CLARENCE
The Clarence Rafting Trip is a journey from the mountains to the sea, following nature’s own highway, the Clarence River.
Our Clarence multi-day river rafting journey is just that; a four night, five day expedition that embraces a genuine feel for the rough, untouched country situated between Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura. The river is fun, without being intimidating to anyone shy of white water rafting, with broken, smaller rapids of Grades 2 and 3.
From put-in, near the thermal resort of Hanmer Springs, our team expertly guides you for the next 200+ km, until you reach the take-out north of the seaside town, Kaikoura, renowned for its whale watching, seal colonies, and mouth-watering crayfish.
This is a truly classic multi-day rafting trip on one of the most picturesque Grade 2 and 3 rafting rivers in New Zealand.
The Clarence River is situated in the Marlborough region of the South Island of New Zealand. It originates in the Inland Kaikoura Range and flows eastward, eventually emptying into the Pacific Ocean near Clarence. The river passes through diverse landscapes, including mountainous terrain, steep gorges, and fertile valleys.
Most trips on the river are run over four nights and five days. The Clarence is really about the journey between the seaward and inland Kaikoura ranges. We travel through deep gorges, the rapids are fun, but not intimidating.
The Clarence suits all client groups from families with young kids to older-aged guests. It is ideal for special interest groups; those that perhaps want to hunt, enjoy photography or bird watching, those interested in geology, or just a good group of friends.
As we run a gear raft solely for equipment, we can take musical instruments, rifles, etc.
TRIP DETAILS
Our Clarence trip ia a relaxing adventure, so a typical day would be to get up early and enjoy a cooked breakfast, as well as cereal, fruit and yogurt, hot and cold drinks.
After breakfast, we pack up camp, load rafts, and get on the water between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. Typically we will raft for a couple of hours, then stop for a leg stretch and some delicious home-baked morning snacks.
We will then raft for another hour or so, then stop for lunch. Lunches are mostly breads with a selection of salads and meat, fruit and sweets.
After lunch, we may only raft for an hour or two before making camp. One of the reasons for trying to cover the kilometers in the morning is to be in camp before the afternoon headwinds. It does not always happen, but more often than not it does due to the heating as the day progresses.
In camp, we have camp chairs for comfort and do most of our cooking on campfires. Guests are welcome to help with meal preparation. We serve pre-dinner snacks, then a main meal cooked over the open fire, followed by dessert.
Accommodation is two-person Mac Pac tents. If you would like a tent to yourself, let us know and we will put an extra tent in.
At camp, there is often time to swim, walk, hunt or just relax by the river or around the fire. Our Clarence trip is all about getting into nature, enjoying the splendour of the magnificent landscape of the Kaikoura ranges.
GALLERY
