The lower Kaituna gorge is an exciting run in a scenic gorge through jointed ignimbrite which is deeply incised to form a narrow chasm. It is a lower grade than the upstream gorges (none of those are Packraft friendly). This run is pushy and relentless! It is for experienced groups where everyone is capable of looking after themselves and others.
To get to the Put-in
About 2km south of Paengaroa turn into Maungarangi Road. Leave a shuttle vehicle at the road bridge and then follow the road to the end. A 40 minute walk through pine forest on a four wheel drive track leads to the put-in.
The forestry track is private land so ensure you have permission before proceeding. About 500m down the track veer left after passing under the power lines and veer left again another kilometre on, the track drops gradually down to the river (see topo map below).
On the River
The river is quite wide at the put in and is easy Class II. It continues in this form for 20 minutes before entering a narrow gorge. Take off your sunnies (it’s dark in there) and tighten your thigh straps for the ride!
The Entry Chute rapid (III+) is the most challenging rapid in the gorge. It will rock you out of whatever sense of security the first section gave you. An initial drop propels you to a swift line along the left wall buffer wave and then folds back into another hole. If you’ve boofed these and held on you’re in for a 50 metre section of very turbulent, boily and seamy water.
Like the upper Kaituna gorges the river is very pushy, even between rapids, and gear recovery can be challenging. We lost a paddle in the Entry Chute rapid and recovered it 10 minutes later when it magically reappeared from the depths a good distance downstream. If you want to appreciate what these deep ignimbrite ravines look like below the water surface check out the Aniwhenua above the falls or better still the Aratiatia dam release. This should inspire you to stay in your boat or hang on at all cost!
Because the gorge is pushy it is important to carefully manage swimmers and gear recovery in the event of a capsize. There are few eddies and even fewer places to get out of the water to access spare paddles or set safety (although this is seldom necessary).
The lower gorge is very narrow and prone to log jams. At February 2025 a full width log was present across the gorge. Fortunately it is located in a location with weak current.
After about an hour the other notably larger rapid appears on a right hand corner. This rapid has a large boulder in the centre of the channel with a fan of water splaying and spraying off that and a turbulent channel on river left. This is labelled Fantail Rock on the Google Earth file. (Apologies if these rapids have actual names drop me a line and I’ll change them).
The gorge opens out to a wider river valley and the gradient becomes quite flat and barely Class II for a further hours paddle down to the road bridge take out.
View Larger Topographic Map