Moving on. . .

It's time to move on from the relative comfort of Murchison to start exploring some other parts of the South Island. I've been here in Murchison for three weeks, and have settled in a little. I could easily spend my whole trip kayaking the rivers in this area, but I want to see other areas as well.

The travel plans are starting to take shape. The van is packed and I'm heading towards the "West Coast" tomorrow. The West Coast is known for it's steep rivers that require helicopter access. There are plenty of rivers that have road access and/or trail access (i.e. hiking in), so I'm going to take a look at some of those. Next weekend, I've been invited to join a multi-day rafting/kayaking trip on the Waiatoto River, Class 3 (with one Class 4 rapid), helicopter access. It will be my first ride in a helicopter. . . a bit nervous about that part. After that trip, I'll probably hang around the West Coast for a week or so, and then head back towards the East Coast for a River Rescue Training on the Rangitata River. When that's over, I'm hoping to check out the rivers in Queenstown and the southern part of the island.

Those are my plans are at this point, but as we all know - "Things may change." I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I go kayaking, but I am working on that. Will try to take lots of pictures from now on. Take Care!