On the first weekend of October, AUCC migrated south to the Kawerau Adventure Hub on the banks of the Tarawera river. Excitement was in the year both due to the SICK BoaterX ramp and for actually having beds and bunk rooms (Scout Hall we love u but sometimes we like to be boujie). Saturday started off bright and early with breakfast and a briefing from trip organiser and 2019 President Joshie! All teams got decked out in their costumes with notable highlights being Noot Noot with their super cute helmet decor and Big Banana Energy...lots of yellow.

To Joshie's delight, every individual competitor including all our Novice paddlers scooted down the ramp for their time trials and BoaterX. Spicy eddies, immediate rolls, couple of swims - it was all outrageous fun and a massive upgrade from last year's plywood!

Mads Potter outdid herself in the kitchen once again preparing an ENORMOUS and delicious dinner for the hordes of hungry kayakers. Only blip was those same kayakers adjusting the freezer temperature to fridge to cool down their bevs leaving no space for the ice cream... ice cream soup for breakfast is a good start to the day right?

Our favourite freshers Dan, Andrew & Andrew felt obliged to prove themselves to absolutely no one once more and taped Nitro bottles to both hands...which didn't end particularly well. Maybe you'll learn how to drink next year guys?

Sunday was mostly team day - which meant lots of speedy rafting down the course. Speedy being used loosely... Lots of dirty tactics, a rather unbalanced team (2 Wero Raft Guides in one team?? Seems suspect to me...), another raft guide stripped off down the course to Pour Some Sugar On Me. Don't think we'll be winning Raft Racing Champs any time soon.

Prizegiving saw plenty of awesome goodies given out to the deserving champs - and a huge thanks to our sponsors for making that happen!

Much appreciated support from Kayak HQ, DayTwo, NRS, Anchor, Paddle Power, AUCC & Shadows.

Well done to everyone who participated and congratulations to all our winners! Super rad to see so many of you getting amongst - whether it was rafting, kayaking, volunteering or organising!

RESULTS:

Womens - First: Sarah Cumming and Dannielle Cripps (Equal) - Third: Nicola Buisman

Open - First: Josh Schollum and Joe Easley (Equal) - Third: Zachary Best

Novice Womens - First: Lily Woodbury - Second: Charlotte Van Dyk - Third: Lydia Tomic

Novice Open - First: Daniel Kiernan-James - Second: Andrew Wong - Third: Andrew Godfrey

Overall Team: The Wiggles (Joe Easley, Nicola Buisman, Raewyn (Dave) Selby, Alice Wheatley)

Thanks for a great year!

Lou

The AUCC community is incredibly special, and that's because of you, our members. A huge thanks to those who stepped up time and time again to make our year a success.

Here's a summary of our recent events!

Beginners:

- The biggest Tarawera trip I've been on, reaching 50 members, Kawerau has quickly become a main squeeze of AUCC. Running cleanly with only a few bruised bums from the hole. It was a huge effort from all our organisation and instructors. It was great to see everyone out and enjoying the WW on a sunny weekend.

Tree Planting:

- Driven by our awesome conservation officer, with almost 20 members AUCC paddled in to do it's part to protect the riparian environment on the Hoteo.

Seconders:

- Planned as a first experience of the unknown an, expeditionary environment, and she was a big one. Lines were made and others blown, progress was slower than expected and difficult decisions made. Despite groups walking out and others just sneaking in before dark, everyone was stoked, other than the accom as we rolled in two and a half hours after intended. A practice for Tongariro, Sunday was much quieter.

Girls Weekend:

- I wasn't invited. . . From what I've heard it was a great weekend developing confidence and skills.

Tongo:

- The sun came out in patches to thaw the winter release. The third and final release for the year, it was great to see the strong progression as members stepped up on the sections. Huge thanks to our instructors and guides which allowed us to get out on the water.

There are many more stories that won't fit here; ranging from dumping waves on east coast beaches to a party hole on the Mokau!

To look forward to?

First Aid Training:

- The last event for our existing Wet Team, funded and run to ensure that we can develop skill within the club. It's all about making sure that everyone gets on and off the water safely.

Club Champs

- Get fired up for some friendly competition!!! With five events across all disciplines pushing your skills to succeed.

The 2020 Exec

- It won't be long before you hear more on what's to come!

Notable Firsts!

Bron - First A14!

Nic, Franz and Dan - First A10!

Lou, Maurycy, Lily, Mia, Alicia, the Andrews, Isaac and so many more - Crushing it out there

Notable Swims!

