Kayaking and tramping together
Original post
Hi guys.
I was wondering if you are aware of a mixture of two great activities in one.
I met a guy that was saying to me that he goes hunting in Victoria and use his kayak to approach a mountain range and then hike for a couple days and
coming back again with his kayak.
Do you know where you can do this sort of activity in NZ ?
I thought that sound great approaching mountains by kayak and then tramping around...the union of these two activities sounds very adventurous to me...
Any thoughts ?
19 comments
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I've always thought getting to Jacks Biv in the Tararuas and floating down to Mid-Waiohine (or further) would be a great trip for this.
On this theme, see this awesome vid from the VUWTC: https://vimeo.com/142812134
truck tyre inner tube
@si-dog video looks awesome....how they could possibly swim with their packpack on???
Incredible!
giuseppe - Its pack floating - something else that I would very much like to get into. The Waiohine would be one river in the Tararuas where its doable in several places. It would take a lot of confidence (and a wetsuit ideally) for me to try this tho. I think technique would be VERY important.
It's actually very easy (although a little cool in NZ streams).
All you need is bouyancy. A standard pack will float for a minute or so then sink.
However, with a pack liner, you're set. Anything not in the sealed pack liner will, of course, be saturated.
I've used an Aarn pack in water - very stable on both your front (when you need to see where you are headed) and on your back, kicking. I had my sleeping bag inside a w'proof bag inside the liner, just to be sure!
I wouldn't recommend trying to swim against even a gentle current but going with the flow is straight forward.
Swimming with a backpack on isnt that hard but takes a little getting used to. Also works best when leaving the waist belt done up which is normally forbidden in river crossings. With it loose the pack rides up and pushes your head down. Just a gentle breathstroke and you make good progress
The waist belt should be left done up during river crossings.
If undone you run the risk of the pack swinging and unbalancing you.
I grew up with first no hip belt then a waist belt that didnt take much of the weight. Many things have changed with the modern packs that put most of the weight on the hips including how one packs. It used to be heavy stuff at the top where the support is. Rivercrossings might have changed as well but my fear would be being able to ditch the pack after a fall in a raging torrent. Ive never had to and Im not looking forwards to the first attempt whenever that happens
I did 5 pack float crossings up the Waiohine Gorge about 12 years ago. It was great fun doing it with a few people, linked up in a line. As one person was able to make contact with the ground, they would push off and give forward momentum. When packfloating, you need to not have a foam mat low on the outside of your pack or it will roll you over face down. Not nice. You can shift it to the top of your pack or put it inside the pack liner.
I took my big sisters pack floating one easter down the Waima Gorge and they got quite chilled but I was very impressed with one sister's PVC rain jacket at keeping me warm.
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| Forum | Tracks, routes, and huts |
|---|---|
| Started by | giuseppe23 |
| On | 4 November 2018 |
| Replies | 18 |
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