The middle section of the Rangitikei River offers some scenic paddling with a few rapids up to Grade 2. These rapids are mostly straightforward fun in a packraft and the views on the way down river are quite spectacular especially where the river flows between high cliffs. Three of us paddled the 35 km from Toe Toe Road bridge to Otara Road bridge on a fine and calm day. The only issue was the very low river level – a meager 15 cumecs when the usual flow is between 25 and 50 cumecs. Although that meant the rapids were a bit insipid it didn’t stop us from enjoying a pleasant day out.
At last we were ready to start paddling
The first section was uneventful
The next section was also uneventful
The uneventfulness continued
The river steepened
The one slightly tricky rapid with an undercut bank at the bottom
Clearly we had made a poor route choice …
It seemed we couldn’t go any further …
Unfortunately she became a little light-headed but did her best to retain her composure
We tried to remember what we had read about getting back in your boat
The Pliocene age marine silt cliffs towered above them
Recuperating strength by taking a nap
Another rest was called for on reaching camp