{"id":1168,"date":"2015-09-15T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skeptic.de\/blog\/kv\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2026-01-12T10:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T09:43:35","slug":"epilogue-debriefing-the-great-walks-whanganui-river-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/?p=1168","title":{"rendered":"Epilogue: Debriefing the Great Walks &#8211; Whanganui River Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 class=\"page_index\">Index<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#tp\">Travel Planning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#food\">Food<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#attachment_1718\">Topo Map<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#fs\">Some Further Suggestions for Improvement<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#tlw\">The Last Word<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/h4>\n<p class=\"opener\">I\u2019ve dealt with the kayak operators in the previous blog, now\u2019s the time to look at my (our) side of things.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"special_section\" id=\"tp\">Travel Planning<\/h4>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_2603\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2603\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01-494x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"983\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01-494x1024.png 494w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01-145x300.png 145w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01-768x1591.png 768w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01-741x1536.png 741w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Whanganui-River-Journey_01.png 865w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2603\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/8lKLQ\" class=\"payhip-add-to-cart-button\" data-theme=\"green\" target=\"_payhip\" rel=\"noopener\">Buy Whanganui River Journey GPS track here for \u20ac5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Although the general suggestion is to do either Taumarunui to Pipiriki (150 km) in five days or start further down the river at Whakahoro and do the trip in three days, these are very condensed trips with little room for error. I think the worst mistake made was to schedule the first overnight stop in Poukaria.<\/p>\n<p>The big problem here is that leaving Cherry Grove just after 11:00 for a 36&nbsp;km leg is just too much for one day. The kayaking alone takes a good five hours, so only two rather restricted stops could be scheduled in order to get to Poukaria by dusk. Also, this is the roughest part of the whole trip, with at least two major rapids, the result of which is that everything is wet, and Poukaria Campsite lies so close to the river that overnight drying of kit is impossible.<\/p>\n<p>A much better strategy would have been to schedule the stopover in Ohinepane (22&nbsp;km), after taking at least one full lunch break beforehand, and an afternoon stop at Laurens Lavender (1381 River Rd, Aukopae 3991, laurenslavender.com, signposted on the river) for a cuppa and a slice of cake. This would mean a mid afternoon arrival at the campsite, after which everything could be dried, the dry bags repacked, etc. The following day Whakahoro could be reached after 35&nbsp;km \u2013 again about five hours of paddling \u2013 but this time with a departure at around 9:00 (or even earlier) and two breaks along the way and arrival at the campsite by around 4:00 which seems realistic. Here again I would make better use of the Blue Duck Caf\u00e9 (blueduckstation.co.nz, evening meals by prior arrangement) here to get some fresh food to eat, and of the location of the campsite and hut on higher ground just outside of the valley proper to allow the gear to dry. <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>So far this is just a redistribution of the first two days, but if you have time, I would suggest expanding the two days here to three, camping in Poukaria for night #2 and arriving in Whakahoro after what is only a half day\u2019s paddle on the third day (22, 14, and 21&nbsp;km respectively).<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1325\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1325\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-2-5-Speed-vs-Time2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-2-5-Speed-vs-Time2-1024x320.jpg\" alt=\"Whanganui River Journey 2-5 Speed vs Time\" width=\"474\" height=\"148\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-2-5-Speed-vs-Time2-1024x320.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-2-5-Speed-vs-Time2-300x94.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1325\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Whanganui River Journey 2-5 Speed vs Time<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nFor the further journey I can only recommend taking four days instead of three to avoid a real bottleneck on the fourth (second if starting from Whakhoro) day, which is classically the stretch from John Coull to Tieke Kainga, with a stopover at the Bridge to Nowhere (29&nbsp;km). With everyone from John Coull arriving at the landing point for the excursion to the Bridge to Nowhere at that same time it\u2019s almost impossible to find a parking spot. Furthermore, if you want to get to Tieke Kainga in time for the powhiri, then you\u2019ll be in a hurry at a time when the river is losing a bit of its momentum.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1312\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1312\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-Speed-Distribution.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-Speed-Distribution-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Whanganui River Journey Speed Distribution\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-Speed-Distribution-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2015\/11\/Whanganui-River-Journey-Speed-Distribution.