Year 10 Camp - Canoe the Whanganui River
Twenty nine students and four staff embarked on an experience of a lifetime paddling Canadian canoes down the Whanganui River for Year 10 camp. We arrived at Whakahoro by bus and were met by four guides from Canoe Safaris. After some instruction we were on the river trying our luck with the rapid moving water after weeks of rain. The changing currents and plentiful eddies challenged the boys and the whakatatauki “Ko au te awa; ko te awa ko au. I am the river; the river is me” rang true as we experienced lots of capsizes on the first day. We made it safely to the first campsite, set up our tents and had a delicious meal of hamburgers and ice-cream, before heading to bed with sounds of kiwi and moreporks calling in the bush. The second day proved just as exciting with swift moving water and challenges of headstands in the canoes. Needless to say, that capsizes were plentiful.
John Coull Hut was a welcome sight and we quickly set up camp and enjoyed some downtime playing games and exploring before the rain set in. We woke the next morning with the river levels having risen slightly and it was our mission to paddle hard to the next stop to beat the weather. Unfortunately, due to high water levels we couldn’t stop at the Bridge to Nowhere and we shot past at a rate of knots headed towards Tieke Marae. Once there we were welcomed by the tangta whenua with a powhiri and were told about the area and the importance of protecting the land and its people. The ground was so muddy that the nights entertainment consisted of watching everyone slip-over as they attempted to manoeuvre around the camp site. Tacos, pancakes and pavlovas were generous, and the boys went to sleep with full bellies and looking forward to some predicted sunshine the next day.
After a sleep in and a decent breakfast, we were packed up and on the water again for a quick paddle to the next site. As the water was calmer in this stretch of the river, the boys played volleyball in the canoes, and tried their hand at standing on the gunnels while paddling. The fast-moving river spat us out at our campsite after a short day of paddling, this was by far the best place we stayed and the views and sunset were amazing. While there we had more time to entertain ourselves and create closer connections with new found friends.
Our last day on the river was a quick paddle to Pipiriki where we packed up and thanked our guides for their awesome support and performed the school haka led by Caidyn Caffell.
Our thanks go to Phil and the guides from Canoe Safaris for their amazing cooking and guidance, and to the staff who made this experience possible.