We attempted the Kokatahi River last Friday. We just got back to the Westcoast from our trip down south. The Kokatahi is a beautiful river close to the township of Hokitika and is a major tributary of the Hokitika River. The only way to get to the put in is by Heli. We had a crew of seven, meeting up around 11am at the take out. When we arrived there the Heli was already ready to go, so Keith and myself hurried up to get going. While strapping our boats to the Heli's rig the rest arrived. It was my first time flying in a Helicopter and I really enjoyed it.
After a couple of flights we were all at the put in. Without taking a lot of time we set up to tackle the upcoming rapids. We got downstream at a good pace.
About one or two kilometers into the run Arnd ended up swimming. Luckily Keith spotted him next to the cave on Cover Drop and got him out of there while Severin, Julian and myself bombed down the river a bit to far. With the boat stuck in the cave Arnd started walking out. The rest of the crew continued downstream.
That river is a gem. It is challenging, remote and indescribably beautiful but the last major rapid called Skateboard Ramp sent me back to reality.
Just a little bit off line I went deep into a hole and got pushed back onto the stern of my kayak. My left shoulder moved out of place and I let my paddle go and pulled the skirt. Holding my arm tight to my body I resurfaced and grabbed Keith's rope with the other hand. While holding the rope my shoulder moved back into place. Still without a stable stand my boat was floating by down the river into the next rapid. Julian was able to catch my paddle. After climbing up on the rocks I took my paddle and moved downstream with the hope to find my boat. Severin also raced after it. To make a long story short we never found the boat and about 2 hours later we reunited at the cars at take out. Just Arnd was still somewhere up in the mountains. He made it out safe the same night around midnight.
About one or two kilometers into the run Arnd ended up swimming. Luckily Keith spotted him next to the cave on Cover Drop and got him out of there while Severin, Julian and myself bombed down the river a bit to far. With the boat stuck in the cave Arnd started walking out. The rest of the crew continued downstream.
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| one of a couple tight gorges |
That river is a gem. It is challenging, remote and indescribably beautiful but the last major rapid called Skateboard Ramp sent me back to reality.
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| Skateboard Ramp |
The next days we took a break from kayaking. One day we spent hiking back up the river as far as possible but didn't find either the boat or any other equipment which has been inside.
Even though it is a pain in the ass with all that equipment lost but at least I'm safe.
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| "Was laberscht du?" |
It was time for us to move on and we headed north to huck Maruia Falls. Well, at least Flo did!
Now it's time for the North Island! Here we come....
Cheers,
David
Cheers,
David
Cool. I explored the Kokatahi recently, and jumped off the Marui Falls back in 1973. Great page, cheers. Check out my pics stevereekie.co.nz (New Zealand Wild) :)
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