Woohooo!!!
Kayaking is so much fun. After I had to get up early, bloody early, to be picked up at 6:30, everyone was quite well organised at the gear shed and managed to leave at 7:15. Once we arrived at the Rangatata we realised that the river had really high water and it actually was bloody cold. Dave was making sure that everyone had a lot of warm stuff on. That didn't really comfort me. And Patrick was whining: "I don't want to swim I can't roll" (But he can, he just is not confident enough)? I agreed with Patrick and thought to myself I don't want to swim either. I hope my roll still works. Especially watching Glynn going over and for a swim directly at the starting point didn't really comfort me. I wondered if shifting flats would have been the better thing to do then getting as cold as I would if I tipped over and swam.
In the end it turned out to be great. We got into the water just at the point, where the crazy people that run grade 4 get out, because our grade 2 is boooringring for them. ;-) The water was pushy and very cold. Big waves and not a lot of defined eddy lines but heaps of fun. Quite a few people swam and I tippet over twice but I managed to roll, so that was sweet as...
After we finished with that run. The plan was to go to Tekapo and have flat water session on the lake. But when we arrived the weather turned really miserable and no one felt really tempted to get back into the wet gear to practice sweeps and strokes and what ever. So we just put up our tents, had a look at the dry white whater cours (pretty scary) and went into the local Pub where it was nice and dry. Nick convinced me on giving the white water course a try the next day and I was very tempted. So, I'd just see how paddling works out the next day and if someone would take me down it...
At night I woke up and thought they were letting in the water already. But soon I realised it was the wind, Very strong wind. I was lucky my tent was in a quite sheltered spot but Emmas collapsed that night and quite a few others had to redo there tent in the middle of the night. I was lying there in the tent in my very very warm sleeping back getting cold, listening to the rain and storm out there and only thought to myself no way that there is any kayaking today. We'll just pack up and leave.
The next morning it was all beautiful weather Snow around us on the mountains and the sun was giving her best to melt it again and to dry the tents. After breakfast I took a picture of the gate where the play wave was supposed to develop. Then we heard it coming. We went upstream to have a look and it was amazing. You could see the water moving down in a little wave and the river fill up. It was possible to run ahead of the water while it slowly filled up the white water course. So I managed to take quite a few pictures with Shima's camera. I still was kind of tempted to try the white water course but it was getting a quite scary now. Dave said the rocks would be covered with water soon and then it's not as scary anymore. He really hassled Glynn to go come down with him.
As the course needs some time to fill up with water we went down the upper bit, a grade 2 section, which was really beautiful. Lots of rocks to hide behind, lots of eddies to practice eddie turns and so on. The sun was shining and after the first shock of getting into cold wet gear from yesterday it was nice and warm. I must admit I was whining a lot while putting on that wet stuff. Emma told me to take enough dry polypro and swimming togs for next time so it's only the wetsuit which is whet when putting on. I bloody will!
At the end of the river there was a nice section where we carried our boats up again to practice some more eddie hopping and slaloming. Dave said that would be a good practice as it would make grade 3 paddling in a grade 2 section so if we miss an eddy we just swush down and nothing bad happens. Well I mist quite a few eddies. No Grade 3 for me.
After that we went for a some playing in the wave at the start of the course. FUN!!! (again). I broke Warrick's paddle that was pretty bad. I tipped over in the wave and must have hit the ground with the paddle so that the blade broke but I still managed to roll and it was very comforting to realise that when I came up I had two boats next to me who would have been there to T-rescued me. After that I was very confident to go into the wave a lot and ended up with quite a few swims until the guys from the power station shut their gates and the water level started to drop.
After that everything left was was packing as quick as possible and get back to Christchurch to a beautiful new chaotic flat.
I'll get a few pictures of some other people, as I forgot to take my camera. As soon as I've got them I'll add them to this entry
In the end it turned out to be great. We got into the water just at the point, where the crazy people that run grade 4 get out, because our grade 2 is boooringring for them. ;-) The water was pushy and very cold. Big waves and not a lot of defined eddy lines but heaps of fun. Quite a few people swam and I tippet over twice but I managed to roll, so that was sweet as...
After we finished with that run. The plan was to go to Tekapo and have flat water session on the lake. But when we arrived the weather turned really miserable and no one felt really tempted to get back into the wet gear to practice sweeps and strokes and what ever. So we just put up our tents, had a look at the dry white whater cours (pretty scary) and went into the local Pub where it was nice and dry. Nick convinced me on giving the white water course a try the next day and I was very tempted. So, I'd just see how paddling works out the next day and if someone would take me down it...
At night I woke up and thought they were letting in the water already. But soon I realised it was the wind, Very strong wind. I was lucky my tent was in a quite sheltered spot but Emmas collapsed that night and quite a few others had to redo there tent in the middle of the night. I was lying there in the tent in my very very warm sleeping back getting cold, listening to the rain and storm out there and only thought to myself no way that there is any kayaking today. We'll just pack up and leave.
The next morning it was all beautiful weather Snow around us on the mountains and the sun was giving her best to melt it again and to dry the tents. After breakfast I took a picture of the gate where the play wave was supposed to develop. Then we heard it coming. We went upstream to have a look and it was amazing. You could see the water moving down in a little wave and the river fill up. It was possible to run ahead of the water while it slowly filled up the white water course. So I managed to take quite a few pictures with Shima's camera. I still was kind of tempted to try the white water course but it was getting a quite scary now. Dave said the rocks would be covered with water soon and then it's not as scary anymore. He really hassled Glynn to go come down with him.
As the course needs some time to fill up with water we went down the upper bit, a grade 2 section, which was really beautiful. Lots of rocks to hide behind, lots of eddies to practice eddie turns and so on. The sun was shining and after the first shock of getting into cold wet gear from yesterday it was nice and warm. I must admit I was whining a lot while putting on that wet stuff. Emma told me to take enough dry polypro and swimming togs for next time so it's only the wetsuit which is whet when putting on. I bloody will!
At the end of the river there was a nice section where we carried our boats up again to practice some more eddie hopping and slaloming. Dave said that would be a good practice as it would make grade 3 paddling in a grade 2 section so if we miss an eddy we just swush down and nothing bad happens. Well I mist quite a few eddies. No Grade 3 for me.
After that we went for a some playing in the wave at the start of the course. FUN!!! (again). I broke Warrick's paddle that was pretty bad. I tipped over in the wave and must have hit the ground with the paddle so that the blade broke but I still managed to roll and it was very comforting to realise that when I came up I had two boats next to me who would have been there to T-rescued me. After that I was very confident to go into the wave a lot and ended up with quite a few swims until the guys from the power station shut their gates and the water level started to drop.
After that everything left was was packing as quick as possible and get back to Christchurch to a beautiful new chaotic flat.
I'll get a few pictures of some other people, as I forgot to take my camera. As soon as I've got them I'll add them to this entry
posted by Jana at 11:04 am
2 Comments:
I wasn't really whining ;) I was just verbailising my not-lookingforwardness to getting wet and cold! :P
I know. I was feeling the same.... But I didn't verblise so now I could write you were whining. ;-)
That makes me realise you actually read my blogg. =)
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