Wai Paddle: Life on the River

It’s hard to believe that it has been 5 months since California season, the rest of the year has gone incredibly fast. I have spent most of that time at work, but luckily for me work is on the river.

First up I went to Utah to work on the Green River in Desolation Canyon. Desert river corridors are spectacular places. With the canyon walls towering above you it is hard not to realise your own insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

I worked a 14 day raft and kayak trip closely followed by a 14 day canoe trip. There is something special about spending long amounts of time on the river with no contact with the outside world. It is a great way to teach technical skills as well as an understanding of the unique environment you are living in day after day.

After I finished in Utah I did a speed tour back through California and Australia then finally home to New Zealand.

Checking out the Wildlife on Venice Beach – Photo Dee Harrington

As much as I love to travel it is always good to come home to New Zealand. However I headed pretty much straight back to work and did two 20 day canoe trips on the Clarence River.

One of the awesome things about living on an island is the fact that it is never far from the mountains to the sea. Traveling down a river from the source in the mountains right out to the sea allows you to see the full life of the river in it’s different stages.

Not many people spend 20 days on the Clarence River either, most people do it in 5. However with student leadership, lots of classes, and side hikes we take a lot longer. It’s a long time to spend on the Clarence but at the end of the day it’s an amazing river and we manage to do a lot more than if we were solely traveling down the river.

Between contracts on the Clarence I won a trip with my mother to Vanuatu. That’s right won! You know those draws that no one ever seems to actually win? Well I did win! So we got to spend a week in Vanuatu. It was the first time I have been overseas without my kayak, which was a little strange but made airports so much less stressful.