Class: V (VI - P)
Level: 6-12 cumecs at put-in. Additional tributary streams enhance flow.
Length: 13km
Gradient: 2 m/km (40m/km through 3km middle section.)
Fun Fact: In the words of James Griffen, "It's all on like Donkey Kong!"
The
Kokatahi is to date the hardest and most committing river I've paddled. Steep as hell, high in consequence, massive portages, technical, and full of sheer walled committing gorges with must run rapids, this watershed requires anyone to be completely focused and committed when in it's drainage.
On January 7th, 2009, I was invited to join a crew of James Griffen, Gareth Fryer, Damian McAulay, Eden Sinclair, and JJ Sheppard for a high water run on the Kokatahi. Our team was ridiculously solid, all gentlemen being local paddlers sans JJ, whose now spent a decade plus annually down on the West Coast boating. That day, the crew informed me that this was the highest they've ever both seen the run flowing let along paddled it.
As we choppered up the valley, I was amazed how the river just suddenly disappeared into the bush and darkness presenting the numerous gorges dotted throughout the run. In addition, I started to tell myself that it really doesn't look that steep only to glance over at the altimeter in the aircraft to witness the arrowed wheel spinning like a top.
"Well, let's get amongst it mate." James whooped to me as we put-on. Making quick work of the read and run grade IV+, we found ourselves at "Cover Shot" a fantastic technical boof that required a tricky ferry and a lead-in/landing zone combo in between a few sieves. Myself, Eden and James were the only members of our crew to fire off the drop.
Photo: "Cover Shot." With Eden running a bag.
Taken by AM
From "Cover Shot" the sketch factors sky rocketed as we bombed through numerous ranges of slots, sieves, and mank fields. The river began to steepen as we ran what we could, puked at some stuff, and portaged the rest taking our time to ensure excellent safety and decision making. Never had I been more impressed with a group's confidence, decision making, and safety focused paddling.
Photo: Eden Sinclair firing true through some Kokatahi boogey water.
Taken by AM
Our first walled in gorge, aptly named "Carnage Gorge," after near death experiences by the guidebook writer Graham Charles and Bruce Barnes, required JJ as lead boat to run into the gorge as far as he could see to ensure it provided escape. A noteworthy piece of information that I'd learned ever so well whilst in New Zealand is the science of high rain areas and walled in gorges. The general rule in this part of the world is, unless you were there the day before, every trip is a first descent.
With frequent heavy flash flooding and drowning as historically New Zealand's number one inflictor of death, it's no surprise to see the power of water versus geology on these rivers. Gorges silt out, boulders move, rapids change and while most of the stuff one is able to portage, a sheer walled gorge is a completely different story. On par with the West Coast, once one enters, you are fully committed to run all rapids. Climbing out or portaging most often due to the sheer granite walls of the cataracts is simply out of the question.
Our team of local paddlers and Kokatahi veterans, I felt both extremely fortunate to be with a solid team that knew the river but also very surprised when I would hear, "Holy shit mate! That's changed." On a river of this nature, one NEED's local beta. We bombed into Carnage Gorge hot and heavy, making quick work of a few class V boofs.
Photo: Eded pondering the possibility.
Taken by AM
The river again steepened as the gorges began to reveal themselves seemingly at every turn. At this point, it took all of my energy to maintain my focus and attempt to hit every line. In the second gorge we came to a rapid called "Skateboard Ramp".
As I was sitting in an micro eddy above the natural looking weir, JJ explained the line to me, "Okay, basically you go off the lip here sideways sliding into the small hole. It'll surf you towards that wall and under the "cave" thingy, just stay upright and don't get slammed against the wall. You'll be on a tongue at this point, just follow it out then crank a boof at the end to avoid a hole. At this flow, it'll probably be a big hole so hit that boof."
Confused and now scared as all hell, I simply just took a deep breath and dipped over the lip, sideways, sure that I was to get my ass handed to me. Alas, all went well and while excited I wasn't yet in trouble, I remember launching down the tongue seeing a huge hole at the end and thinking, shit! I boofed, landed on the pile, and was completely back looped taking a small beating for my penance. Rolling up next to James and Gareth, we were all laughing like school boys as the rest came down the skateboard only to suffer the same consequences as I had.
Photo: The "BIG" one.
Taken by AM
Alas, came one of the many portages while on the Kokatahi. The "Big" one, is a pretty complicated rapid and much larger than it looks in the above photo. The drop consists of a lead in with some pretty unforgiving ledges complete with nasty hydraulics, then as one enters the meat, a hard rock slide required boof totaling around ten meters (thirty feet) to avoid a nasty hit at the bottom. It's one of those major, "Bring your genitals," drops. We all made a seemingly just as sketchy portage on river left on some nasty rock sliding cliff. My river journal regarding this drop sums it up well: "Pretty much manky as hell, would probably portage at any flow. Mishap would be terminal."
Photo: Not today.
Taken by AM
Photo: James loving the portage after the third of forth time he fell.
Taken by AM
It was my ninth straight day of hard creeking and by the fourth gorge I knew my reserves were exhausted and I was fading fast. Rolling through some intermittent class IV, James came up to me asking if I was "OK", knowing fully that I was tired and struggling with both the mental nature of the river and the exhaustive portages, rapids, and technical moves. Alas, we both paddled together as he taunted my pain telling me to stay on his tail.
The second to last gorge will forever be etched in my memory. As we entered and all waited in a small micro-eddy above, Gareth got of his boat to scout from a small rock. Looking at the drop, shaking his head, then looking back at our group, he smiled and gave the following hand signals:
1) Super Boof. (Hand meeting other hand and then maneuvering up towards the sky in accented motion)
2) Fly. (Arms flapping side to side in huge gaping arcs)
3) Huge Hole. (Fingers twirling together complete with Gareths face of total chaos then a death look, eyes bulging, head cocked towards one side.)
James looked back at all of us and said, "Did he just motion.... Boof and Fly?" We all nooded, ferrying out back into the walled in current, hearts pumping, and meeting a gigantic hydraulic at the end of sizable pour-over. We all took beatings but emerged just fine thankfully rolling up in a relatively calm pool amongst the sheer granite walls.
The portages continued as we romped down the stomping Kokatahi. It was only then I realized how beautiful this river was. Numerous times while in the gorges I simply just looked up and refused to take out my camera. It was almost an insult to nature in capturing it forever.
The final gorge and last obstacle was completely chocked full of boulders amongst other debris resulting in our team making a heinous jungle bushwalk around the canyon walls and back into the water. It was hard, my energy was snapped, but thankfully the Kiwi verses American onslaught of "piss taking" continued at the slightest notice of my weakness, thus requiring me to finish the mud and bush trek swearing under my breath.
After some welcoming class III and a release on our nerves, a twelve pack of Monteith's waited at the take-out, bringing about in me a buzz that can never be replicated. I had just successfully run the most committing and hardest river of my life. However it wasn't the technicalities nor commitment of the river that I took from, it was lessons learned from the team that have stuck with me.
A river, while extremely powerful in it's own regard, will forever be only a river. A team however, and what specifically each other contribute and take from the group, is the most powerful source I've experienced. On hard rivers such as the Kokatahi, one is only just as strong as the others. Relying on your mates to get you through safely, efficiently, and successfully as possible, has been the most important lesson learned in my past three years of whitewater kayaking.
On the Kokatahi, I paddled hard, but that can be learnt anywhere. What I took from each of our group in terms of safety, passion, aggressiveness, decision making, fun, and ultimately modesty is what made the river so special. These lessons can't be learnt, only experienced.
