Andy: A new twist today - Wendy rafts, and Steve and I kayak. Our objective was the Rangitata Gorge, a technical (grade 4+) big water (4000 cfs) gorge run. A storm had blown in, so the river was pushy and Steve and I were somewhat nervous about the run. Wendy made the smart choice and opted to raft the run with Rangitata Raft Company. They're kayaker friendly, and happily strapped our kayaks atop their rafts for the shuttle. Of course, they made us climb on top of the five rafts and strap our own kayaks down. Very sporty, and only in New Zealand would a company let strange kayakers tie their kayaks on top of 20 feet of rafts! In fact, only in New Zealand would a company let two strange kayakers follow them down a difficult river without even asking if we knew how to roll! Personal responsibility is assumed and expected by everyone in New Zealand, and it's rather refreshing.
Being chickens, we figured we'd follow Wendy's raft down the river. Of course, the rafting companies in New Zealand aim their rafts directly at the holes on the river - and after the first rapid of raft following we quickly decided we needed to read the river for ourselves. In the end, we all had a fine adventure - though there were some nervous moments as we were left behind by the raft company to find our own way down the river. Steve even found his way into and through a happy river feature named "The Pig's Trough".
These black labs at the Rangitata Rafting Company felt compelled to
help me load up my kayak. Notice the ski cap -
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Big water fun on the Rangitata!
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A great gorge with lots of rapids
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Wendy, being a lemming and jumping off the 30' jump (she hates jumps!)
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Wendy's raft - buried in a feature affectionately known as the "Pig's Trough".
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