On Saturday, we headed into town for
an action packed adventure on the Dart River at the head of
Lake Wakatipu.
Meeting at the information centre in
Queenstown at 7.40am, we caught the Dart River Safari Bus
with four other punters. We were off to our next main stop,
Glenorchy where the safari’s are based from.
Halfway to Glenorchy we stopped at a
lookout with amazing views over Lake Wakatipu. The Dart
River flows in at the head of the Lake with the Mt Aspiring
Mountain Range towering above the river. As you can tell, we
ordered a fine day, and bingo, we got the best day in two
weeks! Yay for us.
A photo opportunity on the Jet boat part way up the Dart
River.
Looking up to the head of Lake Wakatipu.
We had about 45mins in Glenorchy to
don the gear and get the rundown for the day, before going
down to the jetty where the Jet boat was waiting…
A quick photo by the crew, and we
were off down the lake with the odd 360deg spin, heading for
the Dart River mouth.
The Dart River was murky from the
glacial flour (ground up rock from the spring snow melt).
You could only see about 8 inches deep, which gave the
illusion that the river was much deeper than it actually
was. We only graded the base of the river a couple of times
with the Jet boat…
Jet boat leaving after unloading gear.
We
got dropped off about 1km up river from the start of the
Dart Walking track, where the Beansburn River meets the Dart
River.
The
trip up on the jet boat took a bit under an hour. With the
easy bit over, it was now time to get setup for the trip
back down the river. With some quick instruction we had the
boats unrolled and inflated.
Got the back seat! All the gear is behind us. The boat is so
fast it has a spoiler on the back!
Looking up the
Beansburn River valley, with a waterfall off the ridge, in
the centre of the photo.
Instruction on
how to pump up a funyak.
So
into the Funyaks we go and after a quick practice we group
together like one raft to give extra stability as we enter
into the main flow of the Dart River. The water clarity of
the Beansburn River was crystal clear, which lasted for
about 5mins till we hit the Dart River. A beautiful spot.
We pull the
Funyaks up the Rockburn River.
Triceps nicely warmed up ready for
action on the water.
Right ho, boats ready, lets go...
We dragged the Funyaks up about 100m of the
Rockburn River, till we could paddle in the slow moving
water upstream. We paddled upstream and discovered a chasm!
The gang gently paddle up through the Rockburn Chasm.
The chasm was a spectacular treat with hidden surprises.
A rest spot in some backwater, the water was about 10m deep!
On a good day, trout can be seen swimming below.
Here we are, “hey guys check out the rapid behind us... “
Exiting the Chasm, (looking up stream).
Exiting the
Chasm, (looking downstream).
A boat appears from
around a corner.
The chasm opens up to wide pool, surrounded by beautiful
native Beech trees.
A short walk through the Beech trees to the lunch spot.
The last Funyak exiting the Chasm.
After the morning's
activities, we were hungry and it was time for some lunch. A
short stroll through some Beech trees at Rockburn we found
a nice sunny clearing, perfect for a picnic (except for the
odd sandfly wanting a feed also). We were pre-warned and
came prepared, and for the most part avoided becoming the
meal.
The peacefulness of the area is just magic. It’s been a
relaxing way to get away from civilization.
Enjoying the sun and view at the lunch stop.
Lo and behold, a
table appeared out of the trees! A great variety of food
appeared, including some yummy dessert!
The view up the Dart River from the lunch spot.
Lunch almost served, thanks to our guide Sophie, yum, yum.
Lunch over, back into the Funyaks.
We were enjoying the relaxing paddle down the Dart, it was
sad to think it was all over. We spent 2 hrs in the Funyaks
all up, but the time seemed to pass quickly.
Alas, the end of the paddle already?!
We rolled up the Funyaks,
packed up the gear and it was back to Glenorchy on the
off-road “four wheel drive” bus via the gravel river flats
and farm roads.
Queenstown to Glenorchy bus.
We stopped at Glenorchy to get changed and find a café for a
coffee. A good chance to chill out for a bit in the sun
before heading back to Queenstown. We arrived back in
Queenstown at 5pm, a full day of adventure...
Glenorchy headquarters.
The four wheel
drive bus.
My lovely assistant showing the section of river explored on
the main jet boat safari.
Another happy customer.
The Route Map
We followed
the green dotted line to Beansburn, then floated to Rockburn
for lunch, before finishing the float at the end of the red
dotted line. We then did the “Scenic Back Boad Tour” back to
Glenorchy.
The river was an easy Grade 2
paddle, and everyone managed to stay upright which is a
wonder as there was one couple that was a bit of confused on
which way to paddle to keep the funyak going straight. There
were a few rapids run backwards, due to the funyak nosing
into the bank. They made it down in one piece, with big
smiles on their faces.
This trip was a fun 9-hour day’s
worth of activity of fantastic value, experiencing via many
different activities the wonders of South Island wilderness.
A special thanks to Dart River Safaris for putting on a
great trip.
