kaituna river rafting death

width: 100%; e.mh = e.mh===undefined || e.mh=="" || e.mh==="auto" ? You dont need to be super fit, but you do need to able to cope with the adrenaline, the high speeds, and the crashing water, while you are paddling. If you have your own action camera, such as a Go Pro, then as long as you have suitable accessories to ensure you dont lose it, then you can bring this along too. } footer #bottom-bar .wf-float-right{ The Kaituna River is home to kere Falls, Kaituna Falls, and the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world 7m Tutea Falls. } The Kaituna is a grade five, which is characterised as "extremely difficult and violent, with life-threatening hazards". font-family: Roboto; We were having a really good summer, Ryan says. margin-bottom: 0; He immediately yelled ahead to Morley swimmer, a word that carries weighty connotations to whitewater kayakers. width: 96%; She was known to get up at 5am and do a couple of laps before work then squeeze in another paddle in the evening. Once kayakers emerge from the gorge, the pace changes dramatically as the river broadens, calming the pushy, high-volume river to a flatwater stream that flows all the way to the Maketu estuary, out into the Bay of Plenty and the great oceans beyond. The person he becomes on the river would have called him back. .gallery-shortcode img { A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River turned to tragedy. The Kaituna is a grade five, which is characterised as extremely difficult and violent, with life-threatening hazards. Members of the New Zealand Rafting Association were unavailable for comment and representatives of other rafting companies operating on the Kaituna refused to comment. Tutea Falls is 7 meters tall and definitely a Class 5 drop! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Combine the unique crater walking experience with rafting on the Kaituna with Kaitiaki Adventures. The Kaituna is a white water enthusiast's dream come true. padding: 5px 0 5px 0; .vc_row.wpb_row.vc_inner.vc_row-fluid.carousel-container-content.vc_custom_1619577787216.vc_row-has-fill { /* Home Carousel */ display:block !important; Kaituna River Rafting English. I was very strong when I spoke at the coroners court to say that we didnt want that section of river closed off. Its a great place to train, a great place to hang out. One thing she couldnt make happen was the Olympics. The demands of the tourist town quickly outstripped the supply from the station, and it was decommissioned in the mid-1930s. Cancellation Policy Before the group dropped into the lower gorges, they came together to go over the plan of attack. If she wanted to do something, she would always just go and make it happen.. She was determined and she always challenged herself to get out of her comfort zone.. She became really wrapped in the adventure aspect exploring wild rivers, which is something you cant really do in the slalom world, her father explains. @media screen and (max-width: 2000px) and (min-width:1025px){ } window.innerWidth : window.RSIW; } Okere Falls is the inlet to the Kaituna. } min-height: 183px; Since the very beginning Ryans goals have been about the adventure and challenging himself to push his limits. .transparent .mobile-branding .sticky-mobile-logo-second-switch img { #about .ult-vc-seperator.top_seperator { n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; 2023 DIVERGENT TRAVELERS | ADVENTURE TRAVEL BLOG, Rotorua Rafting the Kaituna River: Our Personal Experience, White Water Rafting: Rotorua New Zealand Planning Tips, Location of the Kaituna River and How to Travel There, Training For Your Adventure on the Kaituna River, 15 Fun Things to do in Tauranga, New Zealand, 20 Awesome Things To Do In Queenstown, New Zealand, Two Week New Zealand South Island Itinerary, 19 North Island New Zealand Photos That Inspire Travel, 25 New Zealand Photos That Showcase the South Island, The Tongariro Crossing is the Best Hike in New Zealand, Two Week North Island New Zealand Itinerary, Kaikoura Whale Watching: The Ultimate Guide, 21 EPIC Things To Do In Kaikoura, New Zealand, Karangahake Gorge: Off the Beaten Track in NZ, Best Time to Visit New Zealand: Month by Month Breakdown. Complex, precise and powerful sequential manoeuvring is non-negotiable. color: #000 !important; They couldnt walk more than 10m without being swamped by competitors, many of whom have stayed at their Otaki home over the years. 