Despite all efforts the Whataroa was not to be... but plan B was an awesome night and day. Ascending at night from Kelly's Creek to Carroll Hut to camp the night above 1000m in tents with the milky way spread above us. A morning traverse across Kelly's Range to descend to the Taipo at 7 mile creek. Rafting out with Wild West Adventure Company. Paul, Sebastian and the lads put on an awesome day for us bartering with gigantic gold nuggets for their services, crossing the river by rope, rafting and inflatable kayaking down the Taipo and swimming the last rapid to end the journey at the highway. We still can't agree who finished with the most gold and won another adventure...perhaps we'll all have to go... (Right Paul?) Pics to come and be added to over the next few days...Keep checking out the blog.
Awesome CACTI!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
WETA on the TAIPO
Saturday, March 19, 2011
TERM 1 ~ Woah! Waitaha Challenge
TERM 1 2011 has been an awesome time - check out the Shamrock Creek pics at right!
A core of 15 or so CACTI with an international flavour and a few late recruits.
Congrats to Jesse who was accepted for Mawhera Academy early in the term.
END OF TERM CHALLENGE 1st/2nd April:
Walk in Raft out on the Waitaha...Woah! This is one beautful river!
Monday, January 24, 2011
CACTUS 2011
CACTUS KICKS OFF!
Friday, February 4, 3:30 pm Bodyworx Gym.
Drag your mates along for an action packed start to the term!
Let's go hard out from the starting blocks, build a solid team, and break down the barriers in 2011!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Beached and Bushed!
Great day - great times! 10 challengers plus 3 supervisors participated in the CACTUS Term 4 Challenge.
Leaving home base at Bodyworx at 5pm we headed for Sunny Bight to gear up and load the kayaks with our equipment. A 9 km paddle lay ahead of us. (Click on the map at right to have a closer look in Google Maps.)
Idyllic conditions prevailed as we skirted the western shore of Kaniere to Laura's Delight. Great laughs rippled across the lake when we rafted up for a game of chicken kayak. My vote for rooster was definitely Katsu!
Dark descended as we beached at Lawyer's Delight. Challengers were dispersed in the Bush along the lake shore for an hour of solitude in the bush. Kiwi calls and "moreporks" punctured the silence of night - or was that just our stomachs growling for food having not eaten since Sunny Bight? Back to the beach (after the search party eventually found the lost hoochie!) for a 10 pm pasta cook up and set up camp. Lights out at midnight after everyone was laid out along the beach under hoochies or in survival bags. 5:40 wake up call and 25 minutes to get ready for the paddle across slip bay to the checkpoint for porridge a la Isaac. A dawn south-easterly gave some interest to the crossing but the group swiftly paddled directly into the headwind to slip alongside the waiting ute and trailer. All fed up and off to the start of the Mount Brown track at a double march. We entered the bush at 8:40 and ascended to the ridge appreciating the newly recut track. We made the hut by 11:30 for lunch at the Mt Brown Hilton overlooking the lake. What a magnificent job the tireless Mt Brown hut team have made relocating this now classy establishment from the Arahura. Paradise! Snowy peaks, magnificent views, brilliant sunshine and just enough breeze to refresh!
A two hour descent saw us back at the ute for 2:30 where Grant (thanks Grant!) was waiting with the van.
Great times - big thanks to Pip (the new CACTUS) Challenger for her fantastic support and leadership and to Isaac taking the time out to give back to CACTUS, Tai Poutini for the use of the Kayaks and all who made it such a great time. Especially the awesome CACTI!
[Check out the slideshow at right and click on it to open up the album.]
Posts
