Packrafting the Waimak
Activity Date:
Updated:
People:
Finn,
Jen
| Tue Apr 19, 2022 [Show, Download GPX] Packrafting on the Waimak | 28.64km 3:18:40 | 8.65km/hr 70m ⬆️, 166m ⬇️ |
| Tue Apr 19, 2022 [Show, Download GPX] Bike To Car | 24.55km 1:30:53 | 16.21km/hr 137m ⬆️, 35m ⬇️ |
| 53.18km 4:49:33 | 11.02km/hr 207m ⬆️, 201m ⬇️ |
The Rafting
After a slow start to the morning, we drove out to the Waimakariri and locked our bikes by the boat ramp under the bridges. We then drove up the North Bank of the Waimak only to get stuck at a road closure. After re-assessing the route, we got down to the river via Downs Rd past the Waimak Waterhole.
This was our first outing on our new packraft – a Kokopelli Twain. We had to stop to adjust my seat, but after that things went smoother and we didn’t crash our paddles together too much. The other thing to adjust to was the lack of rudder. Boy do I miss having a rudder. The Twain comes with a fin to help maintain a course, but we couldn’t use it as the river was very low (35m^3/s).
The river itself was a great paddle – not too pushy, nor were the confluences of the various braids too spicy. The sun was out, the wind was fresh (but low), and we had a great time! We stopped at The Pylons for a quick snack before finishing off the paddle.
The boat is not the most hydrodynamic but we managed 9.5-10km/h most of the way which is a very reasonable speed I think.
The Cycling
After reaching SH1 Bridge we hopped out onto the grass and pulled out all the gear. I took off some damp clothes and put on some dry ones before rolling up the raft and stuffing all the gear and both paddles into my Osprey Aether tramping pack. It was a bit hefty - probably 10kg+ with PFDs and all, and not very aero with the paddles sticking up into the air, but, it worked.
The ride starts along a good gravel road before reaching a closed (to vehicles) section. This section is the most bumpy part. A bit further down before Madeley’s Rd (~4.7km from start) you can turn right and cycle along the flood stopbanks. This section of cycling is extremely nice and we hit it at the perfect time of the day when the shadows were long and it was all very picturesque.
You can follow the stopbank or parallel gravel road for the rest of the ride until you reach the intersection with Downs Rd and turn off back to the car.
I’d highly recommend a day similar to this as excellent training for Coast to Coast! You can follow the gravel all the way up to the Waimakariri Gorge Bridge at the bottom of the Coast to Coast paddle, so this training day could be as long as you wanted to make it!
