New Zealand has and will always have a special place in my heart. When I was 20 years old, I lived there for a year. It was a life changing experience and part of that experience was taking up white water kayaking. My passion for white water stayed with me and has become a key part of who I am today.
Since returning to the UK, I have dreamed of returning to New Zealand and especially to the Kaituna river. This Christmas, my husband and I finally made the trip back. It wasn’t a kayaking-specific holiday, but we still squeezed in plenty of river time alongside other adventures, and reunions with old friends.
This article is here to tell you all about the kayaking side of those adventures!
My first time in New Zealand
At 20, I moved to New Zealand for a study abroad year and threw myself into every adventure I could find. I joined all of the outdoors clubs and soon my weekends were spent going away on adventures with those clubs.
It was through the wonderful folks at Auckland University Canoe Club where I was first introduced to kayaking. I was a nervous beginner who swam often, but I loved every moment. The Kaituna quickly became one of my favourite places. It is beautiful, exciting, and quite simply magical. I spent numerous weekends at the Kaituna in particular, often hopping on a raft to join the kayakers on their laps and sometimes in a kayak (but only on the top section.)
By the time I flew home, kayaking had already changed my life. I knew I wanted to return one day to paddle the Kaituna again – but only once I had got a little better at kayaking!
Why return now?
A few years after I returned home, two AUCC friends (Lewis and Kristina) moved to the UK. We had some wonderful adventures during their time here before the pandemic cut their trip short.
Lewis planted the seed of a Christmas Kaituna trip, but travel wasn’t realistic for a while. Finally in 2025, after a brilliant summer of paddling in the UK and Alps, I felt it was time to go back. I was having frequent dreams of New Zealand (literally) and it just felt right. My paddling was going well and I knew it was time to return.
A stressful time before our trip
We booked our flights in September, and I was buzzing – until life threw a lot at me at once. In November, we were indirectly involved with an incident on a river which left my quite shaken. I didn’t give myself time to process it properly and I realised it was having a big impact on me.
After this incident, we had a kayaking day out in Wales, during which I capsized on a grade 2 rapid and had what felt like a panic attack. I couldn’t remember how to roll, couldn’t remember how to pull my deck, and instead froze in fear with the belief that I was about to die. My head game was a complete mess. This was 2 weeks before we were due to fly out.
There were a couple of additional other big stressors happening in our lives at the same time and life became simply overwhelming. I went into survival mode for the next couple of weeks, taking it one day at a time. By the time we reached the airport in December, I felt exhausted and fragile. Not what you need before a big adventure!
Returning to the Kaituna
A week in rotorua
We were so happy to arrive in New Zealand. Our first couple of days were spent exploring the Coromandel before we headed to Rotorua to stay with Lewis and Kristina and meet their new baby. It was a wonderful week of catching up, small adventures, and plenty of kayaking. We’d brought our gear but no kayaks, and thanks to generous friends, Lewis had arranged two loaner kayaks for us.
First paddle on the kaituna
The Kaituna is a release river and can release at different levels. The first evening we headed over with Lewis for a lap – it was releasing at 500s which is high. I was super nervous so suggested that Tom and Lewis go for a lap together first and then I would join. They smashed their first lap and Tom was so happy. New Zealand had been my dream for so long but Tom has been kayaking since he was a kid and getting to paddle the Kaituna was a dream come true for him too.
When I joined for the second lap, I immediately felt uncomfortable in the loaned Veloc. Between the unfamiliar boat, missing hip pads, and my nerves, I felt twitchy the whole time and eventually swam on the top section. I got off early and let the boys continue.
change of kayak and change of mindset
That evening, I reflected and decided on two things: I needed a different kayak, and I needed to reset my expectations.
When looking at kayak options before, my friend Alex had suggested getting in contact with New Zealand Whitewater Academy (NZWA) about renting a kayak from them. They had a Waka Stout available, a boat I had previously owned. A few days of renting a kayak at a reasonable price seemed worth it if it meant I would be happier on the water.
NZWA are based at the Kaituna and so it was easy to pick up the kayak at the get on. Sam and Rob (the owners) were both really lovely and so helpful. If you ever go out to New Zealand and want to kayak on the Kaituna – I would suggest getting in contact with them!
The second decision I came to was that I decided to stop pressuring myself to “smash laps” and instead focus on enjoying the river. If I got a full lap by the end of the week, great. If not, it didn’t matter. I just wanted to feel happy on the water again.
Small steps and big smiles
After collecting the kayak from NZWA, myself and Tom returned to the Kaituna which was releasing at a lower level (300s). With the Stout and a lower release, everything felt better. Tom and I spent hours playing on the top section, and my confidence slowly returned. I rolled plenty, swam once, and met friendly locals as well as old friends (shout out to Rhys and Alex). I still wasn’t ready to go further than the top section, but I felt lighter, happier, and more myself.
nottingham locals reunited
The next day was warm and magical. After another long play session, we bumped into three paddlers – two of them from Nottingham, of all places! Local (to Nottingham) slalom coach Ian and his son Ollie were paddling with Ian’s slalom friend John. John and Ian had competed in the slalom event at the 1992 Olympics and been friends ever since! Ian, John and Tom went for a full lap while I got off earlier with Ollie. Afterwards, I was chatting with John and he encouraged me to stop overthinking and just go for a full lap. He was right. I knew I could do it – I just needed to go for it!