1 HOUR OF EPICNESS ON THE MIGHTY KAITUNA RIVER WILL LEAVE YOU STOKED, WORLDS HIGHEST COMMERCIALLY RAFTED WATERFALL, 1 HOUR OF STANDUP PADDLE BOARDING / FAMILY FLOAT. In a matter of seconds, you will be at the bottom wiping the water from your face. but nothing compares to the end waterfall. One trip you should not miss on the North Island when you visit Rotorua is a rafting trip with River Rats Rafting. Hope was being chipped away with every second that ticked by. You may want either a chest harness or a helmet mount or at the very least a wrist strap with a floatation device. Six people drowned after falling out of a raft. Too late, youre plunging down the waterfall in one quick motion. There were tributes to Louise everywhere you looked at last years Whitewater XL, the first major canoe slalom event to be held at Aucklands new whitewater park in Manukau, Helmets, paddles and kayaks of local and international competitors alike were plastered with stickers with the name Lulu encased in a stylised heart. From here on it is continuous whitewater, like a fast-moving hydroslide winding through a boxed-in canyon. border-radius: 3px; } About a week after the accident, one of Ryans friends with knowledge of the river looked through the footage for him, searching for clues as to what happened. Its of great curiosity then that Okere means the place of drifting. We offer river rafting trips daily on the Kaituna River(Okere River), and seasonal trips on the Waiora, and Rangitaiki River. .mobile-branding{ } sl = nl[0]; flex-direction: column; RotoruaRafting 2019 / Privacy / Digital Marketing by Rotorua Rafting. Whitewater Rafting Rotorua Rotorua's Rafting Experts, SAVE $10 Per Person Use Promo Code: CASCADES. 0 : parseInt(e.tabh); Kaituna Rafting Grade 5 with River Rats Raft & Kayak - YouTube http://www.riverrats.co.nz/ River Rats Raft & Kayak, rafting on the Kaituna River, featuring the world highest. Louise never needed much encouragement. font-size: 16px; Morley would wait in a slow-moving eddy, where he would be able to rescue they still were not considering the possibility of retrieving a body Louise if she tried to swim her way out of it. } Louise didnt have dreams, she had plans, says Adrian. .footer .widget .kaituna-button, He wouldnt be the first to question the psychology. margin-top:25px; margin-bottom: 10px; The tour companies generally bring along a photographer with them too, to take shots along the river, including when you make the final drop over the adrenaline-inducing Tutea Falls. right: 5% !important; Ryan calls them the river people and proudly counts himself among their number. Adrenaline filled whitewater rafting on the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. width: 100% !important; They know the rapids well and will have dropped over the big waterfall countless times. Her parents would often only later hear what she had been up to. He remembers getting a glimpse of her after completing the first difficult move. The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory in Clay; Chasing the Shadows; The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: A Stop-motion Adaptation #tripadvisor-loader { 33-year-old Emily Fournier of. position: absolute; Kaituna River Rafting | Whitewater Rafting Rotorua | Raft the Kaituna River 0800 772 384 KAITUNA RIVER RAFTING $115pp book now enquire now monthly special ROTORUA ZIPLINE + RAFTING COMBO: $224 LOCK IT IN! The Kaituna River is most famous for a rapid called Tutea Falls, a seven meter drop that is the highest commercially-rafted waterfall in the world. 3 hr Kaituna River features grade 5 rapids plus the awesome 7 meter (23 feet) Tutea Falls, the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. text-align: right; font-weight: bold; 17 Kaituna River and Tutea Falls Whitewater Rafting. There was a guy who wanted to paddle the Huka Falls, so the kayak shop put him in touch with Louise and they did it. Offering the most spectacular white water rafting in Okere Falls, Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand. The Kaituna River is a world-famous white-water destination. Roy then dragged Ryan from his kayak and revived him. It was close to all the things she loved doing, Liz says. Weve been back a few times. margin-bottom: -20px !important; Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. a.book-btn.fh-button-true-flat-yellow.fh-fixed--bottom.fh-size--small { .textwidget p { At