7 Hour Crusade

With txts flying back and forth Gus and my self to head to the coast 4 the weekend, as we pulled into hokitika we were shocked to see people watering their lawns and the grass was starting to burn off, we later learn from the old man that it hadn't rained in the last 3 week witch is what we didn’t want to here. Arriving at around 3 we headed off to the Totara to lose some plastic off our boats, we could drive rite to the tree line in the Telstar so that knocked 10min off the walk, the Totara walk in usually cosiest of water and need deep mud BUT on this rear occasion there was simply no mud, this was the lowest I have ever run the toroha as we scraped and bashed our way down we glad to get our of there and head home 4 a feed and a sleep sleep.
Day 2, rumours were flying that there was a crew heading into the Arahura on Sunday we took it easy and headed into the Styx, with Jared given Gus a serious ass kicking in the walk in(that’s rite 15min I waited, and he started before me ; ) the day was set. The flow was low and made lines bit trickery but we managed

me on a very low styx

Ones arriving back to my crib Gus discovers a nice wee crack in his mystic right under his bum hole (note he has only paddled it 7 times mahah). No problem we get the gas torch onto the old girl and Maori her up and things were all G or so we thought. With those rumours still flying we finally pick our bulls up and decide to join the crew that is hitting the Arahura up. We meet the boys down the beach for a few beers and share the odd yarn over the campfire. The team consisted of two Poms 2 Yanks and four Kiwis. As the night life started to pick up we rolled down town 4 the odd beer or two as we had a 9am start the night had to be cut short.
The nerves started to pick up as Bruce landed but handing over the 90 bucks you just new it was going to be a sweet trip. After the 45min chopper shuttle we head on down things were action packed rite from the start and the nerves pumping but a soon as I hit my first boof move over a 2m drop the nerves stoped and the smiles started working our way down the steep gradient you had to keen your head up the hole time.
We come to our first major drop called dent falls after scouting the boys decided to run the 4m drop with only ben putting a nice wee dent in his new mamba. We then managed our way down to a drop called curtn call this drop in one of the most photographed drops around with every1 running it sweet you couldn’t resist going back 4 more. Rich the yank thought it would be a good idea to run it with no deck (I do not no why) after this boat did about a thundered cartwheels it was finally pulled out. After some more nice class, four we enter the next crux raped called billiards only Jordan Rich Andy and Alex run this bad boy. The next Mac daddy drop that Becton was the cesspit as the name suggest its not the nicest place to f$%k up so safety was set up and after the fab 4 finally made there mind up, they all aced it. The 7 hours was the best of my kayaking life so far, a grate trip all round.

Dent falls









cesspit

billiards








curtn call

just some of the meny drops

COAST MISSION, LABOR WEEKEND

labour weekend came around this year with plans to do a two day trip into the upper Waiau. But... the farmer didn't like the idea of us walking through their farm so that plan turned out to be a big flop.
lucky for us we aren't dicouraged very easily and we had been given a grant for kayaking from the CPSA so we made the most of it and busted a move to the West Coast and bunked with the Mitchel's for 5 days.
With plenty of rain there was plenty to do and we got 6 runs in total with a heli trip into the lower Hokitika amongst them.

Marlow at the put in for Lower Kakapotahi

Jamie amoungst it on Lower Kakapotahi

Jarred checking out the rocks

Soph dominating


the landing pad for the lower Hokitika

Kakariki CanyonAnother great trip all round courtesy of the CPSA! Churr