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Rafting on the Rangitata back to stories

Published: July 20, 2010

After travelling the world and New Zealand for the last 7 months, I have finally settled in Christchurch for a while. That's how I found myself bouncing down the Rangitata River on a crisp, cool day at the end of the season. The water level was high, 150 cubic metres of water per second rushing through a narrow gorge. 200 is the no go zone.

The first 20 minutes on the river proved to be gentle and smooth, enough time for Raana – our guide – to prep and prepare the excitable rafting team mates, a mixed bunch of travellers, mainly from Germany and UK. Raana talks us through each individual rapid on the stretch of river ahead. From grade III to V, he enthralls us with details and names such as Glacier, Pencil Sharpener and Tsunami. It is calm before the storm. I try to relax and soak up the spectacular jagged mountain views and enjoy the grey, icy river.

The rapids build in a natural progression from the swollen grade III to the death defying V. We stop the raft up ahead, Raana and the other guides scramble up the rocks to survey the rapids ahead. We are warned of the danger and are given the option to walk around or raft. We all vote to raft. We paddle hard, I fight the urge to hold on, we ride the crest of the waves before dropping into the troughs. We bounce back up onto the next wave and steer madly to swerve around rocks. It's intense and furious. We round the corner to where the rapids stall and a calm stretch of river lays ahead.

All three rafts come to a standstill and everyone is instructed to climb out onto the river bank. A 10 metre high rock looms. Not having a head for heights or a desire to plunge into the icy depths, I find a sun-soaked stretch of rock with a good view, and watch my fellow rafters throw themselves bravely off rocks.

Nicely warmed through by the May sunshine, I follow the chattering teeth and blue tinged skin of my team mates back into the raft to negotiate the remainder of the river. The last few rapids are benign in comparison, giving us chance to once again enjoy the beautiful environment as the river relaxes into endless braids leading out to the sea. Exhilarated but exhausted, we climb back into the bus and head back to the lodge where hot showers, coffee and a good feed await.