the moment we are trying to arrange for his body to be taken back home to India." .carousel-container-content h2 { Rotorua is a popular stop on many travel itineraries, and youll find the city itself easy to reach, with good links to Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and other destinations too. Tutea Falls is the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world, at 7m high. } } "They are obviously very sad and shocked by his tragic death. background-color: #f7e222 !important; The minimum age is 15 years. } It is also where Ryan and Louises love story began and the starting point of their fateful trip on March 11, 2015. background-color: var(--the7-accent-color); .mobile-mini-widgets-in-menu span{ !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) At 26, she had kayaked nearly every continent, paddling remote rivers in Canada, Chile, Argentina, Austria, Norway, the United States and Zambia. You just need to be physically fit and ready for a lot of adrenaline and a lot of water. All of our guides are handpicked, highly skilled professionals that come from an extreme whitewater background in Kayaking and Rafting. .footer-paras{ New Zealand has become a second home to me, Hradilek says in a distinctive Czech-Kiwi accent that backs up his assertion. In March 2016 almost a year to the day of Louises death Waikato paddler Sean Curtis died after getting into difficulty on the Whitcombe River, south of Hokitika. Water crashes you in the face as you plunge down the first set of rapids. Double-check with your tour provider beforehand, to ensure they provide this service for you because you will want to take home the photos. text-align: left; white-space: nowrap; transform: rotate(180deg); padding-right: 20px; } background-color: #f7e222 !important; The Kaituna River is the most exhilarating waterway in New Zealand, packed with white water rapids and home to the worlds largest commercially rafted waterfall. } margin-left: 7px; Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. } This year it was almost his turn, when a descent of the Tauranga-Taupo Falls near Turangi went horribly wrong. .home .eapps-instagram-feed-posts-grid-load-more-container { padding: 16px 20px; for (var i in e.rl) if (e.gw[i]===undefined || e.gw[i]===0) e.gw[i] = e.gw[i-1]; Its a continuation of the Awesome gorge style of paddling but much narrower becoming tunnel-like in places and faster, due to the steeper gradient. text-decoration: none; Rafting, motocross, rafting, kayaking, rafting, SUPing, Shark Tank. .same-logo img.preload-me{ 2hr30min - 3hrDuration. The biggest danger in this run is the risk of logs and wood, she wrote. } @media screen and (max-width: 500px) and (min-width:200px){ } } } A nurse who was on the river at the time performed CPR on the man, along with staff from Kaitiaki Adventures, before being taken to Rotorua Hospital by St John paramedics. } There is one particularly striking picture taken just after he has gone over the edge of the 30m high Ram Falls in the Canadian Rockies. Its as committing as it possibly gets. document.getElementById(e.c).height = newh+"px"; A police spokeswoman said police and Hato Hone St John Ambulance personnel were advised of an incident at Trout Pool Rd, Okere Falls in the Rotorua district about 3.10pm. Its an epic section of whitewater, says Ryan Lucas, one of the countrys top extreme kayakers. One potential legislative measure considered was closing the lower gorges of the Kaituna to kayakers. Unable to free herself, she was pushed under, the rapids exerting forces on her body she could not possibly extract herself from. @media (max-width: 1400px){ Every time we go through theres a few tears. } Full description. They will run you through techniques, the commands theyll be issuing and what to do if you fall out or the boat flips. footer #bottom-bar .wf-float-right{ The only hint that this is the epicentre of whitewater paddling in this country is the haphazardly parked cars that line the highway, some sporting brightly coloured kayaks on their roofs. Media Coverage; Podcast; Films. She loved living in Okere with Ryan. The water is clear, crisp and really refreshing on a summer day. @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { width:100% !important; He routinely looked back to check on Louises progress. Experience whitewater rafting immersed in the jaw dropping beauty of the mighty Kaituna River. What begins as a meandering stream from Trout Pool Falls quickly becomes a lot more committing as the river tightens and the flow of around 27-40 cumecs (cubic metres per second) is forced through a passage just 2m wide in places. Those fears were founded. } This is the upper section of the river commonly referred to as the Okere River close to its source at Lake Rotoiti, and its the most intense and exciting stretch of water in New Zealand. