Most of you have probably seen ‘kayak kiss’ the viral video that shot Palm Team paddler Ben Brown into the main stream and onto TV screens during major sports events like the US Super Bowl.
The success of that was in no small (excuse the pun) part down to Go-Pro cameras and Ben is a master of making the sorts of videos that the rest of us aspire to with our wobbly and grainy footage. It also has something to do with the sort of water he paddles being that bit more impressive than most of us manage.
We’ll Go-Pro have stepped up again this week, launching their new Hero3: Black Edition, and guess who is one of the lucky athletes featured in the promo – Mr. Ben Brown!
The narrative is a bit of ’a day in the life’ kind of affair, with kayaking featuring along side other sports like freediving, surfing, skiing and more. The previous Go-Pro High Definition camera was cool but wow, to say a camera quite literally sings and dances is quite true of this new model – slow motion, amazing angles, great definition, bright and light: It looks amazing.
Anyway, enough of an advert, we are just super stoked to see our man Ben in there, representing kayaking and cutting it up amongst the likes of Kelly Slater and Aaron Chase. Keep firing it up the Waikato warrior!
Well it certainly has been an epic summer down here in NZ.
After lots of working behind the scenes with Red Bull and Tourism NZ I was able to finally put into action a trip I had been dreaming about for a long time. For the past 10 years I have been fortunate enough to follow my passion for kayaking around the world exploring some of the best whitewater this planet has to offer. I thought it was finally time to bring some of the amazing friends I have made through the sport down to my home turf and explore the very best that NZ has to offer. So in February Rush Sturges, Rafa Ortiz and camera man Matt Baker flew down to NZ to join myself and fellow kiwi paddler Jared Meehan and embark on an epic adventure.
Meeting in Auckland we loaded up a 6 berth RV and headed off on a 35 day, 8000km road trip through both the North and South Islands of NZ to see what we could find. We were set up to chase weather patterns, good flows and we weren’t afraid to put serious driving kilometers under us to put ourselves in the right places to find the water we were looking for. This plan certainly paid off and we were fortunate enough to get on some amazing rivers right throughout the country.
From L to R Jared Meehan, Ben Brown, Rafa Ortiz and Rush Sturges somewhere in the South Island.
We spent a couple of weeks in the creeking paradise of Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island using the traditional kiwi shuttle vehicle of the helicopter to access the remote creeks on offer here
The team loading the Heli to fly into the 2 day Mungo Hokitika River. A highlight of the trip.
Flying into the Kokatahi River
Putting the Atom Top and AMP PFD through its paces.
Dropping into another dark and ominous gorge on the West Coast
Committing but breathtakingly beautiful. The Mungo/Hokitika River is as good as it gets for multi day paddling in NZ.
The infamous 'Carnage Gorge' on the Kokatahi River.
Exiting 'The Gates of Argonath' at the conclusion of the Hokitika River
The creeking on the West Coast exceeded our very high expectations and some of the footage we got was incredible. The Atom Drytop along with the Sidewinder Pant combo performed amazingly well keeping me dry and comfortable yet remaining comfortable during some of the very arduous portages and hike-ins that we subjected ourselves to. The Mungo/Hokitika two day trip was a highlight of our time on the Coast and I was very impressed by both the weight and functionality of the Palm waterproof storage bags I used.
Before long a low pressure system from the deep south slammed into the Coast sending all the levels sky high and grounding the helicopters. We teamed up with a few of the local chargers and sampled several of the amazing flood runs the Coast also offers.
Hunting the Flow after some heavy rain on the West Coast
Lemming style flood boating on one of the local boys secret gems...
We then headed further south to explore some of South Otagos high volume runs. Fortunately for us the rain followed and we had a rare summer descent of the Nevis River, easily one of the finest hard runs in the country, before spending a few days on the classic big water test piece – Nevis Bluff.
The final move in 'Freight Train', my favorite rapid on the Nevis River
Getting a unique Heli filming angle of Nevis Bluff
Pretty stoked at the bottom of Nevis Bluff!
After over a month in the South Island we spent our last week on the Central Plateau of the North Island where we discovered a couple of rarely run waterfalls which was a great bonus in country not renowned for its tall drops.
Finding a hidden waterfall in the North Island was an awesome treat.
The Flow Hunters trip was an amazing adventure that I was sad to come to the end of. I got explore my home country with a group of amazing paddlers and friends and we had a trip that I will remember for a long time. The footage will feature in a TV show scheduled for a June release but until then you will have to settle for the teaser below. The edit has been a huge task but taking the time to sift through the huge amount of footage has reaffirmed to me what a great journey it was and what an incredible kayaking destination NZ is. Get down here soon!
