This is a packrafting overnight run that starts on the lower slopes of Ruapehu and bounces its way down to join the Whanganui below Owhango. Most of the flow off Ruapehu is diverted to the Tongariro Power Scheme so it’s best after heavy rain but grade is heavily flow dependant. The Whakapapa is renowned with…
Category: Manawatu-Wanganui
The Rangitikei Canyon (II/II+) River Valley Lodge to Vinegar Hill
The headwaters of the Rangitikei run through the Kaimanawa Range, offering a classic and challenging wilderness multiday trip. A while after crossing State Highway 5 (The Napier-Taihape road) there is a short, sharp class V gorge that ends at River Valley Lodge. The “Rangitikei Canyon” begins here, and offers a very scenic 2-4 day…
Upper Rangitikei (III/IV)
This hard to get to and hard to time remote experience is one of the North Islands best-kept secrets. From tussock covered desert plateau to beech forest, to scrub and high country sheep station it has so much scenery packed in. It is also one of our premier trout fisheries and is protected by a…
Mangahao (III+ / IV)
This has always been regarded as the premier Tararua river for kayaking but it is dammed. On scheduled release days it was pretty popular and has some heavy Class IV features unsuitable for Packrafts. It was once a popular tubing river in low flows but residual flows are insufficient for it to receive much paddler…
Manganui-a-te-ao (II+) from Ruatiti (III) from Hoihanga
A shorter and more exciting alternative to the Wanganui multi day. The Manganui-a-te-ao is tucked away between Raetahi and the Wanganui River. It’s a better option than the Wanganui in a packraft as it has some decent rapids over the first two thirds of the trip. Trout and Whio abound and the scenery ranges from…
Whangaehu (III)
The Whangaehu is a great Class III river with the unique feature of draining the Crater Lake on Mt Ruapehu. It’s not one to take a swim in as the water is acidic! But take some fresh drinking water and enjoy the continuous rapids. It’s a recurring theme in these parts that the river has…
Mangahao ParkRafting Centre (III)
The Mangahao Slalom Course is a short stretch of artificial Class III water that can be run over and over all day. It’s Parkrafting at its best; just park and play. The catch is they only run the powerhouse and spill water into the Mangaore Stream during times of high electricity demand or excess rainfall….
Rangitikei River Utiku to Mangaweka (II)
This is a scenic Class II run in a river that always has enough flow for a paddle. It is a great learners trip with eddies and play waves and an excellent camp ground at the take out. It feels more remote than it is due to the nature of the gorge. It’s best to…
Upper Whanganui (II+/III)
This trip explores 36km of the seldom-paddled upper reaches of the mighty Whanganui River, which stretches from its beginnings on the flanks of Mt Tongariro, to the mouth near Whanganui, 290km away. Most people have floated down the spectacular sections below Taumarunui, but we were interested in exploring the upstream section where it flows through…