Stories From The Water

(Shotover River, New Zealand. Photo By Ben Robinson)

It’s rafting season in New Zealand

The Tongariro River is just one of the many rivers you’ll be rafting on your New Zealand whitewater rafting and kayaking adventure.
Photo by Brian New Zealand

If you’re having a hard time coming to terms with the end of the Colorado river rafting season and the onset of winter, start thinking about a family trip to New Zealand where the rafting season is just kicking off.Satisfy your adventurous spirit and your craving for more rafting and talk to us about a once in a lifetime trip across the world to test your skills on the whitewater rapids of New Zealand.

Take the Dvorak experience to another continent and take a few weeks exploring seven to eleven or the most incredible rivers in New Zealand. Depending on the skill level of your fellow paddlers, as well as how the rivers are running, you’ll be ripping through rapids on the Tongariro, Mohaka, Motu, Rangitikei, Gowan, Upper Buller, Matakitaki, Grey, Shotover, Kawarau and, of course, one of New Zealand’s largest and most famous rivers, the Rangitikei River.

Raft the crystal clear waters of the Rangitikei River in New Zealand, surrounded by shimmering papa bluffs.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Images

Take a trip on New Zealand’s longest river and see the local wildlife, scenery and taste the local delicacies as you camp along the river. And there is also an incredible opportunity to see how the trout bite in the southern hemisphere.

What sets the Rangitikei River apart from all others are the translucent mudstone (papa) bluffs that shine brightly in the summer sun along the river’s edge. The river will sometimes be referred to as Manawatu, instead of the more common name, Rangitikei. The legend goes that the river was named by a man named Hau, who rode his horse along the river in search of his wife who had left with her lover. He travelled many miles, crossing many rivers, and when he came to the biggest of them all he could not cross with his horse. This led him to name the river Manawatu, which means “heart stands still”.

As if the shimmering papa bluffs, the wildlife and the crystal clear river water wasn’t enough, the Rangitikei River was used in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. So, if you need to add to your experience, just look around and imagine the river being fed by the Misty Mountains as you dream yourself away to Middle-earth.

Stave off winter a few more weeks and book you trip to New Zealand for an unforgettable river rafting experience. We can help you get there and customize your trip so that you get the exact experience you want.