It’s time to celebrate a year in the life of the Hutt Valley Canoe Club again, and there have been highs and lows, for the club and for me.
A big plus was the natural flows on Access 10 (on the Tongariro River) for months in spring and early summer, a boon that reminded one of what has been lost. Unfortunately the Wairehu playhole has not eventuated yet. Another highlight has been some great overnight wilderness trips run by a few club members with varying levels of privation. Lea, Jo and Garth discovered the lovely Motu and tried out Lea’s capacious fly. Alan, Kei and Brian discovered a few hardships and produced the most interesting trip report by tackling the Taruarau for the first time on behalf of the club. This trip involved much walking through precipitous Hawke’s Bay farmland and a rather uncomfortable night, but everyone was kept safe and well through good decision-making – knowing when to give up. Kei later said that scouting a new river (new to them) was what kayaking was all about.
In the summer, several members paddled the mighty Karamea River, and this time the weather cooperated with sunshine and low water. This river inspires so much excitement in some people that Max Grant (of Ruahine White Water Club) even drove from Turangi directly to Karamea with no notice rather than miss out! I noticed that many age groups were represented amongst the ten paddlers – 20s, 30s, 40s and 60s, showing the timeless and age-defying nature of whitewater kayaking. The first day gave us stunning views of bush in the sun, a lesson in how to turn a fully-laden kayak more quickly than a super-tanker between the boulders, and a few bony rapids which upped the ante and thrills, not to mention an hour’s walk to look for the elusive hut and sandflies which Mel described as worse than Fiordland. The second day involved over 5 hours of scouting, paddling and excruciating portaging through the enormous and lengthy Roaring Lion rapid. Huge boulders and the necessity of repeated unpacking and packing of the kayaks stuck in the mind. The rapid could be characterised not so much as ‘pool-drop’ as ‘pool-drop-sieve’, and some of us paddled precious little of it, and welcomed the more Buller-like rapids that came after. The final, short day was a treat with just a few long, open, bigger volume grade 4 rapids which could be paddled with heavy boats and only boat-scouting, and everyone stepped up the task, though I proved my theory of how easy it would be to reverse-loop a back-heavy boat with a stern full of gear. I guess these rapids could be compared to the Mohaka, but Jo said that they reminded her of the Arahura!
Events during the year stimulated interesting discussions about safety matters. Foremost amongst these was the vexed issue of the infamous log in our much-loved Hutt Gorge, brought to the fore again by a second paddler passing underneath it. [Matt Gardner of Ruahine White Water Club (plus HVCC) swam in the rapid above and then shimmied through the mass of branches.] Debates covered the points for and against removing the log once and for all, and the majority thought it was worth removing it. Now we just have to find the right time to do the deed, and then it will be “The Log is dead, long live the Gorge.” Another safety discussion was over the issue of first-timers on Access 10, after a succession of trips with people walking out (mostly not HVCC members) culminating in a trip where a young paddler (without footwear) got lost for a while walking out and abandoned his boat in forest, turning up at the Desert Road just before we were about to call the police for a search. The suitability of progressing people to grade 3 on Access 10 was discussed, as well as the pros and cons of choosing to walk out from it, and the minimum requirements for gear, like footwear and warm clothing. It was concluded that we need to take Access 10 seriously regarding the amount of experience a prospective paddler has before attempting it, and that the Hutt Gorge would be improved for lesser paddlers when the log is gone (though it is not available very often, needing rain).
Regular annual events were relished, such as the club weekend at Mangaweka, despite wet weather, again. The two releases on the Mangahao in October were appreciated by many, though the wind was truly awesome on the first trip, pushing our boats around like toys while we were picking through the already technical boulder gardens. A second male-free ‘women on whitewater’ weekend was held on the Mohaka with female paddlers at all levels, and has become an annual fixture – the next one is planned for this month on the Rangitaiki, and a separate one in the south. In the annual Hutt Gorge race, the HVCC club gave the other teams a chance as usual by adding extra difficulty for themselves – last year it was a cracked and sinking boat whilst this year there was a compulsory boat swap part way through! But we don’t want to monopolise the cup (yeah right). The strong VUCC A team won through a second time over HVCC, RWWC and Fergs teams, and the race (and barbecue) was enjoyed by all in nice weather, showing that it is still a good event at low flow. For some of my kayaks, this is the only outing they see in the year (two out of the three boats in the A team)! Lea’s advice is: Alphas rule. So thanks to the teams who represented HVCC – Lea Smith, Ian Bowie and Richard Lineham (our A team), and Eaon Fitzwater, Alan Bell and Kei Takashima (the Bs), and to others who helped to run the event.
On the conservation front, there are multiple pressures coming up on New Zealand’s rivers, from hydro electricity, irrigation, and town supply schemes – the likes of which we have not seen for decades. Rivers which were discarded as prospects years ago are now back on the table, like the Mokihinui, Mokau, Kaituna and Waimakariri. The Resource Management Act will be changed in unknown ways, which might weaken efforts to preserve natural rivers. Locally, we face a possible increase in the amount taken from Hutt River (already plagued by summer algal blooms) and proposals for further reservoirs on tributaries of the Hutt. There has been little public interest in ideas for conserving water as an alternative to building new reservoirs – Wellingtonians use much more water on average per person than people in the other major NZ cities, a little known fact. Alan has continued to assist the NZRCA in their endeavours to save rivers.
Personally, this year has had highs and lows for me too. I (with other HVCC paddlers) have revisited some old familiar rivers which I have been neglecting, like the Rangitikei Gorge and the Wairoa, and paddled Little Huka on the Mokau for the first time. I made it to the West Coast and paddled the Styx (and staggered through the walk-in) and Kakapotahi and then the beautiful Karamea (and staggered through Roaring Lion portage). I finally bought a real Kokatat dry top! Unfortunately things went downhill when I recently dislocated my shoulder on Kaituna’s Tutea Falls. This injury was a common enough event for me from when I was 14 until I had ‘the chop’ at 17. Now I have to face the same demons again.
Thank you to the committee and to any one else who helped to run a trip or pool night or other event, and special thanks to Kathie who has secured more money for boats, just because she can.
So look after your shoulders, and have a good year.
Lucy
