Thanks to the friendly and safety-conscious team at Fresh Adventures, a rafting trip down the Hāwea River is now available to locals and New Zealand tourists.

Fresh Adventures is a relatively new operation with steady hands at the helm. Paul Nicholson, of high-end adventure tourism company NewZeal, has joined forces with Hawea neighbour Bob McLachlan, a world-class multisport athlete and coach who runs Best Foot Forward NZ. 

Rafting the Hāwea River is about as cruisy as river rafting gets, being a grade two on the white water rafting grade scale of one (flat) to five (extreme rapids). The Fresh Adventures team call it a river float, an accurate description from my mid-winter journey with them. I was fortunate to be asked to join one of the first trips down the Hāwea, tagging along with a group of local essential workers being hosted by Fresh Adventures to say thank you for all their hard work and support for locals during level four and three lockdown.

The adventures check out a key feature of our backyard with very little environmental impact. PHOTO: Cat Pattison

You might think rafting in mid-winter is crazy – I questioned my desire to participate several times on the zero degree, inversion layer morning when I drove to Fresh Adventures’ HQ on the banks of the Hāwea. But, I counter-argued, how often do you get to (a) go rafting at all, (b) see the Hāwea River from water level and (c), be accompanied by guides of the calibre of Paul and Bob?

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From the thorough briefing of what to expect on the river and help to get us kitted out with helmets, booties, lifejackets and waterproof gear to layer over our many (many) layers of thermals, Paul and Bob were engaging and welcoming hosts, inviting us into their world of outdoor adventuring. 

With two big rafts carrying the 18 participants and two guides, we drifted with the river at times, paddled at times to keep warm, and laughed and shouted as we navigated ‘the wave’ and stretches of rippled water. Swallows and fantails flitted over the gently flowing water – it was a low flow day from the dam – and even in the relative leaflessness of winter, the trees and bush along the river were serene and lovely to view. Bob and Paul entertained us with stories of their many adventures in New Zealand and overseas. 

Fresh Adventures is the only commercial operator offering trips on the Hāwea River. PHOTO: Cat Pattison

After about 90 minutes on the water, joy of joys, the inversion layer lifted in time for us to pull into the riverbank to find the Fresh Adventures crew had set up cute tipis beside fires and laid out hot food and drinks. Barely damp, except for the between-raft water fights, we all rugged up before making the most of the team’s hospitality.

If you’ve never been rafting, the Hāwea trip couldn’t be a better way to give it a go. You’ll be in the safest hands with Bob and Paul. It’s a glorious opportunity to check out a key feature of our backyard in a way that has no or very little environmental impact. This trip is suitable for a wide range of ages, young and not-so-young, and it’s worth noting that Fresh Adventures is the only commercial operator offering trips on this local river.

This spring, Fresh Adventures will also offer the option of an overnight rafting and camping trip on the Hāwea and Clutha.

The full itinerary will include an afternoon rafting the Hāwea, a relaxing evening camping overnight on the river banks, and a morning rafting down the rest of the Hāwea and onto the Clutha as far as the Red Bridge.

Note: For July, Fresh Adventures offers the 90-minute Hāwea River trip for $75 per person. Find out more on their website.