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Maritime New Zealand carry out investigations into all deaths on New Zealand waterways. } Gnarly gorge is where things get particularly, well, gnarly. } } } Just a few days after Louises accident, once local iwi had lifted the rahui, he returned to the Kaituna. The Kaituna River is Ryans playground and his ground zero. Thats all I had left of her, he says, crying. It does not store any personal data. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; newh; width: 100%; Ryan already had a thirst for testing his limits. height: 105px !important; 14 Geothermal Mineral Baths Experience: Pavilion Pools for 12+. Occasionally, the rafts will flip over when they hit the water at the bottom of the falls. Join in group. Never did Ryan expect he would be looking skyward at Louises funeral and making a promise to honour her wishes. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. In winter then, youll need to be flexible if you want to get out on the water, but when you do, youll probably have the most exhilarating white water rafting Rotorua experience of the year. He was trapped under water for more than three minutes before his expedition partner, Canadian paddler Mike Roy, was able to free him. The Kaituna River begins at Lake Rotoiti, which is just north of Rotorua, before continuing its long journey to the Bay of Plenty, a journey of around 50 kilometers in length. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. e.gw : [e.gw]; .footer-1 img{ } A common thread of the research is athletes seem to hold the romantic view that doing something inherently dangerous puts you on a higher spiritual plane. opacity:1; It was built for Ryan and his younger brothers Mitch and Cole both keen mountain bikers to ride beat-up BMX bikes down the steep ramp and plunge into the lake. } Home; About; Blog; Media Room. } This is the story of her death but it is also a story of renewal, as those closest to her keep her memory alive by celebrating her sense of adventure. Be sure to make Kaituna river rafting your first stop adventure activity in Rotorua! } There were fears Louises friends in the kayaking and rafting fraternity, who had descended on the scene en masse when they heard one of their own was missing, would go back in by themselves to try to look for her. Before you hit the water, your group will be given around twenty minutes of instruction and training from the guides. Mr Chhagan said the man was with his wife, son, daughter, son-in-law and some friends when the incident occurred. If it is not the place of drifting, then it is the place of drifters. color: black !important; While she had big plans, Jull wasnt so much hung up on the details. } The Best Whitewater Rafting in Rotorua, and Ranked #1 on Trip Advisor. Start at a spot where wild waters meet subtropical rainforests and canyons engraved in the earth. padding-left: 20px; The base for this tour is located on the banks of the Kaituna River, meaning no long bus rides to your destination or waiting around in wetsuits to get picked up. pw = pw===0 || isNaN(pw) ? When he looked back for a second time, she wasnt there. try { The local guides though will always have final say over the matter when it comes to the weather, and if the rapids are deemed too intense after a heavy storm, then the trip may have to be rescheduled. 16 Kaituna River: 3.5-Hour Whitewater Rafting Experience. position: absolute; color: #fff; .carousel-container-content { [GoPro] 18,193 views Dec 29, 2016 Whitewater rafting the beautiful Kaituna River near Rotorua, New Zealand. As you keep paddling, the sounds of water falling over the rocks become the soundtrack of your day while your guide tells you how to navigate the river. There doesnt appear to be much to it from the main road. } .confirmations{ for (var i in e.rl) nl[i] = e.rl[i]

2022 Jayco Seismic 4113, Degrassi Graduating Classes, Convert Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater To Propane, Ukraine Factory Shooting Video, Articles K