My first full laps of the kaituna
On Saturday, with Lewis joining us, I decided it was time. I was nervous, but felt supported and ready. I made it down my first full lap!
Tutea Falls felt chaotic thanks to a miscommunication with the rafts (they told us they would be another 5 minutes, when they meant another 30 seconds) but the rushed entry to this waterfall meant there was no time to overthink! I plugged, rolled up after a few attempts, and felt ecstatic. The rest of the lap went well until Abyss, where I missed the boof and had a long surf before swimming. I didn’t mind – I was kayaking the Kaituna again!
Lewis had to leave, but his friend Earl joined us for another lap. With his calm guidance, everything felt smoother. I got the “skip” at Tutea, styled Abyss down the middle, and finished with no swims or rolls. It was only afterwards that I realised the river was released at 500s as well. I was over the moon!
A dream come true
For many paddlers, the Kaituna is a casual lap. For me, it was a dream that was a decade in the making. I started my kayaking journey watching my AUCC friends – Lewis, Carey, Katalla, Kaz, James, Lucas to name but a few – run the Kaituna with ease. I was always hopeful that I’d one day join them.
This week wasn’t perfect, but it was everything I needed. The Kaituna has held a piece of my heart for years, and finally paddling full laps felt like coming home. I’m so grateful to Lewis and his friends – especially Earl – for helping make it happen.
Wairoa release
Before flying to the South Island, we squeezed in a Sunday Wairoa release with Lewis and his friends Cam, and Nick. The boys ran the top section, and I joined for the less scary grade 3 section below.
I have found that Kiwi grading and UK grading doesn’t quite match up. Lewis had described the top of the Wairoa as ‘grade 4’ but when I asked Tom how it had gone, he said it was definitely ‘challenging’ which for Tom means at least 4+/5!
The grade 3 section on the other hand was fantastic! A stunning river and just so lovely to have one last day on the water with Lewis. When we flew to Christchurch the next day, our hearts were full of joy!
A white water Christmas on the Shotover
We spent Christmas day in Queenstown and joined our UK friends Jess and James and their friends for a rafting trip on the Shotover river. Their friend Max runs a river boarding company in Queenstown and is also a talented raft guide. He has set up tradition to go rafting on Christmas day. As well as Jess and James, there was Seb, Lydia and Ellie. A lovely group of international paddlers – all away from home at Christmas time.
New Zealand was facing a big storm on the South Island but that didn’t stop us from having fun! The drive to the get on of the Shotover was the scariest part of the whole day. The road is an old gold mining ‘road’. A narrow twisty road, wide enough for one vehicle, with steep vertical drops to one side. Jess is a calm measured person, and she totally didn’t go into a massive panic during this drive. At one point, after hearing a gasp/small scream from her I did look down and feel distinctly sick. Luckily Lydia’s expert driving skills got us safely to the top!
The river was amazing. Me and Jess ended up in the front, with Max guiding at the back. It was so much fun but some of the bigger rapids did make Jess a little nervous! At one point, I was convinced the raft was about to flip – Jess fell into me and I did everything I could to push her back in before falling out myself. I have linked the video below – big thank you to Seb and James for the footage! Luckily they got me back in the raft really quickly!
When we got off, I was ready for my warm clothes but my heart was so full! It had been a wild and joyful way to spend Christmas Day morning and I was so grateful that this lovely group of paddlers had welcomed us along for the ride. Big thank you to Jess for the invite, Max for the expert rafting and everyone else for sharing the good times.
Adventures in Milford Sound
Between Christmas and New Year, we took a day trip to Milford Sound which is one my favourite places in New Zealand. After days of rain, Fiordland was spectacular with thousands of waterfalls descending from the mountains. We booked a sea kayaking trip with Rosco Kayaks and ended up with a private session led by Eli, an enthusiastic white water paddler. We got dropped out in the fiord and paddled the 10–12 km back.
The whole place was incredible – mountainous sides with fresh waterfalls pouring over the tops. Incredible rock formations and so many breath taking scenes.
There were a couple of larger waterfalls including Stirling Falls and Lady Bowen Falls. Both were stunning and Eli got us to paddle beneath them. Stirling Falls actually had quite a bit of water on the day and so it was hard to get close to the bottom of the falls but ferry gliding below was incredible. So much power in just the spray coming off the falls! We were soaked but happy! Lady Bowen Falls at the end had a little white water section at the bottom and we did some ferry gliding here. It was so much fun!
The wildlife was incredible. We saw a few seals, plenty of amazing birds and at the end we even saw a Five Gilled shark! Milford Sound does get Great White sharks too but as hard as I looked – we didn’t see one of those!
Eli’s knowledge of the fiord was second to none and he had so many great stories to keep us going on our paddle round, as well as stories of all the white water runs in Fiordland he had managed to fit in since moving there. He made an already amazing experience even better and we couldn’t recommend the trip more!
Goodbye New Zealand
A final storm over the new year cancelled our last planned paddle in Kaikōura, but we still enjoyed watching seals from the shore. All too soon, it was time to fly home. Three weeks was never going to feel like enough, but the trip was everything I’d hoped for – adventure, time with friends and a long‑awaited return to the river whose magic I have dreamed of for years.
Thank you New Zealand for welcoming me back and Tom for his first visit. Thank you for giving us the most wonderful Christmas adventure. ❤️
