Key Details
- Duration: 4 Days (1 day training, 3 day expedition)
- Hiking Difficulty: Challenging but not long or difficult terrain
- Paddling Difficulty: Suitable for beginners with instructors, grade ii/ii+
- Options for catered or self catered
- Options to provide your own equipment
- Fully guided/instructed by world class guides
- Summer Months only
- 3 Day option strictly for course gradates
- Day 1: Training Day, No hiking, 5km paddle
- Day 2: Expedition, 5km Hiking, 10km paddle
- Day 3: Expedition, No Hiking, 19km paddle
- Day 4: Expedition, No Hiking 12km paddle
For years we sought the ultimate multi day packrafting journey to offer our community of clients. Our criteria was strict. Our multiday trips have to be:
- Stunningly beautiful
- Steeped in history
- Beginner Friendly
- A fully immersive wilderness experince
- Challenging and rewarding
- Unique
- Show case what packrafting is all about
- World class experiences
- A good fit with our regenerative tourism model
Our search for this perfect trip has taken us all over the country on an epic journey of discovery for years... and just as we were about to shrug our shoulders and walk away, our attention was drawn to a new way to experience the Upper Kimi-Atau River. Partnering up with our friends at True South Scenic Flights, we have found a way to unlock this inspiring and powerful place. Thankfully, we didn't give up on exploring. Good things come, as they say, to those who wait.
Itinerary
Day 1
Before we commit to 3 days in the wilderness with our packrafts, we'll start with a day of training in the glacier studded Rees Valley. Our guides and instructors are not only fully qualified and experienced, but they are also passionate educators, storytellers and outdoor professionals who will enhance every aspect of this journey, and the ones that follow. This is your first chance to tap into their wealth of knowledge.
We'll meet everyone in Queenstown then drive out for a day of familiarising ourselves with the gear and the river before we head back to Queenstown for the evening. The training will cover:
- How to inflate the packrafts
- How to outfit the packrafts to make them fit us
- Testing of the fit of all the gear we provide for you
- Reading a river and understanding hydrology
- Paddling technique
- Safety and Rescue drills
- How to run the river as a team including basic self rescue training
For those of you with your own packrafts, this is a chance to warm up, enjoy some grade ii/ii+ rapids meet your team mates and show us that you are comfortable and competent on the river. Everyone will pick up some new skills or brush up on old ones that's for sure.
Once we get back to town the biggest challenge will be trying to get to sleep when being so filled by excitement and anticipation of the upcoming trip.
Day 2
The big day is here, it's go time!! We start early and meet our partners at True South Scenic Flights.This flight into the Kimi-Atau River is an occasion in and of itself.
Jaws will be on the floor for the entire 15 minute flight from Queenstown airport deep into the wild spaces of the upper Kimi-Atau river. Flying over the historic Skippers Canyon on our way to the upper reaches of the river is breathtakingly beautiful. The pristine Loch Nagar is a real high light, nestled high in the mountain, unaltered by man.
Our exploration of the upper valley by foot allows us to experience even the upper most sections of this stunning river, eventually putting on the river just after lunch.
Guided by seasoned professionals, who have unrivalled experience with these packrafting expeditions, you'll be great hands as we take to the water.
This first paddle is an opportunity to put our training into practise, whilst at the same time soaking in the beauty and solitude of this vast and historic watershed.
We'll overnight around the grounds of 16 Mile Hut so we have access to bathrooms and a communal areas for eating together in the evening before a well earned deep sleep in our tents. Our guides will provide full briefing for the following day... and not doubt a yarn or two about the river or previous expeditions.
Day 3
Today the river does most of the work for us, as we drift down stream away from our camp spot with a bellyful of breakfast.
With expert guidance and tuition, you'll navigate increasingly challenging waters with growing confidence. Our paddle sees us take on some stunning gorges and fun rapids, which become more frequent as the day goes on and our skill level increase.
There are some interesting rapids today which can be walked if people are keen to avoid a swim or for the more adventurous to test themselves on. For many, day 3 is what this trip is about. A full day of exploring where the flow of the river does most of the hard work, as you chat sh*t with your mates, occasionally punctuated by some fun rapids to bounce through. This is what packrafting is all about!
We'll cover 19km of river today before making camp at McLeods Bluff campsite.
Day 4
The greatest thing about the Shotover is that the paddling gets better day on day. With our guides leading the way and setting safety, you'll take on the most exciting rapids yet, all whilst soaking in the rich history of the area. We embark on the final day of our Packrafting odysee through the famous McLeods bluff section of the Upper Kimi Atau river. If this section of river was easier to access, it's often remarked that it would be the best and most frequently used teaching section in the country. As it is, we'll likely be the only ones paddling it!
The steep canyons loom high above the river today as we paddle past the most challenging rapids and incredible gold mining history as we get closer to civilisation.
The melancholy of finishing an expedition is balanced out by the thoughts of warm showers and cold beers as we meet our transport back out of the valley.
What's Included
- All transport
- Camping and land access fees
- Fully qualified and experienced guides
- Flights into the river
- Pre-trip support with packing list, reminders about where and when to meet etc.
What's not included
- ***Food or accommodation in Queenstown
- Travel insurance
- Tips or gratuities
What can be included if needed
- Packrafting and camping gear*
- All food on the training and expedition**
*some people may have their own gear
**some people will chose to self cater
***Queenstown has a variety of accomodation options from 5-Star resorts to Department of Conservation Camp Grounds. Whilst this is entirely a personal choice, we really enjoy having groups at Pinewood Lodge as there are drying rooms, a mixture of room options to suit every budget and it's so close to town that you don't need a vehicle. We've held events there previously and the've been great with us.
For food, we can't recommend the World Bar in Queenstown enough. Menu to suit all diets and everything is on point. Especially the smash burgers!
Regenerative Tourism
Part of the DNA of Packrafting Queenstown is to run a business model that strives to leave the environments and communities that we interact with stronger and healthier for our existence.
Traditionally we've run exclusively human powered trips, however this trip represents a slight deviation on this. Using a fixed wing aircraft we're seeking a far lower carbon option. Typically the aircraft we use would emit around 70-80kg of carbon per hour compared to around 480-570kg of carbon per hour for a helicopter. There are, of course, many options you may wish to explore to off set your carbon footprint from his trip too.
In addition, every trip we run, we also contribute towards Branches Trust which helps keep Outdoor Education school trips into this area, affordable for all, not just the kids of the top earners in our district.
We also work almost exclusively with local suppliers, keeping the money generated by these trips, as close to the place where the value is created as possible.
This trip has been designed to be as financially inclusive as we could. With that in mind, there are options to self cater or to provide your own gear if you have it. It is also possible to skip the first training day if you've already been on a course with Packrafting Queenstown, reducing the price even further.
