On our first working week, Friday was cut short by being bundled into Dave’s van and heading to the Rangitiki River for the weekend, to a free campsite at the Anawhenua Power Station. As plans changed along the way, we switched into Greg’s car, which turned out to be quite good as we got to have a sneaky burger stop along the way to keep us going until meeting for dinner in Tirau! The campsite was very nice for a free campsite, with proper toilets and even a solar shower! As soon as we got there Sean was planning a return trip sometime for training!
On Saturday we all set off to do the Anawhenua section of the river, an easy Grade II. There were quite a lot of beginners with us though, so care was needed. I took our youngest paddler, a boy called Campbell, down the river in a topo duo (2 person boat) which was fun, though he really didn’t appreciate getting splashed, so gave out to me for heading for the parts with most waves! Sean was also in a topo duo with Campbell’s mum, Karrn, having her second ever time in a kayak. There were about 16 of us there in all, though some stayed dry and went up and down the river in the prototype jet boat with Dave.
That evening, making dinner was a bit chaotic, by lamplight, with everyone trying to be helpful somehow. Spaghetti Bolognese made by over a dozen people… We ended up with a team of spaghetti makers, including a Director, Manager, and me, the stirrer. It was fantastic spaghetti when we were finished with it!
The next day a smaller group of us did the Anawhenua section again. This time I was in a boat on my own (a Rad 180 which felt really tiny after the big topo duo) and looking after Karrn, who did really well on the white water bits, but did manage to fall over on a flat bit! Later on, six of us; Dave, Nic, Greg, Chris, Sean and I, did the mid section of the river, which was fun. It’s really Grade II but it’s so continuous it merits a Grade III rating. The water level was a bit low but we enjoyed it, and would love to do it again when it’s a bit higher.
On Saturday we all set off to do the Anawhenua section of the river, an easy Grade II. There were quite a lot of beginners with us though, so care was needed. I took our youngest paddler, a boy called Campbell, down the river in a topo duo (2 person boat) which was fun, though he really didn’t appreciate getting splashed, so gave out to me for heading for the parts with most waves! Sean was also in a topo duo with Campbell’s mum, Karrn, having her second ever time in a kayak. There were about 16 of us there in all, though some stayed dry and went up and down the river in the prototype jet boat with Dave.
That evening, making dinner was a bit chaotic, by lamplight, with everyone trying to be helpful somehow. Spaghetti Bolognese made by over a dozen people… We ended up with a team of spaghetti makers, including a Director, Manager, and me, the stirrer. It was fantastic spaghetti when we were finished with it!
The next day a smaller group of us did the Anawhenua section again. This time I was in a boat on my own (a Rad 180 which felt really tiny after the big topo duo) and looking after Karrn, who did really well on the white water bits, but did manage to fall over on a flat bit! Later on, six of us; Dave, Nic, Greg, Chris, Sean and I, did the mid section of the river, which was fun. It’s really Grade II but it’s so continuous it merits a Grade III rating. The water level was a bit low but we enjoyed it, and would love to do it again when it’s a bit higher.
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