-center and hardly took on any water. We waited for a New Zealand couple who were coming through behind us, just in case anything happened to them. Sure enough, they weren’t going fast enough and their canoe capsized. We started back paddling to see if we could offer any assistance, but they were laughing their heads off and having the time of their lives in the water. They made me think that maybe we were taking things a bit too seriously; after all, it’s only water. Regardless, we were still proud of our awesome performance on the last day and we ended feeling like we really learned how to handle ourselves on the river.

Last day on the river.

We made it to the pick-up point at Pipiriki with plenty of time to spare. As we waited for our ride, waves of boats started arriving from the huge group that we had passed up. We were glad we hadn’t spent another night with them. They must have had at least 20 canoe’s worth of people and supplies with them.

We made it to the pick-up point. 

As did everyone else in the massive group of people we were trying to avoid. And just look at all the canoes coming in, still out on the water!

We drove back to Taumarunui and set up our tent one last time. We made dinner and went to bed feeling pretty accomplished after completing our third New Zealand “trek”. We may have missed our goal of not going for any unintentional swims, but it only added to the experience.

The last night we'd spend in our tent!

The next day we got a ride to downtown Taumarunui where we had the most delicious plate of fish and chips ever, followed by a cup of coffee, and a long bus ride to Auckland. We had Christmas Eve dinner at a Japanese restaurant and then went to bed. The next day we spent Christmas walking around downtown Auckland and at the airport where we had a flight to Sydney.

We spent Christmas Eve in Auckland and had a flight on Christmas day to Sydney.