With a relatively clean beginners it was down to the central NI to bring the final swims for the year and it definitely provided some notable ones. On a long cold and remote run, the Whangaehu, Dan got off line and took a soft swim. After looking at the options I got him back in where we were, right above a chunky hole. Dropping out and blowing the ferry the absolute champ then took a real working throwing ends and carping rolls. The next day Sasha then showed me how easy it was to break out across the bottom of a rapid, or not! Punishing is a great way to describe getting waterboarded against a wall for seven roll attempts before then clinging to a wall for 10min. The kicker is it was G2 on the Tongariro.

See you out there,

Josh

What's a canoe club without a little bit of competition? Club Champs is a fun, friendly annual competitive event which is aimed at all members no matter your experience. We already have plenty of fantastic sponsors lined up who have donated gear, vouchers, yummy food etc. Prizes will be awarded to not only the top individuals and teams but also to most improved paddlers, those with the best attitude, the most helpful people, volunteers etc. The club champs is going to take the form of 6 races over 2 days. The whole event will be held on the Grade 2 slalom rapid in Kawerau. Everybody will be put in a team of mixed ability. While there will be some friendly competition with the titles of top female and male paddler on the line, the focus is on fun so don’t be put off if you aren’t an ace or even if you’re yet to experience whitewater! It is going to be a very social event and we expect that most people who come will be keen and give everything a go! BBQ!

Testimony by Anonymous

'Club Champs'

Notoriously in the canoe club, you can expect any given task to occur two hours later than initially intended. Personified, the clubs middle name would be ‘faff’, or any other descriptor that takes you as far from punctuality as possible. If this doesn’t sound like your kind of deal, I would highly recommend club champs.

As efficient as you will ever see a group of whitewater fanatics, it is good for those of all skill levels. With the new Kawerau adventure hub, the commercial kitchen and facilities are probably the most spectacular you will see during your time with us.

Forced into a team of a mixed skill level, you work together in several different races to bring back honour and prizes. Raft races, time trials, endurance and a fun race of assorted kit and duct tape will determine whether your team will find itself crowned the team champion. In our team, we found ourselves dressed as fairies, and literally scrambling for the best fun race options.

Although we won the team spirit award, almost no one ended up without a prize. In previous years, we’ve managed to secure sponsorship from a variety of places, paddling and beyond. I walked away with some very nice kit that stays with me every time I’m on whitewater and reminds me of that amazing weekend in Kawerau.

Thanks guys!

- Anonymous

Tarawera river is a beautiful stretch of flowing water surrounded by nature, another spectacular place for beginner-training events. Our beginners trip for the first and second semester often takes place right here. Relatively calm rivers and eddies throughout make this place perfect for training beginners. Tarawera river is the next step up in learning to kayak from flat lake or pool training, to training in an actual current of a real river. Since so many whitewater kayaking techniques involve a current of some kind and teaching these techniques requires actual currents as well, Tarawera river is perfect for training beginners; not too big, not too small. You'll learn much more from this on-river event; which is purely dedicated to teaching and practice, than any other beginner events.

It's another weekend out driving down south to the Bay of Plenty area, except the only change this time (as compared to other events) is that you won't be needing camping tents since we'll be resting in the warm comfort of cabins (yay)!

Testimony by Harry Shin

'Chilled Tarawera'

Originally, my decision to coming to Tarawera was to learn more whitewater kayaking. I was really taking a liking to this kind of sport ever since I joined the club that year, and had been on the previous awesome events like lake training at Lake Pupuke, Fulljames and Aniwhenua.

It was a long drive in the night (which I loved). We reached our destined cabin place at around midnight.

I normally find meeting new people to be a challenging and draining experience, so when it came to approaching the cabin full of laughing people, it was natural for me to feel uncomfortable, but the discomfort soon disappeared completely when everyone was greeted and I took a seat on the table to join the group. From then, through lots of contagious laughter from the group, somehow (I don't know how) I ended up talking to lots of people and the nerves soon disappeared. By the time everyone arrived and got ready to sleep for the morning, I slept happy, having made some new friends that night.

The next morning, we were off for the river! The fact that the river was right next to the cabin was very convenient, and getting ready in a kayak and being cast away from the safety of land was a somewhat nervous experience, as for a beginner it always is. Once everyone got in the kayaks, the instructors grouped us up and all the beginners were like ducklings following the mother duck. Very cute. From there on, the training began and we were practicing exiting and entering eddies here and there, giving everyone a chance to have a go and practice.

