Shotover River Whitewater Rafting
The third part of the Nevis Awesome Foursome was a helicopter ride to the site where the rafts for the fourth and final adventure, shooting the rapids of the lower Shotover River, were put into the river. My first helicopter ride had been three weeks earlier on Day 1. That ride had been smooth, calm, even, as we floated over Waiheke and Rotaroa Islands.
This helicopter ride was an entirely different experience. The pilot would head directly for a canyon wall and then suddenly veer off at a sharp angle just when a crash seemed imminent. By the third or fourth time he had done this, we realized he was trying to wreck our nerves, not the helicopter. When we finally arrived at our destination, he asked, "Did I make you nervous?" After a couple of the passengers responded in the affirmative, he laughed and said, "Good! I've done my job!"
The Shotover River has Category 4 rapids, and my two previous whitewater adventures -- on the American River in California and the Tongariro River on Day 9 -- both were on Category 3 rapids. I was looking forward to this adventure with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.
We were in wet suits for this trip as we had been for the Tongariro River adventure, which is a good thing because even though the trip was considerably shorter than the Tongariro River adventure, the turbulence of the rapids caused us to get very, very wet. The wet suits were greatly appreciated.
Having learned from the Tongariro whitewater adventure that the front of the raft is indeed the "best seat in the house," I finagled a seat at the front of the raft for this adventure as well.
 |
I also appreciated the high level of instruction we were provided for this adventure. We were not merely given instructions and a demonstration of how to retrieve a passenger who had fallen out of the raft into the river. At the beginning of the trip when we were still in smooth waters, our guide had each of us jump into the water and the other passengers pull us back into the raft. I thought this hands-on training was a good move on the part of the operators. It also ensured we all were thoroughly wet even before the trip really began! Remember: part of the purpose of a wet suit is to allow a thin layer of water through the suit an to be warmed by the body. We were ready for anything the river could throw at us.
 |
Certain parts of the river were so difficult that all the passengers had to get out of the rafts, climb up the sides of the canyon, and then walk several hundred yards as the guides traversed those sections of the river. Even the guides found these sections of the river challenging because one flipped the raft, and another "wrapped" the raft, i.e., the raft was pinned against a rock, immobilized by the force of the rushing water. I was actually glad not to have had to travel down these sections of the river.
 |
The climax of the adventure came after we passed through a tunnel that ran a couple hundred yards beneath the canyon. There was about a five foot drop waiting for us almost immediately after exiting the tunnel.
 |
I didn't want to get any wetter than I had to. Moreover, those waves strike with a fair amount of force, so I pulled my head into my life vest somewhat like a turtle. I could see what was waiting for us just ahead.
 |
There was no way to avoid it: a huge wall of roiling water was directly in front of us. We had no choice but to go through it.
 |
 |
Yes, strangely enough, this is my idea of fun! The trip was essentially over at this point and we paddled our way over to the nearby beach.
It really had been an awesome day, but after going from one adrenalin-inducing event to another, I was feeling tired by this point and ready to head back to the B&B for dinner and bed. More adventures were waiting for me tomorrow!
| Previous |
Please use the links below to reach other areas of this site:
Last revised: August 6, 2015.
| Contact Me | About Me |