The morning came early. It was raining today. Ugh. Not sure if the rain will cancel rafting or not. Two calls to the company, River Valley Lodge, early in the morning yielded an answering machine. We decided to just chance it and head that way. What’s the worst that can happen? The road there was windy and narrow, descending into the valley as it got worse and turned to mud. Upon arrival we were greeted and told that not much stops the rafting here… A typical New Zealand sentiment. After a brief discussion, some gear fitting, and a change of clothing we were off in some vans to hit the river!
A quick safety speech, a photo and a fast slide into the river and presto we are off. Once in the river our guide helped us figure out safety issues, paddeling issues, and personal issues… Kind of like a bartender. The views from inside the raft were incredible. Trees, plants, birds, and most of all valley rock walls. Wide to narrow the river pushed us down the valley providing the occasional thrilling rapid and the constantly improving views. Rapids ranged from class 2 through class 5. A few watherfall drops, large rocks, and suck holes made the expodition exciting and fun! The trip was short (half day) but fun and the friendly informative guides were quite enjoyable. Sadly the pictures taken by the crew were 80 NZD which seems quite expensive to me. Overall the rafting here is a blast and I would recommend it to anyone brave enough to try!
River Valley Lodge – here is a link to their website.