Soon enough, as we all drifted gently down the river, we could see exciting rapids forming up ahead, which was where the instructors gave us the signal to take a break from eddying and go all-out through the rapids. I could feel my heart pound with excitement as I punched the waves with my paddle, and it was an amazing feeling to be whitewater kayaking. Absolutely amazing feeling. As a beginner, I found the rapids at Tarawera to be alot shorter than some of the previous events I've been to, but I've still gotten a good amount of heart-pounding fun.

At the end of the rapids where the waters were wider and flatter, I could see other kayakers practicing some kayaking techniques on the thin stream of quick current; eddying and ferry gliding. Some of the more experienced people began practicing rolls and back-deck rolling in the current of the river which looked really cool. For the majority of the day, I remained in this part of the river practicing my eddying and ferry gliding.

That following night was filled with hilarious laughing, drinking games, cards, beer pongs, magic tricks, and lots of fun. I would be the sober one observing the craziness. It turns out that there alot of funny people in the club who get funnier, crazier and cheekier the more they drink, which is always a good laugh to watch. The next morning for the second day of kayaking, I was amazed at how much my kayak controlling had improved. My muscles were aching a little bit, but the cool splash of the Tarawera river only seemed to heal and empower me.

I've learned so much from this single event more than any of the previous events I have been to. I've always felt so welcome and warm by the other members, and I knew that this club was something more than I initially thought when I first joined the club. It's more than just people kayaking. It's also a friendly community who want to have fun and make sure others have fun as well.

So thanks guys, for yet another amazing day.

- Harry Shin

The cold, crushing, swirling and churning river is the Tongariro river. It's an event more for the adrenaline seekers of intermediate/seconder paddlers than the scenic gazers, sure there are definitely spots for scenic gazing, as Tongariro is a very scenic place, but most of the time you'll be too busy dodging rocks.

Kayaking at Tongariro is only suitable for solid grade 3 paddlers. It's long, intense, and cold. Not the ideal river for paddlers just starting to get confident on easy grade 3's. However, for paddlers that are looking good on grade 3 that have plenty of warm gear, it is absolutely awesome! There are more than 60 solid grade 3 rapids on Saturday access 10 plus some excellent paddling on Sunday access 13. For grade 4 paddlers, there is the wonderful and exciting access 14 on Sunday.

Testimony by Bronwyn T

'Tongariro, an amazing run as always'

Cold and clear it started. Half the team was late as usual, only one raft as the rest were at Rafting Nationals.

Finally we put on, heading off down the first rapid (Access 10) the first swim (for our club) belonged to Lewis and Kristina in the ducky (Lewis!!!). As usual the raft rescued a few people and gave assistance to another club transporting out a cold kayaker who had one too many swims. A rapid, then another rapid. A very cold roll, and then more rapids. A brief moment of concern as Simon’s raft was stuck in a tree. Through amazing scenery to have more rapids. Grade 3 all day.

To do it again or hot pools? This was the question at the end of run. Jess Shailer headed off for another run. Chris and Allan said no and joined the rest at the hot pools. After a long soak, Jess turned up (with the keys to the lovely house belonging to her parents we were staying in). Dinner and cake. It was Simon Jenkin’s birthday after all. Laughter and stories in the warmth (thanks Jess for letting us stay).

Sunday morning, access 14. Bigger but just as cold! One raft and kayakers. Jacqui with her first run down access 14, great run! I opted out and rafted access 14. After a moment of concern when we lost a few rafters into the water and a paddle, all was rescued and, once again, there was a tree.

A quick trip to the end to find the get out is even worse than normal (don’t miss it, you don’t want to run Tree Trunk Gorge). I then headed off down Access 13 with VUCC (thanks!). A spectacular run I have never done before. Bottom of Tree Trunk is another world. Grade 3 to the Gates of Hercules. Limbo under the logs blocking the Gates before a quick paddle to the end. A relatively easier walk out than I expected (I had only heard terrible things).

A great weekend. Can’t wait for the September flow.

- Bronwyn Turner

Enjoy one of our most beautiful and serene camping lake spots our club has to offer. If you are a zen, peaceful, and tranquil kind of person, expect Aniwhenua to be one of your favourite events. The Aniwhenua event is one of our major events featuring camping and road trip from Auckland University down to the Bay of Plenty area to Lake Aniwhenua, approximately 4 hours drive down south with all our kayaking and rafting gear for the students and instructors. Aniwhenua is the best beginners' kayaking and rafting trip that the club offers. Beginners' kayaking happens on the grade 2 Aniwhenua section, which is awesome with it's deep current, wave trains, and scenic gorge. You'll learn some kayaking techniques such as eddy turns, ferry gliding, and if you're up for it, there are plenty of safe spots to practice your river roll if you're trying to learn those! Our instructors will keep a close eye on you all the way down. The rafting and intermediate kayaking happens on the mid/upper Rangitaiki, which includes the infamous Jeff's Joy and Rock A/B. This section is premier NZ whitewater, for any level. Aniwhenua is such an amazing event you won't want to miss!

