The Nevis River

 Who would have thought on the 12^th of January the nevis river would be flowing! Well it was and we got it! Draining the Garvie and Hector mountain range the Nevis River drops steeply through amazing Otago countryside on its 16 km journey to meet the Kawarau river. If you like your creekin' on the steep side of very then this is the river for you. Make sure you pack your elbow pads!! It is the best in the region and offers some of the sickest, consistent hard boating in the country. There are so many drops and rapids on this wee gem.

Good racks go a long way

The Run starts off with mellow start. You get about 2.5 km or so of boogie water to warm up on and get the blood flowing before a manky rapid just above the obvious Slot Gorge which is a “mandatory” portage. (But in saying that Nick fired it up) Some people say to throw you boats and go others say take the hit on a flat landing as there are some shallow rock below as one of the american boys found out the day before. He decided to take the advice of one of the boys who doesn't have the best track record of jumping off stuff and ended up smashing his ankle is three places. So that ended in the team walking out, choppers getting called and ending Peacher New Zealand trip. 

Boat Brake, Ankle Brake! Sam doing his best to avoid both

After this, this is where things really start to kick off with everything from ledge drops to long combination rapids and tight technical drops. Heading in with a crew that new the run was a huge bonus as we bomb our way down.

Jared getting down in double drop

After getting to a BIG horizon you see the river literally drop away from underneath you, this is lunch rapid. This is where we meet the other crew who had to walk in to get there boats from the day before. Lunch Rapid defiantly has line and it has been fired up before, I think last by Dlyan Thompson but this bad boy definitely rates high on the stout scale.

The boys heading off into the beautiful  Nevis Vally after lunch

Below here you have 700m or so of continued steep before a quiet wee stretch for 200m which leads into the last STEEP section. The river drops like a staircase through the “Brothers” section Little and Big Bro. Theres are the last two rapids of the steep section. And what better way to end with sweet 15 footer.

Sam and Jared getting the job done on little Bro

What better way to end a run! Nick Murphy Celebrates by going big on Big Bro