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1312\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Whanganui River Journey Speed Distribution<\/figcaption><\/figure>Instead I suggest the following itinerary:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Day 3 (1): Whakahoro \u2013 Ohauora (27 km)<\/li>\n<li>Day 4 (2): Ohauora \u2013 Mangawaiiti (20 km)<\/li>\n<li>Day 5 (3): Mangawaiiti \u2013 Mangapurua (Bridge to Nowhere landing, 9.5 km, 1 km return walk) \u2013 Tieke Kainga (total: 19.5 km)<\/li>\n<li>Day 6 (4): Tieke Kainga \u2013 Pipiriki (20.5 km) for a pickup at 2:00 pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If there is no powhiri at Tieke Kainga, then perhaps dinner at the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge would be an alternative (bridgetonowhere.co.nz). Most of the kayak operators should be open to booking an extra day, and this should cost no more than about $40.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"special_section\" id=\"food\">Food<\/h4>\n<p>Apart from making more avail of the opportunities along the way in this specific case, a paddling tour allows in general for more weight to be taken on board, i.e. to end the reliance on dried foods. I am indebted to my companion Pea for a couple of improvements she made to the basic food regime:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oxo cubes<\/strong> for seasoning the rice (don\u2019t know if there is a cheaper, generic brand of these things that could also be used), as well as <strong>tomato sauce<\/strong> as a universal condiment. Our rice with boiled shredded cabbage and carrots was almost as good as fried rice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Butter.<\/strong> I managed to squash 250&nbsp;g of butter into a corresponding screw top container, and it survived complete meltdown without noticeable leakage on at least two occasions. For my part, I could have lived off margarine, but Pea insisted on butter, and it worked.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1718\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1718\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/09\/Whanganui-River-Topo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/09\/Whanganui-River-Topo-225x300.png\" alt=\"Whanganui River Journey\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/09\/Whanganui-River-Topo-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/09\/Whanganui-River-Topo.png 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1718\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Start of a long journey, map detail. <a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/T2fMq\" class=\"payhip-add-to-cart-button\" data-theme=\"green\" data-product=\"T2fMq\">Buy Whanganui River Great Walk Topo Set &#8211; \u20ac9.00<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"special_section\" id=\"fs\">Some Further Suggestions for Improvement<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Different vegetables.<\/strong> Vegetables have to be fairly hard (non bruising) to survive for long enough to be eaten, so these could also be taken: Fennel, kohlrabi, parsnip, turnip, onions, potatoes, root celery. Also canned vegetables would be optimal for squishy varieties (see also below), and juices in tetra packs would make for some variety.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rice.<\/strong> I can\u2019t seem to find any parboiled rice less expensive than Uncle Ben\u2019s which doesn\u2019t require washing. So, perhaps, Uncle Ben\u2019s in bags.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Waterproofing.<\/strong> Some extra work is required here, since the cabbage, once opened, is no longer waterproof, and if water gets into the inner air spaces it may start to rot. One solution would be to apportion the vegetables and waterproof them up front, so that only whole portions are used at any one time. Also some foodstuffs (such as coffee and sugar) have to be stored in absolutely waterproof containers from the get go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rat-proofing.<\/strong> The dry bags served fairly well for defence against rats, but ideally food should be stored in the hatches at night (preferably enclosed in the neoprene seals \u2013 one of ours was missing). I detected no rat predation, but that is probably more good luck than good preparation. Here canned vegetables would require no further protection.<\/p>\n<p>Combining the previous two topics, apportioning the cheese up front might also have been a good idea. Also something has to be done about melt-proofing chocolate, perhaps also as buying smaller portions and finishing each portion after it is opened, rather than saving an already opened (and oversized) portion.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"special_section\" id=\"tlw\">The Last Word<\/h4>\n<p>Change the camera cards every day if you bring along enough cards to do so, and secure the bloody camera, bozo. \u2018Nuff said.<script>blog_id = 'K5_WRJ';<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Index Travel Planning Food Topo Map Some Further Suggestions for Improvement The Last Word I\u2019ve dealt with the kayak operators in the previous blog, now\u2019s the time to look at my (our) side of things. Travel Planning Although the general suggestion is to do either Taumarunui to Pipiriki (150 km) in five days or start &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/?p=1168\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Epilogue: Debriefing the Great Walks &#8211; Whanganui River Journey<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,8,52,5,409,3],"tags":[185,181,375,190,189,182,175,173,169,374,184,170],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gps-tracks","category-kayaking","category-new-zealand","category-photography","category-topo-map","category-travel-planning","tag-bridge-to-nowhere","tag-john-coull","tag-laurens-lavender","tag-mangapurua","tag-mangawaiiti","tag-ohauora","tag-ohinepane","tag-poukaria","tag-taumarunui","tag-taumaurnui","tag-tieke-kainga","tag-whakahoro"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2578,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/2578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leetraynor.com\/blog.multi\/kiwi5\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}