I drove to Clarence (North of Kaikoura), dropped off my car then caught a lift with the guys all the way back to Hanmer Springs. From there, we drove over Jollies Pass to the confluence of the Acheron and Clarence rivers for the first night.
The weather was clear and cold but an evening fire kept the chills away..
There were 3 main gorges on the Clarence, with a bunch of grade 2 rapids. Mostly they were wave trains that would smash into the gorge wall as the river changed direction. A few were a little more exciting and a couple even nearly saw us flip.
Infact, one of the rafts did flip near the end of day two, but the only casualty was a lost camp chair that wasn't tied on..
The trip was fantastic, with lots of floating through incredibly scenic terrain. There were open valleys with views of incredible peaks and tight gorges with improbably steep rock walls and incredible strata.
Sunrise on the Clarence River 
Our guide 'Dusty'
About to run 'The Chute' in the 1st Gorge
Dave's raft after negotiating the Chute
Amazing rock strata in the 1st Gorge
A 'Moeraki' boulder embedded in the bank
Rafting under the gaze of the Inland Kaikoura Peaks
Campsite at the end of day 2
Our Aussies (Luke and Sean) enjoy the float through the farmland on day 3
Dave's team paddling hard to avoid the wall 
2 comments:
If you're the type of person that enjoys an outdoor adventure, river rafting trips are right up your alley.
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River Rafting
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