I have been in California for the past six weeks enjoying one of the craziest seasons in history. A record snowpack has meant a super long and late run-off and the paddling has been nothing short of amazing! We have hit most of the classics from The South Feather to West Cherry as well as a few of the lesser known drops hidden away in the Sierras. I have been rolling with the posse’ from River Roots and Bomb Flow and the content we have collected is epic!
For the duration of the mission I have been wearing the new Atom dry top and Stikine thermal ‘bunny suit’ along with the now trusted Amp vest and the performance has been spectacular. The new breathable fabric on the Atom performs super well in and out of the water and is really comfortable to paddle in. It keeps the cold, snow melt water out but lets your skin breath when hiking on the exposed granite here in Cali. I can’t recommend this top enough, it is easily the best dry top I have ever used.
Anyway, here are a few pics from the travels – more to come!
On a mission!
BB
Line up the 50 footer, lose the paddle, close eyes & hold on!
HIGH speed testing on Tenaya Creek.
The intimidating Heath Springs 2 on the Royal Gorge of the American.
It’s the weather report every kayaker waits for, and every non kayaker dreads…. A Heavy Rain Warning. Earlier this week, the remnants of a slow moving easterly cyclone and a cold and wet front roaring up from the Southern Ocean collided over the North Island of New Zealand. This was bad news for Easter holiday makers but it was good news for us. As per normal when heavy rain is approaching the cell phone lit up, plans were hatched and a restless night ensued…. The rain arrived as predicted and it was game on. Our destination for the day, The Wainui River…
I had been itching to get on the Wainui after missing the first descent several years earlier due to food poisoning that I picked up the previous night from drinking a large number of dodgy beers… Or something like that! Since then there has been a number of descents and the reports filtering back have been all good! Stories of epic slides and big drops were more than enough to wet the appetite…. Finally, on Tuesday, it was my turn!
- Only a kayaker knows the feeling! The moment we live for…. rolling off the lip of the big one.
- Inside the beast… About 50 feet into the freefall and preparing for impact!
- Tucking in and hanging on….
- This drop in the middle of the Wainui is about as good as they come… Who says kiwis can’t fly.
- Pretty stoked, and a little dazed and confused!
- Watching Simon take his run.
- Jamie taking flight.
- Big old air boof on little brother.
- Airing it out on little brother.
- The other end of a 30 foot boof… This would explain the stiff neck!
- Simon styling it!
- One epic slide after another…
- Letting gravity do the work on another rowdy Wainui slide.
Last year I was part of a team that headed to Iceland and the remote Northern Region of Norway. Our mission was to explore previously un-run rivers and to document our adventures for the upcoming kayak features ‘Halo Effect’ and ‘Frontier’. I have shared the stories of our Icelandic adventures in previous blog posts so I thought I’d share with you what we discovered on our journey into the Arctic Circle via Northern Norway….
- The crew enjoying the midnight sun. L to R: Dave Fisher, Steve Fisher, Ben Brown, Shane Raw & Rush Sturges.
- Visiting some old friends in Iceland…
Norway has been on the adventure kayakers radar since the early nineties when teams of gung-ho German paddlers began venturing there in search of new rivers to paddle. Over the ensuing years Norway segments began to appear on the latest and greatest kayaking films to hit the market, showcasing cutting edge extreme kayaking on breathtaking rivers, all amongst an almost as breathtaking scenic backdrop. Norway has now become a ‘must do’ on any serious kayakers wish list and every spring sees more and more paddlers heading to the hills of Norway in search of a taste of her now legendary whitewater. The kayaking regions of Telemark, Voss and Sjoa have become a kayakers Mecca and with every new season comes the annual influx of paddlers.
After some memorable trips into Norway over the past few seasons we had began to pick up on some tales of another epic paddling zone hidden high up in the Northern region of Norway. Stories of Northern Norway’s epic whitewater and huge volume rivers had been filtering through various paddling circles. Tales of a California – esk, granite, lunar landscape had been fuelling our imaginations for several years. Maps tended to back up the enticing theories yet we could find no actual eyewitness accounts of this whitewater wonderland. It seemed that due to a number of factors, including the high cost of road travel in Norway, and the absolute world-class paddling on offer in the more southern regions of the country, the Northern Region of Norway had remained fairly uncharted from a kayaking perspective. This season a crew consisting of Rush Sturges, Ben Brown, and brothers Steve and Dave Fisher decided to sacrifice the classic Norwegian paddle adventure, and head north, deep into the Arctic Circle, to see exactly what Northern Norway had to offer.
