The Taruarau River is a tributary of the Ngaruroro River it has a very steep and tricky gorge below the Napier Taihape Road. It is only runnable through winter and early spring or after rain. It has a great Class III+ – IV section known as the Hot Springs gorge, The run is very highly…
Tag: Through Trip
Thomas River (III & IV/V P) via Mataketake tops
Haast area, West Coast
3 day through trip with good huts, tops, bush bashing and challenging paddling.
Okarito River (II/III)
West coast.
A car to car trip with a variety of paddling, from lake, to easy river to class III rapids to esturary!
Very scenic paddle.
Windley River (III)
A classic packrafting trip; an excellent approach over the tops, followed by clean, challenging paddling through bedrock gorges.
Dingle Burn (III+)
2 day through trip with a crux gorge in the middle.
Long car shuttle, and tricky to get the right flow.
Ruamahanga River (II+) Cleft Creek to Mt Bruce
5hrs to 2 Days
Rain run
Options for through trips or out and back
Wairarapa, North Island
Landsborough River (III / IV or V in spring flows)
A multi-day trip packed with exciting whitewater, dramatic landscapes and strenuous tramping, the Landsborough provides an unforgettable South Westland wilderness adventure for advanced packrafters.
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…
Waimakarirri River Gorge (II) from Mt White to Sheffield
The Waimakariri Gorge is a great Grade 2 overnight trip or long day-trip covering 50 to 60 kms or river, accessible by car at both ends. Being so close to the outdoor recreation focussed population centre of Christchurch, this section of river will probably become one of the most commonly pack-rafted trips in New Zealand….
Grey River (II/III) via the Nina Valley
A long distance through trip that crosses the main divide from east to west. Most people would probably want to allow 4 or 5 days for the trip which is evenly split with 50km of trekking and 50km of paddling. Some off-track navigation is required and the class III Gentle Annie gorge has no easy…
Okuru River (I/III/IV-)
3 days including a challenging approach or a cruisy overnighter using heli-access
South Westland
Pororari River (I) swingbridge to SH6
A short scenic float through a huge limestone gorge, this could be the last section of a trip on the Inland Packtrack, or a short out and back from Punakaiki. Thanks to Elias Love for the photos and info. View Larger Topographic Map Pororari River Track Its about 1hr up the track to the swingbridge…
Taipo River (II/III, with optional IV/V top section) via Harman Pass
The Taipo below Julia Hut is already well known as a heli-kayaking run, with some detailed paddling information in the Whitewater NZ river guide book. Taipo means ”devil” or evil spirit in Maori. It is interesting because Maori used it thinking it was English and the early English settlers used it thinking it was Maori….
Waiohine River (III/IV) From Mid Waiohine
Updated 2020 by Martin Robertson The Waiohine has a fearsome reputation as a Gorge trip with many tube trips being completed over the years but possibly just as many being aborted. It is the classic Tararua Gorging trip, and with the right flows a brilliant pack raft. Its definitely not one to underestimate. The river…
Mikonui River (II)
Fantastic beginner run with a wilderness feel
Maruia River (III) Cannibal Gorge to Maruia Springs
One of a series of ‘teaser’ trip pages for those heading to the 2017 NZ Packrafting Meetup. Thanks to Hugh Canard for the information. I’m hopeful that the Meetup will result in a little more info plus a few photos so we can expand these pages. View Larger Topographic Map St James Walkway to Cannibal…
Pelorus River (II/III) from Roebuck Hut to Pelorus Bridge
A classic intermediate overnighter, with decent tracks, huts and gorgeous gorges. There’s heaps of ways to enjoy the Pelorus, from grade I day trips to weekend grade III through trips. With a little imagination, the choice is yours! Thanks to Bryan Moore for the trip updates. Feature image is credit to Dulkara Martig Collection. View…
Upper Waiau River (III/IV) from Lake Guyon to Hope River
The Upper Waiau has long been regarded by the NZ Paddling community as a classic multi-day intermediate trip. Access was usually by Helicopter or walking in over Mailings pass, an expensive or exhausting option with hardshell kayaks. The below information is from a packraft trip by Chris Coutts and Thomas Land in January 2015. Chris…
Ngaruroro River (II-IV) Kuripapango to Whanawhana
This section does not have any huts, so any packrafters would need to take camping gear. Quite a popular run with local Kayak clubs. No walking required, but a few options for side trips. There’s more information and links to other photos and trip reports on the Ngaruroro Kuripapango to Whanawhana on Rivers.org.nz webpage. View…