Rangitata Gorge rafting adventure

Shrieks and even screams are par for the course in a Rangitata Gorge rafting adventure, writes KIM TRIEGAARDT.

'I t's just a fart in the bathtub," mumbles our rafting guide, Weka Kay, from under his sun-bleached dreadlocks. But it doesn't look quite like that to the 28 novice rafters standing on the rocks high above the Rangitata River. We watch in awe the water rushing at 80 cubic metres per second through the narrow gorge and forcing its way with a roar over bulging rocks.

We're halfway through our 2 1/2-hour rafting trip and about to challenge a grade-five rapid. The guides have brought us up for a look at what we'll be rafting through. There's a collective group gulp and then silence.

Based just 13 kilometres from Peel Forest, Rangitata Rafts operates rafting trips through the spectacular Rangitata Gorge.

The day starts easily enough. While we wait for everyone to arrive, Rangitata Raft owners Tussok and Alex Gualter put on a brunch of bread and salads with tea and coffee.

We're a mixed bunch with tourists from the Netherlands, Britain, Australia and even some Geraldine locals. Once brunch is over, it's time to crowd into the back shed for our safety briefing and wetsuit allocation.

In front of us is a colourful array of helmets, a reminder that - despite all the laughter and joking - we're about to embark on a trip tinged with danger. The Rangitata River is powerful, and fast running water and rocks can be hard on bodies.

The most important thing to remember, says guide Raana Setterington is that "Wetsuit is spelt W-E-T-S-U-I-T - there is no P in wetsuit."

Never mind the danger of the grade-five rapids that awaits; Setterington is more concerned that we "Just say no to P".

He runs through the drill of what we'll be wearing, basic safety laws and some general housekeeping rules.

Finally, the wetsuits are handed out and I'm relieved to find my above-average size body will fit into one of their wetsuits. "We fit all sizes," says Setterington.

Then it's on with thermals, fleece tops, booties, waterproof jackets, helmets and finally lifejackets. The changing rooms aren't quite big enough to cope with the squash of bodies trying to wriggle into wetsuits and there's lots of laughter as everyone battles with the unfamiliar clothing.

We clamber onto the bus that takes us on 20-minute ride along the Rangitata Gorge Rd, and guide Cam Ahlers keeps up a banter that has everyone in hysterics . . . "this farmer on the left exports tussock grass to the islands so people can make grass skirts . . . that guy farms rocks," he says with a straight face.

By the time another story ends we are at the end of the road and our boats wait on the rocks in a quiet eddy of the Rangitata River.

Setterington challenges us to jump in. The water is freezing, but a few hardy souls do. The rafting season runs from September through to the end of May when the water gets just a bit too cold. Rapids are graded from one to six with grade one being flat water and grade six too extreme or dangerous to raft.

Each of the four boats takes seven people plus a guide. We are given the once over and then allocated boats and positions according to size and fitness. Before climbing in, we jump and perform for the camera, and then it's onto the water. I'm in a raft with Setterington, and as we drift slowly over small rocks and past large tree trunks he starts giving instructions. It's an abbreviated "Rafting for Dummies" and includes basic skills such as paddle forward, paddle back and hold on.

When we hit the rapids we have to be ready to do what he says. We have a practice run through and Setterington starts to yell. "Forward, paddle hard," he yells. Our eight paddles crash out in every direction. I think I miss the water altogether. "Paddle forward . . . harder," he yells again, and this time we manage a team effort.

We run through paddling forwards and backwards, holding on, getting down, jumping left and jumping right.

The teaching ends just as we pick up speed and start to head for our first rapid. Setterington tells us to paddle hard as we get caught up in the current. There is lots of yelling and excited screams from the boats ahead of us. It's a small, grade one rapid but the entrance is guarded by a big rock known as Glacier Rock and we are heading straight for it. We wait for instructions, but Setterington has obviously decided to call us on our bluff as the hard- core rafters of the group and we ramp up the rock and flip the raft over.

The water's not deep, but it's cold and being underwater is confusing and scary as we tumble over rocks. The lessons are obviously well taught; everyone has remembered to hold on and lie in the feet-first rafting position, laughing slightly hysterically. We are pulled back into the boat, where Setterington grins evilly. It's hard to know whether this was planned or not. We decide it was - all part of the adventure.

Next up we head through Pencil Sharpener and then Rooster, We pull up for a breather and to check everyone's still in the boats, before climbing the rocks to look at the grade-five rapid we are headed for next. This is Tsunami, and although Kay dismisses it as mere bath-time flatulence, it looks a lot scarier than that.

Paddling hard, we ride the crest of the waves before dropping into the troughs and getting soaked. We bounce back up onto the next wave and steer madly to swerve around rocks. It's intense and furious but we make it through safely. The boat in front has three of its passengers swept out by a rush of water, and we watch the colourful helmets bobbing down the river and round the corner to where the rapid stalls in a shallow eddy. Everybody is fine and it's a good place to stop because we are at Jump Rock.

"Time to jump," challenges Setterington. The lowest rock is four metres above the water and if we do that we can move up to the 10-metre one.

Everyone is up for the challenge of the four-metre jump and most also brave the 10m one. The gorge echoes with the screams of jumpers as they step off the cliff and head into the chilling blue water below.

A couple celebrating their 50th birthdays hold hands and take a running leap off the edge. Their whole family, who have come along from Geraldine for the ride; all yell and cheer.

Back in the boat we head down another set of rapids and our boat is squeezed almost in half as the water forces it through a gap in the rocks. Setterington then takes us "surfing", trapping our boat in gully which forces waves of water over Dutch visitor Eva van de Looveren who has one of the front seats.

Two and a half hours after pushing off from the upper bank of the Rangitata Gorge, we glide exhilarated and exhausted along a calm stretch of water to the side of the river where the bus waits to pick us up.

It's a quick trip back to the hut where we strip off all the soaking wet gear and head outside for a sausage sizzle. A hot shower, coffee and good food round off a perfect day in the Rangitata Gorge.

Rangitata Rafts offers two rafting experiences: The adrenalin-filled Spectacular Gorge trip or the more relaxed The Fun and Gentle Lower Rangitata. Trips cost $195. Phone 0800 251 251 for bookings or more details. Shuttles are available from Cathedral Square in Christchurch.

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