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Gear loaded and ready to go<\/p>\nWords and images by Jo Taylor
From Issue 257<\/p>\n
The Whanganui river is a living river with a deep identity and history. The river begins on Mount Tongariro and winds 290km until it meets the Tasman Sea. It was the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person back in 2017. This has since inspired more rivers to gain personhood status across the world. Not only is this representative of the river\u2019s deep connection to the Maori people, it is also a unique and beautiful way to help protect our waterways.<\/p>\n
Ever since moving to New Zealand, I had been desperate to experience New Zealand\u2019s only Great Walk that is not a walk, but a paddle. Working in an outdoor shop in Nelson, every summer I saw the flood of Te Araroa walkers into the shop. When I asked about their highlights of the North Island, they talked fondly about canoeing down the Whanganui.<\/p>\n
Small rapids, incredible scenery, campsites that you can paddle into \u2013 this would be an amazing stand up paddleboarding (SUP) expedition. It surprised me how few had attempted it on a board. As a girl whose idea of a good time on a paddleboard is clocking up the kms & going hard, this was a river welcoming me with open arms.<\/p>\n
I called up some friends and told my boyfriend, who had barely been paddleboarding for more than five minutes, that he was coming so he better start training. We settled on the most picturesque section through the heart of Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River) \u2013 90km from Whakahoro to Pipiriki. We booked our campsites for the end of April 2026, and that was it, it was happening.<\/p>\n
Then, disaster struck. The fuel crisis hit. The rain started. The flooding in the Whanganui area was devastating, which started two weeks before our trip. I was obsessively checking the river levels every day. Usually in summer, the water level is an average of 1m. Ten days to go, it was at 9m.<\/p>\n
But I just had this feeling we were going to get away with it. The sun came out, the rain stopped and the water levels were dropping one meter per day. We knew that if it reached two meters, this would be comfortable for us to handle on a paddle board. We spoke to the operators on the river, to DOC, to locals, and we were good to go. The river was measuring 2m, the debris had flowed through, the forecast was sun, no rain or wind. The Whanganui was inviting us in.<\/p>\n
Gear loaded and ready to go<\/p>\n
Day 1 \u2013 36km
Whakahoro to John Coull Hut\/Campsite
We started at 6am pumping up our boards in the dark. Our shuttle guy was both amazed and amused at our choice of craft. He couldn\u2019t stop knocking the boards, impressed at their sturdiness.<\/p>\n
The mist was a sign of mornings to come. When it burned off and the sun hit the water, the whole river just sparkled! I hadn\u2019t thought too much about the paddle itself and yet, here we were, paddling through this big native forest, moss-draped rock faces, and fern walls. The river was filled with bird song, echoing off the steep cliffs around us. I had never seen so many p\u012bwakawaka, who danced around us.<\/p>\n
With the receded flood, we could see the damage it left behind when the water had raged through. Banks washed away, trees down, endless thick mud \u2013 it will need the winter to recover.<\/p>\n
With a fuller river, we were moving at a very good pace, but it also meant that some of the features were more flooded. Three of us are SUP coaches and one has no fear, so we soon settled into its flow. The river teased us with boils and whirlpools wanting to grab hold of the boards and give us a cheeky nudge into the water. But it only succeeded once in the three days!<\/p>\n
We paddled up into the John Coull campsite. With a stunning spot right on the river\u2019s edge, we set up tents, made cocktails (essential), ate our Real Meals and dried our clothes by the fire in the hut. Perfect.<\/p>\n
Day 2 \u2013 33km
John Coull Hut\/Campsite to Tieke K\u0101inga Hut\/Campsite
Day two takes you through some of the most dramatic gorges on the river, with gorgeous waterfalls tumbling down along the steep cliffs either side of you. After a misty morning, it was a nice break from standing on the boards to walk to the historic Bridge to Nowhere. A huge concrete bridge hidden deep in the forest built for a settlement that never survived. Definitely worth the hour walk for a sunny lunch spot with epic views.<\/p>\n
Back on the water, the flow was slowing and the rapids were easy to handle \u2013 mellow and well spaced out. Tieke K\u0101inga was our next campsite, and wow \u2013 what a spot! A beautifully manicured clearing overlooking the river, surrounded by banana trees. With a marae here, in summer you may be invited to participate in a p\u014dwhiri (welcome). As we were at the end of the season, no one was here but it felt like a special place. Another evening of big meals, cards and a great night\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n
Day 3 \u2013 22km
Tieke K\u0101inga to Pipiriki
Only 22km today, we thought! The river had slowed right down as it widened and the water levels dropped. This was a day of more big scenery, with steeper gorges and faster flowing rapids. The biggest rapids of the trip were the 50\/50 rapids (grade 2) at Ngaporo campsite. It was bouncy, fun and 100% dry!<\/p>\n
We had only seen one kayak and one canoe over the last two days, yet we were suddenly heading towards civilisation. There was a regular rush of jetboats creating lots of wake for us to ride! Before we knew<\/p>\n
it, the lush green forest gave way to open farmlands signalling our arrival at Pipiriki. This has to be the hardest part of the whole paddle, carrying gear and boards through knee deep mud!<\/p>\n
Since the paddle, I have thought a lot about this river. It felt like we disappeared into another world away from everyone and everything. The river felt full of life, full of memories and you couldn\u2019t help but feel its spirit. \u201cKo au te awa, ko te awa ko au.\u201d I am the river and the river is me. Thank you for having us, it was a privilege.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GPTempDownload-150-scaled.jpg\")
The last day of the trip<\/p>\n
Tips for Planning
\u2013 Book your campsites early
\u2013 Pick a good weather window with low wind
\u2013 Watch the head winds in the afternoon
\u2013 The start and end of the season gives less river traffic
\u2013 Check the river levels in the lead up
\u2013 Get comfortable with lots of jet boat wake on day 3
\u2013 Be comfortable on moving water and navigating small rapids
\u2013 No phone signal so take a Personal Locator Beacon
\u2013 Steep river banks so when you see a good spot to get out, take it
\u2013 Book car relocation and don\u2019t leave cars unattended in Pipiriki overnight
\u2013 Watch out for eels!<\/p>\n
My Multiday SUP Expedition Kit List
\u2013 A touring board with bungee cords, my go to is the Red Paddle Co 12\u20196 Sport
\u2013 Red Paddle Co 60L drybag secured under the bungees
\u2013 Red Paddle Co 10L small \u2018day\u2019 drybag
\u2013 Palm Peyto buoyancy aid
\u2013 Palm quick release rescue belt
\u2013 NRS Womens Crux drysuit or Palm Vector jacket
\u2013 Little Fish throwbag
\u2013 Palm folding river knife
\u2013 SUP repair kit: valve key, puncture repair, fin bolt
\u2013 Spare 5 piece paddle, pump, fins
\u2013 First aid kit, sunscreen, bug spray
\u2013 Personal Locator Beacon
\u2013 Sealskinz waterproof socks
\u2013 Red Paddle Co SUP trainers
\u2013 Nemo Dagger 2P tent
\u2013 Nemo All Season Tensor sleeping pad
\u2013 Nemo Fillo Elite pillow & Tracer liner
\u2013 Minimo Jetboil
\u2013 Plus the rest of the camping gear & clothes!
Jo Taylor
@jotayls
Places to Paddle in New Zealand: paddleboardwithjo.com
Jo works for MD Outdoors, your one stop shop for the best outdoor gear in Nelson & is a SUP coach and guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Words and images by Jo TaylorFrom Issue 257 The Whanganui river is a living river with a deep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-566142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=566142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/566143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}