Testimony by Libby (Amy) Behrens

'Aniwhenua and its total amazingness'

Wowsers what a great trip.

Saturday kayaking I had the feeling there was a great lot of beginners that did really well (including me of course!) Not too much carnage to be had and lots of fun. Feelings do go out for Laila's boat though which fell from a pretty hefty height, never good :(. In the afternoon I took Max, Claire, Stu and Sam to Rainbow Mountain, Stu and Sam stayed at the bottom and drank whilst Claire, Max and myself wondered up the hill to see a 360 degree view of Rotorua and beyond, was pretty darn cool. On the way back the talk got to food I will always remember 'DEEP FRY MY PIE' Someone in the car (I forget who) was telling us that they used to buy a pie from the dairy and then go next door to the fish and chip shop and say 'please can you deep fry my pie' so gross, yet funnily appealing on a camping trip!

Oh and the pub, the clothes swapping was in full swing my favorite part was Yakka in a vest top and Obi in the 'daddy's girl t-shirt' because well he is really! And the last picture I managed to get before going back to camp and dancing on the picnic table with DJ Issac was of Ally and Laila aw nice one!

Sunday although very hard for me to get out of bed was a great time rafting down the Rangi. Mark took Amy, Austen, Issac, Ali, Vania and Myself down Jeff's which didn't go quote to plan but we didn't flip just ended up fully underwater! From the mid section Ladia took over our raft and Vania and Marko took the mini down - from what I understand they had a great run. Us on the other hand was completely awesome, and although I really don't know anything about 'lines' apparently we hit some really good ones and some not so good ones but to be honest and I think I can speak for all of my raft when I say that the wrong ones were definitely more fun!

Oh apart when we got caught by a tree because we were too busy wooping and I thought that Amy's head was actually going to come off her body! Eek TREES ARE BAD!!!

Anywho there a little rendition of my weekend. I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did!

- Libby (Amy) Behrens

Mohaka is a wonderland of spectacular land formations and breath-taking distant views. Enjoy one of AUCC's most scenic, mysterious, and remote trips we offer to the club, travelling to New Zealand's east central region of Hawke's Bay, to the Mohaka river. 'Enchanting' is the word many describe about this mysterious destination during the descent down the river. While kayaking or rafting, you will feel connected with nature as you have full view of the awe and beauty of the New Zealand remote land formations which surround you all the way which is sure take your breath away.

Come down and see a part of New Zealand most people only dream or read about. This event offers you the chance to travel, camp, kayak, raft, huddle around a campfire, laugh, sing, eat smores, all that fun stuff and more. It's an incredible event you really don't want to miss!

Testimony by Sophie M

'The Mighty Mohaka'

Weather Report: Hawkes Bay was great, everywhere else is terrible. A good start to another awesome Easter Trip. The majority of us head down on Thursday, with a few exceptions of those who sneak in a cheeky run of the Wairoa. Just to let everyone know, our car- me, Ally, James and Jeremy- wins car with most Mohaka attendances (22), beating Speedy’s car and Campbell (who has been in the club longer than most of you have been alive).

On Friday we paddle the mighty Mohaka grade 2. A few rescue beers are gained, but there’s not too much carnage. Prez Ally and Richard "F yeah" Provo takes down half the beginners and the rest of us gather the leftovers. My group is so pro that we do one of the hardest rapids twice and paddle one backwards (not to be encouraged). The only swimmer we have is Simon who tries to show off his paddling skills by paddling his kayak like a gondola- resulting in a booty skull.

Friday night celebrations start off relatively normal but slowly get more drunken and absurd. The best part of the night is when a giant glowing stick figure appears and does these crazy 2D dances to music blasting from a car, dancing on top of the car and turning on and off in time with the music. We all feel like we’re on acid. Thanks to Hippy Jeff for the awesome show. The rest of the night involves fire dancing, a light display and fireworks. Later that night Nicole passes around condoms she got from Amsterdam which have animal figurines on the end. Crazy Rachel and others chant for someone to try them on. Drunkenness ensues and Simon gets nominated by Captain Isaac who pulls down his pants. Quote of the night: ‘you pull his pants down, I’ll put the condom on’. Time to go to bed.

