Thread: Combining hunting and kayaking the Waimak

Training for Coast in Feb next year and will be obviously be spending a fair amount of time paddling the Waimak. In a podcast last year, the race director Glen Currie mentioned that he in a mate (in a tandem) managed to shoot a few deer during one of their paddles down the river.
Anyone had experience in doing this? How did you manage gear within your multisport boat? A fair bit of effort/admin involved but would give me a lot more motivation for training if I could mix it in with hunting.

I would suggest you use a big fat slower boat for training and hunting....when you get in skinny fast model you will feel paddling so much easier.win win.

You thinking of overnighting it (Hamilton Hut?) or just a stop and hunt on the way? Or just being able to stop and take a shot if you see something? Amount of kit for each option might vary...

You’d have to assume they used a barracuda which has plenty of storage space for an overnight mission.

I’ve done the paddle and there’s some good looking spots in the middle section of the course.

What event are you doing? I’m on the waitlist for the Mount run, but I don’t like my chances.

Not a lot of accessible public land through the gorge. most of the boundary have quite steep faces against the river.

On the True left, a climb above Hamilton hut, maybe some access up Salmon Creek.
On the True right, basically from the south side of Broken river down to staircase.

The river sees a lot of activity at that time of year from Kayaks and canoes. Some will camp on river beds close to the river. Also jet boats.
so definitely identify your target.

Its on my list to do as a multi day rafting run......

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I would most likely start my kayak early one morning (at first reasonable light), then look to shoot something close to the river bed or up one of the side creeks. Probably wouldn't do an overnighter due to the amount of additional kit etc. And yep, potentially Barracuda or I'll probably be racing a Total Eclipse but that's def got less stow space.
@cb14 I'm in 2 person 2 day, doing kayak and half the biking. Did mountain run in 3 person 2 day last year, loved it so thought I had better tick off the other disciplines

Maybe don't do it today....I think the river is meant to peak at between 4000-5000 cumecs some time over the next 12 hours, absolutely insane amount of water. Highest I've ever seen it was 2500 cumecs and that was fair pumping.

Originally Posted by dannyb

Maybe don't do it today....I think the river is meant to peak at between 4000-5000 cumecs some time over the next 12 hours, absolutely insane amount of water. Highest I've ever seen it was 2500 cumecs and that was fair pumping.

Where did that number come from? flow data recorders showing peak around 2500 cumecs around 5.30pm at bottom of gorge, it should peak at Kaiapoi around midnight, pretty sure its 7.5 hrs later. Not many rives in NZ where you get that much of a warning!

Originally Posted by bjp

Where did that number come from? flow data recorders showing peak around 2500 cumecs around 5.30pm at bottom of gorge, it should peak at Kaiapoi around midnight, pretty sure its 7.5 hrs later. Not many rives in NZ where you get that much of a warning!

This was from ecan earlier today, several hours to move downstream is not unusual, theres a reason they are preparing to evacuate pines beach and other areas close to the stop banks....

Originally Posted by bjp

Where did that number come from? flow data recorders showing peak around 2500 cumecs around 5.30pm at bottom of gorge, it should peak at Kaiapoi around midnight, pretty sure its 7.5 hrs later. Not many rives in NZ where you get that much of a warning!

Just been informed the reading at 3900 cumec was a miscalculation, apparently peaked at 2700 cumecs which is still huge and more flow than I've ever seen on the Waimak just to clarify, I'm not trying to misslead anyone

Even 2.7k cumecs is gunna test the stop banks at high tide.That 2.5k fresh 10 odd years ago was lapping the banks down at S.H.1. Incredibly a downstream lane south bound motorcyclist survived going over the rail and ended up in a riparian willow canopy.Lotto ticket moment.
The gorge recorder has gone on the blink,but Otarama recorder still online

Yeah, not really a swimming day... ground levels are all a bit lower at Pines and Kairaki after the EQs, fingers crossed they stay dry...

Low tide in Kaiapoi at 1.30am, peak flood flow will be arriving around 4am, so will likely be a bit later, closer to high tide if things are going to turn to crap for them...