- International air travel with excess baggage is never any fun…
Despite the fact we were heading thousands of kilometres north on our adventure, our logistical arrangements (as warped as they may seem) meant that we flew into Norway’s capital Oslo in order to pick up our rental van and prepare for our journey North. This created two difficult scenarios for the team. The first being that we were a minimum of 20 hours driving from our entry into Norway’s Northern Region, the second being that during the aforementioned 20 hour drive we would put ourselves through the cruel and unusual punishment of actually driving through Norway’s current kayak hotspots, and past some our most favourite rivers on the planet. Nevertheless, we had a plan in place and we were going to stick to it, nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that… It was just going to take a little self-control!
Norway is about as far from New Zealand as you can possibly get on this planet, yet the endless Fjords, pristine alpine wilderness, breathtaking scenery and snowmelt fed rivers tumbling in all directions on their journey to the sea all immediately make you feel like you could be somewhere in the South Island of New Zealand. As we drove North the already long sunlight days grew slightly longer, the herds of marauding mountain sheep gave way to groups of Moose and Reindeer, and the landscape began to rise up above us in the form of towering granite domes. What was most exciting for us though was the fact that there was obviously plenty of water in this zone. Waterfalls were tumbling all around us and every valley we drove through seemed to contain a river that looked like it had the potential for epic whitewater.
- Care must always be taken when scouting from railway bridges!
On an exploratory expedition such as this it is easy to become sidetracked and waste precious time by focusing all your efforts on the first river you come across. We set off on our adventure knowing that it was very likely we would find a lot of whitewater. It was for this reason that before departure we hosted one of our now standard ‘map parties’ where we identified specific valleys and zones, as well as individual rivers, that looked like they had a high probability of possessing all the ingredients that make up a classic stretch of whitewater. We knew that in order to get a feel of what was on offer in Northern Norway we needed to focus our efforts around those pre-planned hit lists.
- A google earth ‘Map Party’, where to next boys?
Our first port of call was almost immediately as we entered the Northern Region, just south of the Arctic Circle. We had noticed a lake on the map that had several rivers of interest flowing in and out of it as well as a couple of other rivers in the immediate vicinity that warranted further investigation. After exploring several of the rivers on our list and paddling a couple of the better ones we decided that whilst the paddling was great fun, our time would be better spent continuing north towards the town of Mo I Rana where we figured water levels would be higher. As we headed further north the granite landscape we had been hoping for continued to evolve and we quickly found ourselves in an area very reminiscent of the Californian Sierra Nevada’s.
- Some Northern Norway Magic.
- Just like the southern zones, there are plenty of slides up north as well.
It didn’t take long to find what we were looking for, the rivers had significantly increased in volume and it seemed that we had caught up with the seasonal snow melt run off. What also became pretty obvious was that the quality of the whitewater in Northern Norway was easily on par with what we had previously paddled in the better-known parts of the country. We were lucky enough to coincide our arrival into Mo I rana with a settled period of weather and it is hard to beat exploring epic new whitewater in a far off country with a bluebird sky over your head. Each new day bought a new section of river and it was a great feeling to be achieving what we had set out to do at the start of our trip. After a week or so of knocking off as many rivers as we could we decided to continue on towards the city of Narvik, the largest in Northern Norway. We estimated this drive was going to be at least 14 hours and take us through some pretty amazing countryside. Norway’s landscape is not the only similarity that it shares with New Zealand. Her weather tends to be as fickle as it is in New Zealand and four seasons in one day is one way to describe it! A short time into our journey towards Narvik the heavens opened and it poured down. The hills began to spew water and the rivers we were crossing quickly began to rise with an ominous brown colour. We decided to pull over, base ourselves out of a cabin for the night and take the opportunity to explore some of the small local tributaries once the weather eased up.
The next day bought super high water levels and the crew split up to explore various valleys. The cell phones quickly lit up as the boys discovered raging granite slides ready to be run. We settled on a small creek that charged out of the hills and into a river we had paddled in the previous days. We suited up and climbed up her banks curious as to what we might find. The further we pushed up the river, the more amazing steep whitewater we found and this day turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip as we ran a series of steep and exciting slides all the way back to our vehicle at the base of the river.
- With heavy overnight rain normally dry riverbeds turned into epic slide sections. We weren’t complaining!
