Wild water, grand mountains on three-day raft voyage

Press, 5 December 1989, Page 34

Wild water, grand mountains on three-day raft voyage

By

Naylor Hillary,

who went rafting as a guest of Mount Cook Airline.

The Landsborough valley in South Westland is one of New Zealand’s grand and inaccessible places. Running the Landsborough River for three days in a rubber raft is an exhilarating adventure. Bursts of wild, white water alternate with more leisurely drifting through .miles of untouched beech forest. 4. On both banks, the snow-clad mountains sweep up steeply to more than 2500 metres. Landsborough Expeditions in Queenstown runs three-day voyages that . begin with a drive to Sunny Flat, the confluence of the Haast River and the Landsborough, a few kilometres west of the top of the Haast Pass. Ftpm there, a Heliventure helicopter from Haast delivers the rafters and their gear up the Landsborough. ‘ The 20-minute helicopter ride is itself an adventure, following the twisting line of the river. From the air the rapids, with names like Slingshot and Hunt’s Hole, look harmless enough. The vastness of the country is overwhelming. The Landsborough flows roughly north-to-south, for 70 kilometres, from the high alpine boundary of the Mt Cook National Park to the Haast Valley boundapr of the Mt Aspiring National Park. ■ To the east is the main divide; ,to . the west the Hooker Range dominated by Mt ? Hooker (2649 metres), with awesome hanging glaciers along the tops. The scenery, and the evenings spent at remote riverside camps, are as appealing to visitors as the rafting. The owner of Landsborough Expeditions, Mr Jim Archibald, has set out to provide a mixture of fun, excitement, and escape from crowded cities. He has been rafting the rivers of southern New ' Zealand for more than 10 years. Now he concentrates on the Landsborough. In the last few years he has taken more than 70 parties down the river,, generally 1 with 10 or 12 people in two rafts each time. He and his companion, -Dean Werren, act as , helmsmen and . teach basic paddling arid rafting skills to their crews. Jim Archibald enjoys getting people to work together in a crew; he finds women crews especially good — willing to listen to instruction, and to work hard. In the rapids it is hard work, especially for the helmsmen. ' The water feels icy to begin with, but heavy-duty wet suits soon warm up. The Landsborough flows at about seven knots. A raft’s speed is rather less. This is no straight progress. Especially in the upper reaches of the tumbling water the rafts get stuck against rocks, on top of rocks, between rocks. The rafts, about five metres long, develop a will of their own. Much of the time they are travelling backwards, or ■ sideways. In rugged water they loop and bend like demented caterpillars. ; The second day, through the Landsborough Gorge, includes a devastating Surprise Corner — a harmless looking righthand twist to ’the river at the end of. a peaceful stretch; h In the midst of the bend the river suddenly pliinges over two rockbound falls each several feet high. There is little time to prepare, or to do more than hang on amid the crashing water. But that is the whole point of the expedition. And. the second night’s

camp rewards the weary rafters.

This camp is the L.C.F.G. and C.C. — the Larsen -Creek Frisbee Golf and Country Club. A tarpaulin over a rough wooden frame offers shelter for dining on beef Stroganoff, with olives, mussels, and assorted other side dishes. To loosen up after a day of paddling and heaving, the nine-hole frisbee golf course ambles through an'idyllic stand of silver beech with dead trees .1 providing the “holes.”; Par for the course is 23; any score under 50 isn’t too bad. (Frisbee golf has be-

come a growing sport in the far south. In Queenstown, for instance, several residents with enough space have designed their own courses and a course has been worked out through the public, gardens).

The third day of rafting is more leisurely. For the first time it is possible to carry a camera, or smoke a cigarette, with some prospect that it will remain dry. In the last few miles the Landsborough broadens out. The Clarke River flows in from the west; the Haast River comes in froin the east. Back in the Haast

Valley the toughest problem for the last kilometre or so can be the wind sweeping up the valley, pushing rafts backwards in spite of the river’s current and the energies of tired paddlers. Landsborough Expeditions uses rafts designed for up to 12 people. Each carries only six or seven on the river, along with large plastic barrels, lashed amidships, for dry clothing, food, and tents. Although this is a threeday expedition, time on the river is only a few hours a day. For the inexperienced, that seems more than enough. It leaves ample opportunity

for leisurely meals, for pitching camp and packing up.

Above all, there is time to admire and be overwhelmed by the surroundings; time to watch the unconcerned tuis and other birds.

Landsborough rafting is most popular with West Europeans. Americans and Australians also take to the river. New Zealanders seem less ready to commit themselves to one of the grand experiences on their doorstep. Fact file: Jim Archibald’s Outdoor Company operates three-day Landsborough Expeditions from Queenstown at least once a week for six months during summer and autumn. The cost is $575 each (less for groups) with everything provided. From Christchurch, Mt Cook Airlines offers a five-day wilderness expedition, including the rafting, for $859).