A fantastic beginner’s run with a wilderness feel and great scenery, the Mikonui is a hidden gem on the West Coast. There are few other rivers on the Coast that combine the accessibility, grade II water and wilderness feel. Either run it as a day trip with a (long) shuttle, or head a short distance up to Mikonui Flats hut to make an easy overnighter.
Thanks to Kelvin Montagu and Liz Saunders for the information and photos.
Shuttle: From Mikonui Bridge, SH6 to Totara Valley Road
The shuttle is 25 km long, and the road is a little rough in places. Reasonable clearance is needed, and 4WD might come in handy. You could try asking at the pub or local store if you need help with the shuffle.
The take out is on river left of the Mikonui bridge on SH6, 4.5 km past Ross. This is also a good time to check water level as there is no gauge.
To get to the put in point head back through Ross towards Hokitika, turn off SH6 onto the Totara Valley Road (a couple of km north of Ross). Totara Valley Road is a mix of 2wd mixed sealed and gravel road.
At the Totara Valley Road end walk across the river flats to the main channel. The paddle could be extended by walking further upstream to Mikonui Flat hut (3km). The Mikonui River above the hut has been packrafted and as with all coast rivers it is a more serious trip the higher you start.
Mikonui River (II with a portageable III) below the hut
Under normal flows it’s a nice grade II trip with one grade III rapid. Nothing tricky on the river and all rapids can be portaged if needed. Red Granite creeks waterfalls are worth a look (river left near the start).
In high flows (ie river turbulent and near breaching the banks) it is a high volume grade III paddle with large waves and some big holes.
Gauge
Visual at the SH6 road bridge.
The Mikonui River has a smaller catchment than the bigger Coast rivers making it’s a good option after heavy rain as it drops quickly. But beware the road access can be interesting. When we paddled the river there had been 180mm in the last 48hours..
