Slate river 26th oct 08.

The Slate was Aly and my 1st venture into the realm of Golden bay creeking back labour weekend 1999. We had parked the escort at the bottom of the 4x4 road picked up an overflow and started walking, 2 3/4hrs later we got to the river, put into the lower gorge and slowly made our way through. From that day weve been hooked on the bay rivers and always wanted to know what was upstream.
9 years later we finally found out.
After juggling days around weather saturday afternoon we were over the hill and catching up with Phil the local heli operator. It turned out Phil and Anna were taking the kids to Collingwood for a fire works show so could shuttle us to the takeout the night before, so after a few fireworks we were back to Phils for the night.
1st light wake up look out the ranchslider straight at a helicopter with jefe tied to it, its going to be a good day.
We flu in over the ridge between Anatoki valley and Slate and down to the Snow river confluence decided all looked good, flu back upstream to the flat above the highest gorge.
A handshake and if your not out tomorrow ill come find you from Phil and we were left alone with about 13km and 440m drop ahead of us, a blue duck flys past whistles land on a rock 30m away looks at us for abit then flys back downstream.
A few hundred metres later and weve caught up with the blueduck and his family, 5 healthy chicks, and our 1st drop of the day.
4.5 hours later we hit the Snow confluence, having down 5-6km and 276m. we knew the previous trips had putin not far above the Snow and it was supposed to be 6.5 hrs, this could be along day!
Another1.5hrs and we hit the Rocky river confluence, below this is a lovely scenic gorge of 2-3 which let us make sometime up. After an hour were sitting at the putin for the lower gorge at Moonlight flat watching some goats reflecting on the river and getting ready for the bonus lap having been through this gorge afew times.
Cruised through in 50mins climbed out at the bottom, hiked up a short track to the 4x4 track, dropped the boats and headed down to the Suki for a coolish beer, what a day. 8hrs 13km 440m, 13 blueduck, 7adult 6chicks and 13 goats. time for another beer off past the devils boots, catch up with Phil and back over the hill in time for sunset. Another great day in paradise!

Whitcombe river 17th feb

After a great start to the weekend we heard that a crew was flying into the upper whitcombe so that solved the problem of what to do with sunday. On the way in we got to alocked gate, bugger we get ready in a hurry for the walk run to the pick up spot as the others drive up lift the gate of its hinges and drive through, not enough time to put boats back on roof so were of.
Having been told we were flying 1st and just getting there on time wait 15 minutes then watch dando fly past and take the others up the top of the hoki to do the mungo section,bout 45mins later in westcoast sandflies it was our flight in.
Arriving at the putin to find about twice the flow of the trip lastyear, looking good.
On the way down another 9 flu into the mid upper whitcombe. 6hrs later were back at the car havin a beer before we head back north. We saw another 4 whio, 7 for the weekend good to see.

Styx river 16th feb

A quik munch and we were off to walk into the Styx river, like the Toaroha the Styx is a tributary of the Hokitika river. Parking at the bottom due to not having a 4wd with us we get ready to start walking, a 4wd with 5boats go past and wave. 1/2hr later when we catch up to them they are just starting to walk. After nearly killing Dane we put on a little lower than the usual as were running low on light and energy. After a low Toaroha flow we were pleasantly surprised by the flow of the Styx which was pretty lush. Off the river in the dusk and of into Hoki for damn fine pizza at fat pipis pizza.

Toaroha river 16th feb

Another apple season was looming and I needed a good mission to keep me sane for the next 2 and 1/2 months. So with Dane and Andrew we piled in Heather's car and headed for Hokitika where luckily itd rained twice during the week, most of the country was drying up. 1st up we headed into the Toaroha which i hadnt paddled for 9 years, my 1st heli trip. After flying to the normal putin Dando slingloaded the boats and flu them closer to the base of Toaroha canyon so we could mission our way up to the waterfall at the end of the canyon. Once we got there we were about 1/2ft to low to cleanly run the drop, and still needing to spend 1hr getting above it we headed down stream, stoked to have visited the canyon.

After taking photos of the others running this little ledge, having noticed how well it feed into its top corner, I ferried from my eddy 1.5m above the drop ran a nice diagonal boof across the face into the eddy, only to have the boil feed me back into the keeper hole of the ledge, a few seconds later im upside down stuffed in the corner of a 3-3+? drop letting go of my paddle and having my 1st honest swim in 9years. After climbing on big yella for air I managed to ender it free. Then running off past agroup of women tramping to catch my boat.

Pair of Blueduck on lower Toaroha.