New Zealand paddlers?

Bill Tuthill wrote:
> riverman <nospam.RemoveThis@sorry.com> wrote:
> > Anyone from NZ here? I need some info on the Rangitikei.
>
> No, but I have a copy of World Whitewater by Dan Dunlap & Jim Cassady.
> Want me to summarize the blurb for you?

Oh yes, please! And if its not too long, can you scan it and send it to
me as well? Thanks, Dan.

--riverman
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

Bill Tuthill wrote:
> riverman <nospam.DeleteThis@sorry.com> wrote:
> > Anyone from NZ here? I need some info on the Rangitikei.
>
> No, but I have a copy of World Whitewater by Dan Dunlap & Jim Cassady.
> Want me to summarize the blurb for you?

Oh yes, please! And if its not too long, can you scan it and send it to
me as well? Thanks, Bill.

--riverman
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

riverman <myronbuck.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> > Anyone from NZ here? I need some info on the Rangitikei.
>>
>> No, but I have a copy of World Whitewater by Dan Dunlap & Jim Cassady.
>> Want me to summarize the blurb for you?
>
> Oh yes, please! And if its not too long, can you scan it and send it to
> me as well? Thanks, Bill.
The writeup isn't too long:

Rangitaiki River

About 8 miles (12.8 km) upstream of Murapara
to about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Murapara.
Difficulty: class 3+
Length: 6 miles (9.6 km)
Season: September thru May
Character: Popular, heavily forested

Located SE of the major tourist center of Rotorua, the Rangitaiki was,
until recently, the most popular river trip on the North Island. The
newly promoted run on the Okere Falls section of the Kaituna, described
above, has taken the honors as the prime tourist run in the Rotorua area.

The upper dam-controlled run cust thru NZ's largest pine plantation forest.
Ferns and pampas grass line the banks. The river drains the Ahimanawa range
with a relatively constant gradient of about 50 fpm (9.7 mpk) on the edge of
the Kaingaora Plateau. This is a good place to learn to paddle or to try
your hand at the nearby slalom course. Floating rocks made of pumice
(aerated lava) sometimes break off upstream pumice fields and join boaters
in the river. Jeff's Joy (class 4), the biggest rapid on the run, is near
the beginning. Just upstream of Jeff's Joy is Fantail Falls, another rapid
that causes a lot of trouble. The rest if fairly constant class 2 and 3.
The put-in and take-out are hard to find, so it's best to inquire locally.

Downstream of Murapara the river is not well suited for river running, but
downstream of Ariwhenua Falls is a class 2 run of about 5 miles (8 km) that
is popular with novices. The river meets the ocean at the Bay of Plenty.
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

"Bill Tuthill" <can.DeleteThis@spam.co> wrote in message news:44e5f032@news.meer.net...
> riverman <myronbuck.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> > Anyone from NZ here? I need some info on the Rangitikei.
>>>
>>> No, but I have a copy of World Whitewater by Dan Dunlap & Jim Cassady.
>>> Want me to summarize the blurb for you?
>>
>> Oh yes, please! And if its not too long, can you scan it and send it to
>> me as well? Thanks, Bill.
> The writeup isn't too long:
>
> Rangitaiki River
>
> About 8 miles (12.8 km) upstream of Murapara
> to about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Murapara.
> Difficulty: class 3+
> Length: 6 miles (9.6 km)
> Season: September thru May
> Character: Popular, heavily forested
>
> Located SE of the major tourist center of Rotorua, the Rangitaiki was,
> until recently, the most popular river trip on the North Island. The
> newly promoted run on the Okere Falls section of the Kaituna, described
> above, has taken the honors as the prime tourist run in the Rotorua area.
>
> The upper dam-controlled run cust thru NZ's largest pine plantation
> forest.
> Ferns and pampas grass line the banks. The river drains the Ahimanawa
> range
> with a relatively constant gradient of about 50 fpm (9.7 mpk) on the edge
> of
> the Kaingaora Plateau. This is a good place to learn to paddle or to try
> your hand at the nearby slalom course. Floating rocks made of pumice
> (aerated lava) sometimes break off upstream pumice fields and join boaters
> in the river. Jeff's Joy (class 4), the biggest rapid on the run, is near
> the beginning. Just upstream of Jeff's Joy is Fantail Falls, another
> rapid
> that causes a lot of trouble. The rest if fairly constant class 2 and 3.
> The put-in and take-out are hard to find, so it's best to inquire locally.
>
> Downstream of Murapara the river is not well suited for river running, but
> downstream of Ariwhenua Falls is a class 2 run of about 5 miles (8 km)
> that
> is popular with novices. The river meets the ocean at the Bay of Plenty.

