'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); e.tabh = e.tabh===undefined ? width:100% !important; If you are not scared of the water, you and your team can paddle up the rapids into the waterfalls to let the falling water spray into the front of your boat. Give someone the gift of white water rafting an experience theyll never forget! Members of the New Zealand Rafting Association were unavailable for comment and representatives of other rafting companies operating on the Kaituna refused to comment. A big part of the sport is documenting their adventures. } .confirmations{ She had never even been on the podium in a major international championship. font-size: 13px !important; Kaituna River G5 Rotorua's favourite adrenaline pumping adventure. fbq('init', '191148196031925'); Ryan didnt just want the hero footage those times when he effortlessly styles his way down a treacherous stretch of water shown in the video feature accompanying this piece. @media(max-width:768px){ Louise had written about these risks in a blog posted less than a month before her death. Now with no one paddling, you sort of lose track. That feeling was unbeatable. .show-on-second-switch { RotoruaRafting 2019 / Privacy / Digital Marketing by Rotorua Rafting. } The beauty of the Kaituna River is unmatched around the World and its hard to keep your eyes on the rapids as they come up. right: 5% !important; #carousel-container .carousel-container-content h2 { width: 150px; @media screen and (max-width: 1050px) and (min-width:500px){ flex-wrap: wrap !important; text-align:center; #carousel-container .carousel-container-content { The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". color: #000; Theres even a public bus operating between Rotorua and the community of Okere Falls if you dont have your own transport. Vavrinec Hradilek, who first met Louise when she bounded up to him on the steps of his home boat club at a canoe slalom event in Prague, has been a regular visitor since 2009. Louise, who came through the canoe slalom ranks with Jones, had been gunning for selection for the London Games in 2012 but was unable to make the mark on the international stage shed hoped. You just need to be physically fit and ready for a lot of adrenaline and a lot of water. } } //window.requestAnimationFrame(function() { /*color: #3A444D;*/ When he says a drop or a certain stretch of rapids has consequence, what hes saying is, if mistakes are made really bad things can happen. This can be particularly an issue for the Gnarly section as it is very tight and continuous and there is not any easy option for scouting.. Whatever your group we can take you on an epic rafting trip! I always try to think over her exact words. z-index:9999 !important; Rotorua Rafting offers spectacular white water rafting adventures on the world-famous Kaituna River, just a 20 minute drive from Rotorua, New Zealand. He was in a raft guided by a man working for local rafting company Kaitiaki Adventures. Many who testified grappled with the issue of the risks associated with the sport, and at what point those risks become unacceptable. Through the depths of the magnificent bush lined gorge, the Kaituna river, Okere awa offers a 45 minute trip over 14 rapids including the 7 metre Tutea falls. suburbs to avoid in tauranga. @media(max-width:1024px) and (min-width:769px){ President of the Rotorua Indian Association Harry Chhagan said members had been with the dead man's family, offering support and comfort. color: #000 !important; Rafting, motocross, rafting, kayaking, rafting, SUPing, Shark Tank. He acknowledged risk-taking in sport was a big societal question, but was difficult to legislate against without taking away the free will of the athletes. He is thoughtful, earnest and has an emotional intelligence belying his 25 years. He finally reached the point in the river where he thought Louise had been ejected. The couple and top British kayaker Joe Morley, a regular visitor to New Zealand, decided to go for a paddle after work. It led her to reassess what she wanted from the sport. by Matthew Martin matthew.martin@dailypost.co.nz A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River turned to tragedy. } left: 40% !important; .vc_col-sm-6 { A man died on Thursday after an incident at the Trout Pool Rd area of Okere Falls. } As your raft creeps up with the nose of the raft just starting over the large drop you think to yourself, am I really doing this? The area attracts not only top kayakers from around the world, but with numerous rafting companies operating on the river, it is a mecca for seasonal workers looking for an OE beyond the ordinary. background-color: #fff; Its of great curiosity then that Okere means the place of drifting. Kaituna River Rafting | Whitewater Rafting Rotorua | Raft the Kaituna River 0800 772 384 KAITUNA RIVER RAFTING $115pp book now enquire now monthly special ROTORUA ZIPLINE + RAFTING COMBO: $224 LOCK IT IN! position: absolute; menu2 Close Menu India angle-down International River Rats Rafting, for instance, will provide you with transfers to and from your accommodation in Rotorua, meaning you dont have to worry about a thing, just the rapids awaiting you on the river. Photo / NZME. } } } This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Just a few days after Louises accident, once local iwi had lifted the rahui, he returned to the Kaituna. A GoPro camera fitted to the bow of Ryans kayak facing back towards him was the only witness to Louises final moments. They will run you through techniques, the commands theyll be issuing and what to do if you fall out or the boat flips. margin-top: 13px; But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Those fears were founded. body .fh-button-true-flat-red:hover, body .fh-button-true-flat-red:active { The Kaituna River is home to kere Falls, Kaituna Falls, and the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world - 7m Tutea Falls. Louise never needed much encouragement. Bain could find no easy answer. if(e.layout==="fullscreen" || e.l==="fullscreen") margin: 30px 0; Its safe enough to be used for commercial rafting runs as well as a training ground for mid-level kayakers. Kaituna Cascades Rafting Company | Activity in Rotorua, New Zealand Join us 'the original Kaituna Rafters' for some epic rafting while you visit Rotorua. } #carousel-container .watch img { .kaituna-button { Ryan obtusely refers to the inherent risks of his sport as consequence. } Book your spot and find out why Rotorua Rafting was ranked #1 Travellers choice experience in New Zealand, #1 in the South Pacific, and in the Top 10 in the world on Trip Advisor 2019 and then again in 2021 sealing the #2 experience in the world! He knows some will find it hard to understand how he can still be passionate about a sport that has taken away so much. bottom: 60px !important; 0 : parseInt(e.tabhide); They knew there was no hope of finding her alive, but the thought of leaving her behind in the rapids was too much to bear. color: #000; The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory in Clay; Chasing the Shadows; The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: A Stop-motion Adaptation We visited there not long before she died and I remember standing on the deck [of the Lucas family bach] and thinking it was the perfect place for Louise. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Rotorua Rafting was built around the love of the river, extensive local and cultural knowledge, as well as the best-handpicked guides to best showcase the aroha of the kere awa. Learn more All Rotorua Tours A common thread of the research is athletes seem to hold the romantic view that doing something inherently dangerous puts you on a higher spiritual plane. The minimum age is 15 years. American Whitewater reports that on average, there are only 6 to 10 whitewater rafting deaths for each 2.5 million user days on guided rafting trips. The cult of extreme sports has often been accused of breeding machoism, but theres no hint of bravado to Ryans words. right: 0px !important; width: 200px; margin-left:0px !important; color: #000 !important; a.book-btn.fh-button-true-flat-yellow.fh-fixed--bottom.fh-size--small { At the time of her death she was only two months into her first fulltime teaching gig at Western Heights High School, a move she undertook with far more trepidation than any waterfall shed paddled, for it meant being tied to one place. What they know is Louise got her line slightly wrong and was sucked towards a partially submerged log, flipping awkwardly on to the debris. /* Home Carousel */ "We voluntarily suspended operations for the day and have met with Maritime New Zealand to explain what happened. Cancellation Policy .footer .widget .post-content .text-secondary { Depending on the weather conditions during your white water rafting Rotorua trip, you may be given extra spray jackets too most definitely if you are rafting in winter. window.innerHeight : window.RSIH; Trailhead coordinates: -37.63345, 176.1747 (37 38 00.42S 176 10 28.92E) View Mount Maunganui in a larger map. body .fh-button-true-flat-red { } PLACES RAFTED / KAYAKED NZ, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Russia, Iceland, USA, Canada, Norway, Italy, India, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Germany, Mexico, Spain, France, England, Nepal. background-color: #f7e222; #floating { } if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; .yellow-head .elementor-widget-container{ We are a company of super friendly guides that strive to give you the safest and most entertaining trip on the river! for (var i in e.rl) nl[i] = e.rl[i]nl[i] && nl[i]>0) { sl = nl[i]; ix=i;} Youll get kitted out and made to go through the motions of paddling by your guides before you are even allowed near the boat. Thats all I had left of her, he says, crying. There was no trace of her. If for any reason we feel safety is compromised we reserve the right to cancel any trip or person. You and your team put your paddles together to give a celebration yell. color: #000 !important; In March 2016 almost a year to the day of Louises death Waikato paddler Sean Curtis died after getting into difficulty on the Whitcombe River, south of Hokitika. @media (max-width: 1400px){ It looks like a theme park ride, but the real fun lies further around the corner, beyond a series of slalom gates, where the river turns from a sedate stream to raging whitewater rapids. You dont need any prior experience prior to doing this, and tour companies claim you dont even need to be able to swim as youll be fully kitted out in lifejackets the whole time. I just started screaming at Joe, thats her lifejacket, thats her f****** lifejacket.. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. As they neared the town, they got in touch to arrange a place to meet. [GoPro] 18,193 views Dec 29, 2016 Whitewater rafting the beautiful Kaituna River near Rotorua, New Zealand. } margin-top: 40px !important; window.RSIH = window.RSIH===undefined ? A police spokeswoman said police and Hato Hone St John Ambulance personnel were advised of an incident at Trout Pool Rd, Okere Falls in the Rotorua district about 3.10pm. } display: none !important; There are several tour companies in the city offering packages for white water rafting Rotorua, and unless you are very experienced and have your own gear etc, this is the only way you will get out on the rapids. text-align: center !important; e.thumbw = e.thumbhide>=pw ? 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