2012 is getting off to an exiting start for myself, Fran Kohn, Dave Hollins and Niamh Stack as we are just about to set off for a month of boating in Colombia.
Bags packed and ready to go…
I’m taking the new Mamba 8.1 on this trip which I’m really excited about because it seems to handle really well both with lightweight day kit and a full boat for multi-day adventures. We have a long list of rivers we’d like to get done: some of which may involve jungle hikes and sleeping in hammocks or bivis. We can’t wait!
I’ll be updating the Palm blog as often as is possible on these kinds of trips, so stay tuned and I hope to bring you tales and photos from our adventures!
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.”
