There are Graham Sydney paintings on walls throughout the country portraying the rolling tussocked hills of Central Otago. It’s known for wine, fruit, the rail trail, and stunning summer days. However the high plateaus hide other gems and in amongst them you can find a network of New Zealand’s best wilderness rivers.
A cold winter brings snow to the mountains and hills. When this starts to melt and run off the area becomes a whitewater kayaking destination with rivers such as the Nevis, Waikaia, and Shotover, being established spring classics. Whitewater kayaking in New Zealand can be a fickle sport, requiring specific river levels, and complicated access plans. This has left many areas unexplored and new adventures to be found. With vision and a well timed Saturday evening phone call Will Martin and Shannon Mast roped myself and Max Rayner in to take a look at the Upper Pomohaka River.
Sunday started with a flat tyre, snow beside the road after a late spring storm, and then two hours of
