Landsborough Packrafting Expedition

Train Hard. Heli insert. Paddle Out

It’s no secret—we’ve been scheming ways to expand our multi-day packrafting trips in New Zealand. Because let’s be honest: packrafts aren’t just about floating down rivers—they’re about linking landscapes, tackling remote terrain, and mastering the river. And for some paddlers, the best kind of expedition is one that combines big wilderness, technical paddling, and a solid test of whitewater skills.

Enter the Iconic Landsborough River—a pristine, glacier-fed beast carving through New Zealand’s wild West Coast backcountry. With a long history in commercial rafting, this river has humbled many. And now, for the first time, we’re offering an advanced packrafting expedition designed to push experienced paddlers further than ever before. The Landsborough has a reputation as an "Ego-Crushing-Sh*t Magnet" and as such, this is not a trip to be taken lightly. However, with world class instructors, high level preparation and professional planning, we can offer the opportunity for our community to push themselves on a truely world class packrafting river.

Not Just a Trip—A Progression

Before we hit the Landsborough, we kick things off with two days of intensive training, focusing on:

• River reading, throw bagging & whitewater teamwork—because prevention beats rescue.
• Big volume whitewater skills, including deep water re-entry and peer rescues.
• More big water drills, more team practice, more hammering it home—because muscle memory matters.

Already done our Intermediate Course? You can skip the extra training day—but keep in mind, this isn't just about individual skills. Dialing in group dynamics, communication, and trust will make or break the expedition. Even experienced paddlers will get a lot out of refining how they move as a team.

If we don't know you as a paddler, this is your chance to show us that your skills are where they should be and that we don't need to worry about you. Sadly experience alone is not sufficient for us to allow participants to skip the training days. This is a serious undertaking and we need to be able to attest to your skills. We can't do this based solely on the strength of personal attestations or self assessments.

What’s the plan for The Expedition:

• Heli drop into the Landsborough Valley (yes, we’re cheating a little—but you’ll earn it soon enough).
• Three days of progressive whitewater paddling, breaking the river down piece by piece and exploring the stunning West Coast wilderness.
• Small teams, high engagement. Unlike a traditional rafting trip, where guides do the work, you’ll be in control of your own packraft, with our crew acting as instructors, not chauffeurs. This is a trip for paddlers not passengers.

What makes this trip special?

• High-level instruction. We’ll reinforce whitewater paddling skills, river reading, and team dynamics—because prevention is just as important as rescue.
• Flexible options. Already undertaken an intermediate packrafting course with us? You can skip the extra training day or bring your own gear to cut costs. There are also options to self cater to further reduce costs.
• A true expedition. This is not a Disney ride—it’s a self-supported, technical journey through one of the most remote and stunning river valleys in New Zealand.

Are you ready?

If you need convincing, you’re probably not. But if your idea of fun involves backcountry packrafting, big volume whitewater, and the occasional reality check from Mother Nature, then we’ll see you on the river. This is probably the best instructed packrafting trip in the world. Let's get after it!