Perth River
Sunday 7th Feb 1999
Written by Zane Roy Smith
Purple Hacky sack scribes an eloquent arc through the air. The crew begin warming all potential muscle groups on a day of absolute physical use. Sounds of the approaching helicopter charge the air with certain excitement.
"Stop hacking, we're out of here!" The first load of 4 kayakers flying for The Scone Hut, a very technical and seriously dangerous section of pool drop grade 5+ rapids, followed closely by their fellow paddlers A diverse mix of nationalities and a large net full of boats.
The forces of the day are gathering around us as a cloud of intensity hovers overhead. Our pilot's name is James Scott, owner operator of Fox and Franz Heliservices and a very experienced mountain pilot. Our lives are all in his hands for the first leg of this epic expedition. Upward into the soft windless sky we float, flying over the lush rainforest. Below the landscape unwinds and our imaginations start to run wild as our anticipation builds.
Here we are, South Westland, on the South Island of NZ. The Perth river is the order of the day. This is a very steep tributary of the Whataroa river. A glacial fed river cascading through a series of narrow gorges and over many large boulder gardens. Rocks pushed and rolled with the supreme reality of one of natures most powerful forces, WATER!!!!!!! Travelling downstream, carvings of wild beauty on the walls of previously glacial filled valleys.
For the next event Dooma and I fly in to Five finger, the beginning of our rafting section of the river. The boats are flown in and the rising adrenalin in everyone's bodies ensures that the rafts are well and truly pumped up before the last chopper load of rafters arrives. Rangitata Rafts and Eco-Rafting Adventures NZ are here for the day!!! An intensive safety talk is given as we watch the kayakers run a tight and technical section upstream. A lone kayaker gets pinned under a rock with the powerful waterpushing him deeper inside. Luckily he manages to get out of his boat and a good friend pulls him free. A paddle is lost, his heart beats fast, luckily life remains for this extremist. Let's raft!!!!
Downstream we are straight into very technical non stop rapids. Weaving around boulders and through tight chutes. Water splashing, smiles and howls of joy echoing in the Perth valley. Towering above us Mountains throw their heads up to the blue sky. Spots of neve twinkle in the sun. We travel onwards.
Lunch is served upon the river bank next to a deep blue pool. Trees tower above and the landscape overwhelms to make us all look incredibly small. As usual I am spending a lot of time staring through the lens of my camera. During the course of the day we tackle large technical rapids with many different situations appearing before us. The crews are working well with the guides and when we arrive at a very tight chute with no name, Millsy and myself decide to run our rafts through. This is a small body of water running over a drop into a very largerock , then pushing hard right through a chute which looks to be narrower than the width of the rafts. We feel confident with ourselves and the crews teamwork within our boats. I stand on the rock above the chute as they approach, slowly getting his line Millsy see's the chute and makes the call " Hold On." Looks of intensity brush the faces of all in the raft as the guide steers this 4.7m raft through the tiny gap. Deep breaths are taken by all watching. Safety cover is provided from guides on the rocks as well as kayaks in the eddies below. Screams from the raft bounce off the canyon walls as the raft charges through totally unscathed, YeeeHaaaa.!!!! Next up we are off to meet the same body of rock and river.
I charge my crew up with words of the rapid below. The line we need is very narrow and there is no room for mistakes. Slowly we drift downstream, I see the line. Going with the flow of water towards the huge wave buffing off the boulder ahead. The crews muscles are tense and heart rates increase. Adrenaline surging through my veins like a burning flame. "Forwards!!!" I yell. "Hold on, get down!!!". Over the drop, into the Buffer wave, yells of buzzing rafters as we all see the line through the gap squeezing through to the safety of the soft blue water below. I feel very alive within this valley. We duck and dive like the blue ducks flying overhead as we raft and kayak deeper into the gorge getting closer and closer to "The Slide", a large boulder trapped in the valley, blue water pushing over it's static grey mass into a seething cauldron of whitewater below. Waterfalls are always exciting. Plunging into the unknown!. Watching the safety kayaks running this blows the minds as one of the guys gets hammered by the recirculating water at the bottom. Rolling and surfing, working as hard as he can to finally get free.
Millsy runs the first raft over and flies down the drop and disappears under water. All I can see through the camera's zoom lens is his head poking out like a submarine periscope. The boat and crew are under water. Then the raft surges up and gets surfed back into the falls. The force of wate rplunging down on to the boat forces 2 out and into the river. The safety kayaks charge in and tow them to the side. They arrive with huge smiles and laughing like mad hens. What a hot run!!!! The next raft is guided by Southy.
He sees his line and takes the plunge, time ceases to exist as we hold our breath. Down the near vertical slide and through the wave below. Yells of charged crews echo from the steep rock walls holding this river inside. We climb over house sized boulders back to our raft and I brief the crew on the plan of descent. John guides his boat out onto the slow moving water, Hugo and the crew are smiling from ear to ear, these guys are having a fantastic trip. We watch as the raft drops away out of sight, keeping an eye out for the all clear signal. John's run is clean.
We cast off, slowly moving into the main body of water and drift quietly towards the huge pit ahead!!! A strange place to experience such deep silence. Fear and adrenaline are powerful forces, beating within the hearts of many this day. We reach the edge "Hold on!!". The front of the raft bends and dissapears as we begin the plunge over the edge. Screams of excitement as hands firmly grip the safety ropes. What a position to find ourselves in. Gravity forcing it's theories upon our bodies as the wave at the bottom leaps over the bow of the raft, we pop out and slam into the rock wall!!! A fantastic drop. No carnage and a stoked crew. This is definitely the way to live!!!!!
The rapids below continue to test our skills as the rushing waters push our rafts through the tight chutes. Onwards we travel towards the Whataroa river. Behind us one of the most intense sights of my life. Canyons, deep blue glacial waters, vertical rock walls caressed by ancient rainforest. Towering above all, seemingly superimposed, mountains reaching for the sky, sheer cliffs stark in the sunshine of South Westland. We arrive safely at the Whataroa river confluence.
The cruise down stream provides us time to relax and reflect upon the adventure of the day. Faces become portraits of energy. Our geography is poetry. We are definitely living this life to the fullest. The Perth river has shown us reality many times during the course of the day. Arriving at the takeout the vibe is very rich. Laughter rolls from happy, vibrant individuals as the river flows by. Farewells to this river as we drive back into the real world. Escapism is possible, Self expression is found in manyways. Life is ours to enjoy.