KARANGARUA RIVER ADVENTURE’S REWARD

In late 2015, a Kiwi-led group of paddlers took on the previously unexplored, remote upper reaches of the Karangarua River on New Zealand’s rugged West Coast. The team found steep, narrow gorges, massive boulder gardens, and significant portages—and the gratifying realization that adventure and challenge are often their own reward.

Words: Jordan Searle Photography: Jordan Searle, David Bain, Barny Young, Ari walker

"LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO SLOT TOGETHER THE EPIC PORTAGES LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE AND MAKE THEM WORK... FROM THE AIR I WASN’T SO CONFIDENT" BARNY YOUNG The search for first descents often drives people to remote and desolate corners of the world. Places like Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar resonate through the kayaking world as current hot spots for expeditions. In this respect, having the West Coast of New Zealand as my backyard is a double-edged sword. It is an incredibly water-rich and dynamic environment; it has also seen motivated crews seeking quality first descents for more than two decades, leaving only the most remote, challenging, and unknown sections undone. I am therefore pushed to search for the few drainages, or partial drainages, left unexplored in order to earn…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Summer 2016

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