Hmm, something sounds strange. I'm making arrangements with a NZ outfitter
to take 20 kids on a 5-day canoe trip, and he recommended the Rangitikei as
an excellent 'straightfoward class 1-2' river for this duration. I was under
the impression that there was a stretch of about 60 miles that was runnable,
with drop pool class 2 rapids along the length.

I know in NZ there are often several rivers with extremely similar
names....I hope this 'Rangiaiki' is different from the 'Rangitikei' that I'm
looking into. More googlework ahead...

--riverman
>
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

"riverman" <nospam.RemoveThis@sorry.com> wrote in message news:44e6c0ad$1@127.0.0.1...
>
..
>
> I know in NZ there are often several rivers with extremely similar
> names....I hope this 'Rangitaiki' is different from the 'Rangitikei' that
> I'm looking into. More googlework ahead...
>
> --riverman
>>

And now, from Wikipedia:

''The Rangitikei River' should not be confused with the Rangitaiki River
(located north in the Bay of Plenty), another of New Zealand's larger
rivers, which flows through the central and northern North Island.'

--riverman
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

riverman <nospam.RemoveThis@sorry.com> wrote:
>
> And now, from Wikipedia:
>
> ''The Rangitikei River' should not be confused with the Rangitaiki River
> (located north in the Bay of Plenty), another of New Zealand's larger
> rivers, which flows through the central and northern North Island.'

And in the USA,

"Deer Creek should not be confused with Deer Creek, which should not be
confused with Deer Creek. Also, Bear Creek is not the same as Bear Creek.
Furthermore, don't confuse Mill Creek and Mill Creek and Mill Creek."
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers? 

riverman wrote:
> "Bill Tuthill" <can.TakeThisOut@spam.co> wrote in message news:44e5f032@news.meer.net...
> > riverman <myronbuck.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> > Anyone from NZ here? I need some info on the Rangitikei.
> >>>
> >>> No, but I have a copy of World Whitewater by Dan Dunlap & Jim Cassady.
> >>> Want me to summarize the blurb for you?
> >>
> >> Oh yes, please! And if its not too long, can you scan it and send it to
> >> me as well? Thanks, Bill.
> > The writeup isn't too long:
> >
> > Rangitaiki River
> >
> > About 8 miles (12.8 km) upstream of Murapara
> > to about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Murapara.
> > Difficulty: class 3+
> > Length: 6 miles (9.6 km)
> > Season: September thru May
> > Character: Popular, heavily forested
> >
> > Located SE of the major tourist center of Rotorua, the Rangitaiki was,
> > until recently, the most popular river trip on the North Island. The
> > newly promoted run on the Okere Falls section of the Kaituna, described
> > above, has taken the honors as the prime tourist run in the Rotorua area.
> >
> > The upper dam-controlled run cust thru NZ's largest pine plantation
> > forest.
> > Ferns and pampas grass line the banks. The river drains the Ahimanawa
> > range
> > with a relatively constant gradient of about 50 fpm (9.7 mpk) on the edge
> > of
> > the Kaingaora Plateau. This is a good place to learn to paddle or to try
> > your hand at the nearby slalom course. Floating rocks made of pumice
> > (aerated lava) sometimes break off upstream pumice fields and join boaters
> > in the river. Jeff's Joy (class 4), the biggest rapid on the run, is near
> > the beginning. Just upstream of Jeff's Joy is Fantail Falls, another
> > rapid
> > that causes a lot of trouble. The rest if fairly constant class 2 and 3.
> > The put-in and take-out are hard to find, so it's best to inquire locally.
> >
> > Downstream of Murapara the river is not well suited for river running, but
> > downstream of Ariwhenua Falls is a class 2 run of about 5 miles (8 km)
> > that
> > is popular with novices. The river meets the ocean at the Bay of Plenty.
>
> Hmm, something sounds strange. I'm making arrangements with a NZ outfitter
> to take 20 kids on a 5-day canoe trip, and he recommended the Rangitikei as
> an excellent 'straightfoward class 1-2' river for this duration. I was under
> the impression that there was a stretch of about 60 miles that was runnable,
> with drop pool class 2 rapids along the length.
>
> I know in NZ there are often several rivers with extremely similar
> names....I hope this 'Rangiaiki' is different from the 'Rangitikei' that I'm
> looking into. More googlework ahead...
>
> --riverman
> >

riverman, depending on the age of your kids, if you need some
entertainment options, checkout the movie, "Whale Rider"! Great scenes
of NZ, and a big seagoing canoe made for the movie and then donated to
the locals after the movie. A touching story about local legends! HYY
 >> Stay informed about: New Zealand paddlers?