With adrenaline levels high we loaded up and punched further north. Aware that we were beginning to get sidetracked a little we drove away from several rivers that looked like they had great potential and made a beeline for Narvik, an area we had high hopes for. As we rolled into Narvik it seemed that we had bought the weather with us and a restless sleep in pouring rain did little the dampen our enthusiasm as to what the next day may bring. Our first target was a huge slide we had heard whispers of via some Finnish paddlers who were also exploring the region. After a few false starts up the wrong valleys we finally rounded a narrow bend in the tight road we were on, revealing the biggest slide any of us had ever seen. Closer inspection revealed an impossibly steep section of cascading whitewater stretching over almost a kilometre. We spent the entire day scouting and theorising as to how a kayak may perform on the slide. The decision was made to return the next morning, scout again from the opposite bank and make a decision.
We returned early the next morning brimming with confidence but the scout from the opposite bank revealed several crux moves in the rapid that made it almost impossible to descend. Feeling a little defeated, but with much more whitewater still to be found, we left the beast for another day.
- Every new river seemed to contain another epic drop…
What we found during our exploring was that the type of rivers and whitewater we were after tended to be clustered together in fairly close geographic proximity. This rang true when we discovered another granite paradise only a few valleys south of our monster slide. There is something very exciting about the moment a new rapid is first revealed to you and driving up this latest valley was one of those special moments. Amongst a granite lunar landscape that scarcely seemed real we found some of the most amazing and unique rapids any of us had ever seen. The water levels were on the low side but the rain was still falling and we wanted our big slide fix! After another damp night in the rain we headed up the valley to see what we could knock off. The previous day we had spotted another monster slide from the road and decided that it warranted further inspection so this was our immediate goal. We suited up, bush bashed down to the river, paddled across a peat lake and eventually found ourselves perched at the top of another massive slide! Everything looked good except for the fact that the pool at the bottom was only about 3 meters wide and we were pretty uncertain about how much speed you would be hitting the bottom of the slide with. After much conversing and scouting we decided to send a boat down the slide half full of water to try and calculate a little better how much speed a paddler would get.
With nervous anticipation we sent the boat on its way and were all pretty surprised (and a little relieved) to see the boat glide down the slide in a pretty controlled manner. We decided that it was time to buck up and run it and Rush opted to go first.
Perched at the bottom, looking up through my camera lens at the small speck that was Rush appearing over the horizon it was immediately obvious that he was going way faster than we had anticipated he would. By the time he was halfway down the slide he was going faster than I had ever seen a kayak go before and with each bounce he was clearing 5 – 10m of river. (A GPS readings from Rush’s lifejacket would later show he was travelling a shade over 76km an hour!) Rush hit the pool at the bottom at full speed managing to lift his left knee as he entered the calm water giving his boat a right angle as it bounced out of the pool and flew 2m through the air clipping the rocks at the end of the pool before coming to rest with both pilot and craft in one piece. After managing to exhale finally we scampered back to the van with our tales between our legs thankful that our team was still in one piece. Hey, nobody said it was an exact science!
- Northern Norway has endless potential for new whitewater…
For the duration of our trip we had, had one major goal in mind. A river we had spotted out towards the western Fjords of Northern Norway that flowed out of a high alpine lake, between Norway’s two largest glaciers as it dropped 750 vertical meters to the sea. The Glamorga River looked to contain all of the necessary attributes that we needed for an awesome multi-day first descent and we were eager to check it out. Due to the exposed and remote location and the unknown nature of the river we were only prepared to go in with a settled period of weather. With the weather maps looking like we might get our window we headed for the base of the river and sent Steve for an exploratory flight in his powered paraglider, which he had bought to Norway specifically for scouting purposes. Two hours later Steve returned from his flight with an excited look on his face. From high up in the air he could peer into most of the dark river canyons and he said we had found exactly what we were looking for…
- Finding first descents the new, and old fashioned way…
We spent the next day negotiating ferries, tunnels and mountain roads to get to our put in, a breathtaking lake, 750m above sea level and the source of the Glamorga River. We had encountered some truly amazing scenery on our travels thus far but what surrounded us at the put in of the Glamorga took the cake. An unbelievably blue lake, flanked on either side by huge glaciers, grinding their way to the water between giant granite domes. As we set off across the lake towards the headwaters of the Glamorga we were both excited and nervous as to what the next few days would bring. There are so many factors that can contribute to the success of a first descent and we were quietly hoping our stars would align on this one.
- Contemplating what lies ahead at the put-in of the Glamorga.
- Paddling across a scenic wonderland at the source of the Glamorga.
Finding and paddling first descents is a difficult game. Normally when a river hasn’t been paddled before there is a pretty good reason for that! When you go to a new country looking for un-run rivers you are potentially looking for something that doesn’t even exist which means that you often come up short. This makes finding and running a river all the more special and in the Glamorga we found one out of the bag.
