There are some adventures you embark on that grab you by the scruff of the neck in a way that lets you know things will never be the same after this trip. Moments where you know, the next 24 or 48 hours will be something you re-visit and reminisce on for years afterwards. You can feel the tangible sense of a landmark or life changing anticipation. Other trips sneak up on you unaware and change your perspective without that feeling of forewarning. There were a few of these in our 2023/24 season.
To say that this trip into the Kimi-Atau or upper Shotover river has been in the works for some time would be a master stroke of Kiwi understatement. True South Scenic Flights reached out to us to suggest a version of this trip back in 2017. At that time we were knee deep in start up administration and unable to free up the bandwidth to make it happen. Then as we readied ourselves to push things forward a notable worldwide plague reared its head putting the kibosh on things. Fast forward 3 years and we finally made the star align to go and explore a well known area, in a very different manner.
The Upper Shotover trip has turned into a Packrafting Classic in NZ. Numerous trips filled with excellent company explored its upper reaches over the last few years. Harry Hassleman, when guiding for us, borrowed a raft, climbed over the Shotover saddle and proceeded to paddle the length of the Shotty or Kimi-Atau river in one fell swoop. Mark Oates took a team with Jen Oates, Aaron Roemer, Berin Mckenzie, Flynn Hogan and Ceri Williams. Dan Clearwater, David Stephenson and others did another trip…. and all the time the crew at Packrafting Queenstown had to miss out and work. Boo hoo!
One thing we gathered from all these great trips into the upper reaches of this famous catchment was the hike over the Shotover Saddle was not joke. More than 1000 meters of elevation gain with heavy packs, then a savage bush bash down to the nearest hut. Perhaps achievable if you’re a seasoned packrafter, committed, fit and ready to earn your river… but probably not a suitable way to undertake your first multiday packrafting trip. There are certainly treats to be earned for those willing to do the mahi…. but it’s certainly is a lot of mahi! Mark Oates also rated the Shotover as one of the best multiday rivers in New Zealand, so the pay off was clearly worth it.
My mind circled back to True Souths offer to fly us in. I’ve long been reluctant to include flying elements into our trips. Packrafts really showcase what is best about human powered endeavours and the carbon cost of av gas was certainly super off putting. However, this pump into the valley with a plane opens up an enormous play ground for us to showcase all that is best about packrafting. Plus the flight in a fixed wing small aircraft outputs about a tenth of the carbon as a heli lift and so we were keen to give it a go. And were we pleased that we did!!
By flying into the Upper Shotover, we were able to arrive into this rarely visited landscape, with fresh legs, ready to explore and with none of the elevation gain needed to access the upper reaches of the Kimi-Atau. Better still, we still found a way to explore up here that is unique to packrafters. It’s incredibly difficult to imagine full sized traditional rafts or a set of 6 or 7 kayaks squeezed into the plane like that.
The recce we undertook allowed us to hike up stream to introduce a hiking element into day one, “buying” us extra river. The river was then explored, played with an assessed for its suitability for clients and plans were discussed around campfires and during slow floats bathed in sunshine. This was incredible.
Camping at McLeods Bluff offered us a funny sense of perspective. The McLeods Bluff section of the Kimi Atau river is often talked about as being one of the best grade II/II+ sections for learning in the whole country…. if only it was easier to reach. “The grade II paddle with the grade V drive” it is often quipped. Any trip starting from here has a remote feeling because of the journey it takes to get all the way up there….normally. Now the “most remote” part of the traditionally run Shotover river, represented getting closer to civilisation. In comparison to the truely remote sections above, this felt like a step towards less remote spaces, but also the beginning of the most exciting section of paddling for us!
It’s rare for rivers to become more demanding the lower down you get. Geology often dictates that the upper sections are steep and the lower sections are mellow. This has the effect of giving paddlers the exam first and the lessons later. But the Shotover teaches as it goes and culminates in fun wave trains that have been stripped of any intimidation that they may induce if encountered with less experience. Best yet, there are always options to walk around.
By creating options to join the trip with your own packraft and even supplying your own food, we’ve managed to keep the costs down for those within our packrafting community too. Folks who we’ve already paddled with on courses and the likes will be able to join us for just a 3 day option rather than the full 4 day trip too. What we’ve created is a really unique way to explore this historic and beautiful wilderness for complete novices, but also for experienced packrafters who don’t fancy the colossal climb over the Shotover saddle.
For years we’ve been on the hunt for a truly world class multi day river in New Zealand. Beginner friendly and something unique. The hunt has taken us all over the Motu. And lead us back home. To a river in our back yard.
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