INSTRUMENTS
Photo: "Mangles" and I in Milford Sound.
Taken by Tom Strongman
Long story short. Thirty women put on a "how to raft whitewater" clinic for women in Nepal while I was there. The majority of these wonderful ladies were from New Zealand. After days of partying, paddling, and getting to know each other, some of the girls found out that I was venturing to the South Island of their home country. In true Kiwi generous fashion and with ever so much a laid back mentality, a solid and cute one of the lot named Emi Earle simply said, "Well, I'm going to be in Europe for the ski season and you'd be welcome to use my ride while I'm away."
Alas, I give you "Mangles", an automatic, 1990 (ish), four door, white Mitsubishi hatch back. For my trip's entirety I bombed the coasts of the South Island with this beauty, yellow Pyranha Burn atop and packed with various gear. It got the name as a result of a German couple backing into her and crushing the hood and quarter panels. Mangles provided the perfect home for the traveling international kayaking vagabond as the petrol mileage was superb, the driving easy, and the my only concern lay with staying on the left side of the road, which I often failed miserably.
Photo: The Burn Mobile and Crew in Fjordland National Park
Taken by AM
The Burn Mobile was a 1980's era coverted caravan that was purchased in January by British crew members Chris and Tom (mentioned below). This van was equipped with shag carpet, a queen sized makeshift bed, a questionable fire grenade like cooking system, and seemingly dodgy motor that spewed diesel fumes, black smoke, and other putrid odors to all within one hundred meters. Coined the Burn Mobile for it's association to Pyranha paddlers and the dual overly large Pyranha fish decals placed strategically on the hood and rear of the vehicle, it always brought a solid laugh from passerby's face as Chris and Tom rolled past. Always jammed with boats, gear, beer, and smells, this baby rambled throughout both islands of New Zealand slaying all righteous. To my knowledge, it died on the final days of the Brits departure.
THE CAST
Photo: Sam Murray
Taken from Facebook
Sam Murray hooked me up. From my fairly extensive research, there exist three distinct "teams" in New Zealand whitewater. The "A" Team is comprised of really exceptional and hard boating Kiwi nationals whom only fancy paddling amongst themselves. This is a result of the rather difficult and committing sections of creeking that run throughout the islands. To put on some of the rivers without prior knowledge or an established trust with a partner could prove to be rather a major mistake. The "B" team is comprised of international paddlers who probably party too much, paddle just as hard and are as talented as the "A" team, but just can't or refuse to rise into the upper tier. The "C" team is comprised of international paddlers and Kiwis alike who paddle mostly intermediate runs.
Thanks to Sam, I got into the "A" team consisting of most of the Hokitika and South Island locals. Basically, one can chalk that up to love and facebook. A good college friend of mine's sister is attending University in New Zealand. Sam, in probably a stroke of drunken action, began dating my buddy's sister and ultimately saw some whitewater kayaking pictures of mine on her facebook profile. As a result, him and I got in touch, trading information about our respective regions of the world and ultimately meeting up down south. I only paddled on one river with Sam but from what I saw, he can hold his own. He's a great guy and is currently in Minnesota visiting his girlfriend Kate, hopefully kayaking some low water summer runs with my friends.
James Griffen
Hailing from the Palmerston North on the North Island of New Zealand, James Griffen has been boating longer than I've been alive. In his younger days, it was not uncommon for James to be seen on the side of the road, boat shouldered, hitching his way down to the South Island's West Coast for a weekend of creeking. A finish carpenter by trade, James and his wife Claire are now the proud parents of Hector, their first son. James and his family maintained the kiwi reputation of hospitality by putting me up in their "cabin" near Hokitika for many days. Aside from their superb generosity, James was ever so keen to lead me down the rivers of his homeland, always firing up sweet lines on some of the hardest of rapids. James' paddling can only be described as hard charging, stylish, and solid. His presence during my stay was purely an honor and I'd boat with him again on any river in the world, without question.
Photo: James and his dog riding back to the North Island.
Taken by AM
Ty Bequette
If America had a poster child, Ty, with his good looks and Idaho charm, would be probably be the best we could muster. Probably the high school all star quarterback in another life, Ty came to New Zealand in between counseling jobs. Putting his way through a psychology degree via raft guiding every summer on the infamous Payette river in his home state, Ty has lived, breathed, and been apart of rivers basically this entire life. A solid boater with a feisty boof stroke, Ty isn't affected by much aquatically. His calculated scouting, humor, and paddling talent were a great addition to our ramshackle crew while in country. With a modesty second to none, an aggressive paddling mentality, and the ability to fix his broken down van with a multitude of cam straps and duct tape, Ty's presence during my Kiwi experience will always bring a smile.
Photo: Ty taking it all in on a multi-day Whataroa trip.
Taken by AM
Chris Eastabrook
Chris Eastabrook has travelled and paddled all over the world. A talented Brit who paddles for Team Pyranha, Chris, a recent Engineering graduate, has made a living off the river as a certified river coach, teaching newbies to intermediates alike. A calculated paddler that hates swimming more than anyone I've yet to met, Chris is ever so keen to document, run, and explore new reaches of whitewater. With many expeditions under his belt, Chris' desire to paddling for the rest of life made him a perfect fit into the "crew". His river knowledge, expertise, and safety skills were always put to the test, in which he proved himself time and time again throughout our ramblings. A great, honest guy and a better paddler, I was nothing but pleased to share numerous eddies with Mr. Eastabrook.
Photo: Chris loving life on the Whataroa.
Taken by AM
Photo: Tom Strongman on his way to a drunken day two Whataroa trip.
Taken by AM
Tom Strongman is simply a cunt, but a witty one at that. As the river tick list grew larger throughout the months, the bullshit between Tom and I grew deeper and deeper. A recent University graduate in History, Tom ventured down to New Zealand with Chris and represented Britain contingent of our ramshackle crew. Tom's was your pseudo "English Gentlemen" and he'd let you know it. Hour long ramblings about British Colonialism, the Queen, and how "his" people were the true purveyors of the English language ravaged everyone's unfortunate ears daily, alas, we knew deep down that Tom had a more gentle side, which could be seen in his paddling. All joking aside, I was quite impressed with Sir Thomas as he fired off tough lines in hard rapids, never super stylish but always mustering up the courage to show all that he was not afraid of the spicy side. A great guy, a better bullshitter, an even more entertaining paddler, the trip would have been the same without Mr. Strongman.
Photo: Patty McGregor keeping focus on the Whitecombe.
Taken by AM
What Patty lacks in youth, he gains in one of the best personalities and attitudes on the planet. A national karate champion, national karate coach, and a dojo owner, Patty knows how to throw down. In addition, his witty and seemingly perverse comments while on the river are simply beyond hilarious. One of the nicest guys I ever met, Patty loves to paddle. Patty's kindness and couch space throughout my trip were a true tribute to his generosity, and if I'm not mistaken I still actually have a fair amount of gear in his closet. A creeker that's devoted to life long learning and having fun, Patty took it upon himself to put me up, take me creeking, and ensure that my Kiwi experience was amazing and he succeeded.
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