- Countless awesome rapids, epic campsites and our names on the first D of the Glamorga, adventure kayaking at its very best.
We spent three days paddling the river right from its source and watched it grow before our eyes from a tiny alpine creek into a high volume river. It passed through some of the most foreboding and intimidating, yet ruggedly beautiful terrain I have ever been through. We paddled through some deep and dark granite river canyons and found some world-class whitewater. On day two we paddled across the line of the Arctic Circle and as we entered the lower gorges of the river the canyons began to contain large deposits of marble rock giving the river an almost jade glow. The rapids we found are too numerous to mention individually but we were amazed at how many we were able to run. In two places the river entered box canyons and in parts flowed underground meaning we were required to portage up and around the deep canyons. This was difficult work considering we were carrying kayaks laden with 4 days of expedition gear yet it seemed to add to the adventure rather than detract from it. There is a deep sense of satisfaction that comes with having to work hard for a river.
- The boys pausing for a moment to soak it all in.
- Scenery that literally took your breath away.
- On day 3 the river took on a much more ‘big water’ feel.
Late on day three we arrived at the marble castle, a spectacular marble canyon that is a remote tourist attraction. This signalled the end of our adventure, and our time in Northern Norway. The river had offered everything you could ask for in a first descent and it was a very satisfied team that emerged having completed it. It seemed a pretty fitting way to end our mission. With the autumn rapidly approaching and several days of driving still ahead of us to get back down to Oslo we loaded our trusty rental van for the last time and headed south.
- The successful team at the Marble Castle, the take-out of the Glamorga.
Northern Norway is a truly magical place and we found exceeded all our expectations. We encountered foreboding terrain, massive granite domes, unsettled weather patterns and deep and dark river canyons. However, we also found a veritable smorgasbord of steep creeks, high volume rivers, seemingly endless granite slides and multi-day expedition trips were all on offer. Northern Norway has the potential to become the next kayaking hot spot and there are still countless rivers awaiting those who are prepared to brave the long drive and the horrific bugs! After a month spent exploring as many drainages as we could, and paddling some truly memorable rivers, we came away feeling we had barely scratched the surface of what was on offer.
Below is a couple of TV features on our adventures:
Happy New Year everyone. Here is a news story that One News featured over the Xmas period on last years expedition into the Arctic Circle via Northern Norway.
I recently teamed up with close friend Jared Meehan and headed to The Aratiatia Rapids on the Waikato River where we met up with world renowned photographer Craig Potton. Craig was busy filming a documentary series highlighting New Zealand’s great rivers and we gave him an insight into the importance of Rivers to kayakers.
“As a mountainous island chain, in a boisterous corner of the world’s largest ocean, New Zealand’s rainfall can be massive – our rivers turbulent and unpredictable. Internationally renowned photographer and conservationist, Craig Potton has spent 40 years photographing our landscapes. Making art out of our forests, our coastlines and most of all, out of our rivers. For Craig, rivers are the arteries that bind the land together. In this stunning new PRIME documentary series, Craig travels five of our most significant waterways – the Clutha, the Waikato, the Mokihinui, the Clarence and the Rangitata – each one with its own story.
During each journey, Craig discovers the creatures which live in and around our rivers – from threatened native fish swimming under the streets of Hamilton – to giant carnivorous land snails and the world’s only crooked beaked bird. He meets the people who care for rivers and live or work alongside them. He journeys between source and sea and tries to understand how rivers have shaped the land and influenced our culture. Maori have a unique and defining relationship with their awa (rivers), and our artists, writers and filmmakers have all been greatly inspired by the nation’s waterways.
Our rivers tell us much about the progress and evolution of our country, luring generations seeking to make their fortune from greenstone and gold, hydro-power, wine and tourism. From boat to bicycle, raft to river-powered punt, swimming to sweeping helicopter flights, Craig takes his own personal journey through some of the wildest, most spectacular landscapes on earth. He meets some remarkable people and through them discovers the stories – personal, historical, contemporary, political, cultural and mystical – that flow through our rivers.”
Well Spring in NZ has officially sprung and has brought with it rain, and lots of it! This is great news for Ducks and Kayakers alike! I shot out last week for a run on the Tuakopai River, in the Kamai Ranges in NZ’s North Island. This creek truly is a kayakers version of a skate park – awesome fun!
Hi Guys,
I just uploaded a little video diary that I took during a month paddling in Iceland. A little insight into life on the road!
Cheers,
Ben: http://benbrown.co.nz
