Highest drop 10m
Public access
2.5hrs
Easy access to a mellow, but fun and very beautiful stream. Lots of medium to small jumps.
This canyon is fully described in the Canyoning in NZ guidebook.
Update: It is possible to cut straight down into the canyon by leaving the walkway shortly after the second picnic table and bush bashing down to the creek. This avoids 1km of stream walking between the weir and the canyon proper.
Went down in normal flow as party of two, not too chilly for late March. Had a blast down the canyon, took our time to enjoy the scenery. .
Best entry into the canyon:
– After the series of narrow board walks (next to the hydro channel), you will be walking on wide, gravelled path.
– From this point on, leave the path once you reach the second concrete culvert (which is only a few hundred metres after the first one)
– Bush bash down to the creek, following the dry creek bed.
Nice, scenic canyon!
Jumps were good and anchors in place
A party of four (Amy, Mike, Megan and myself) ran this canyon on 24 April in almost identical conditions to the “high flow” photo on the topo, maybe slightly higher. We found the canyon straight forward, even with two beginners, and not having done the canyon before.
Some of the jumps do require care. We were able to downclimb or do a small jump to check depth. We took ropes but didn’t use them. We did not do any slides; they were a bit fast.
Rocks in general were quite grippy, however there were the odd slimey rock.
We were all a bit cold by the end in single 3/2 wetsuits, but it is April.