The next day the sun comes out and we set off for a run of the grade 3. When we arrive at the get-in someone has forgotten to do a head count and we end up with too many rafters. Ally kindly offers to take the extra people to do some kayaking skills. The rest of us get on the river at the usual AUCC time of midday. I’m a bit nervous because I’ve got the tiniest boat on the river, but end up having a sweet run. Who said playboats can’t do hard stuff?

The most epic line is taken by Captain’s raft at the Steps- straight into the biggest hole in the river where it’s stuck surfing for 3 whole minutes. The raft bounces in and out of the hole, with everyone on it gathered on the high side and clinging for dear life. Captain unintentionally abandons the raft and swims to the side of the river, luckily managing to pull the raft out of the hole. We all cheer but stop as we watch the punters heading straight for a rock minus their raft guide. Thankfully they avoid getting stuck again and we’re relieved to see everyone coming out safely at the bottom.

Saturday night is another boozy night. A few people decide to do Scrumpy/wine hands. There is talk of a journey to the pub but we’re all too lazy to follow it through. My car has meatballs for dinner, made by Ally, with red wine and herbs. AUCC certainly knows how to do luxury camping.

Sunday morning we wake up and find that the Easter bunny has delivered us Easter eggs outside our tents. Today we manage to be super-organized and cater for all levels of activities- a few people head to Napier for a chilled out day of wine tasting; others go for a hike, or do a Bridge Swing (which was soon shut down by the police). We have people kayaking or rafting every section of the river. Baby raft is taken down the grade 4 by James, Ally and Jono- a section which hasn’t been rafted since Mohaka Multisport 10 years ago (that’s a story for another time!) Luckily the carnage is kept to a minimum. Big thanks to the shuttle bunnies for the grade 4- it’s a very long drive!

That night is the first dance party I’ve seen at Mohaka. Mark sets up his van to blast dance music all night long. There’s even a strobe and poll dancing. The best looks were Isaac dancing in his gumboots, Erica dancing with her torch dangling from the crotch of her pants and the dance off which Ladia won with a dirty secret move. Monday we’re all up early and head home in the first rain we’ve had all weekend. Ally decides to take us on a detour to avoid traffic and our route is very scenic- involving gravel road (‘nice one Ally’- James), a Weka who has probably never seen a car before, and a footpath in the middle of nowhere. The funky wave-shaped bridge made it worth it in the end.

All in all, it was an awesome trip. Huge thanks to Simon for organizing the whole event, and to Ally for making sure the Easter Bunny didn’t forget us. Thanks to all the instructors for ensuring most of the carnage stayed off-river, and to everyone who came along and made the most out of their long weekend. Happy Easter!

- Sophie M

Fulljames is a full-on camp and road trip event down to the Waikato River of the north island of New Zealand. You will love the cool breeze of the NZ outskirts in nature. Not only is it one of our most party-crazed event in the entire year, but it is also an amazing event for beginner paddlers to get a taster for one of the many amazing events that AUCC offers. If you are a nature lover by day and crazy party-goer by night, you can expect Fulljames to be one of your most memorable events in our club. The Fulljames event is out BIGGEST event featuring camping and road trip from Auckland University down to Taupo on Waikato River, approximately 4 hours drive down south with all our kayaking and rafting gear for the students and instructors. The river section has a stretch of calm water for sight-seeing, as well as a nice rapid at the end which is sure to excite the beginners who have never kayaked before.

The first big event of the year is always the most memorable. AUCC knows this so we will deliver. We are sure that Fulljames will definitely deliver the best experience for you and for everyone else. Truly amazing, Fulljames. No spoilers. Join the event!

Testimony by Harry Shin

'A New Year, A New Life'

Fulljames was the first big event in particular that will always stay with me.

The group arrived at the campsite blind as a bat as tents were set up in the unlit outback of the NZ landscape. That night we slept too tired to ponder the wonders around us, encased in darkness.

When morning came and the sun rays lay on the ground melting away the frost on the meadow, a few early heads popped out of their tents in awe of their surroundings as if they'd seen light for the first time. We were ants compared to the vast land, hills capped with trees surrounded us, green and gold shades of glittering meadow stretched as far as the mysteriously thick fog allowed us to see. All the while half blinded by the low-hanging sun, fuzzy as its exact shape was obscured by the thickness of the fog.

As I stumbled out of the tent and towards a fence to admire the morning view of paradise, a lone black stallion decided to show itself from behind a distant rock. It approached slowly and cautiously from the distance, its eyes set on the muesli bar I was holding at the time unwilling to give up, occasionally stopping in its track but eventually, he was close enough to receive a good pat from me, and we had a nice time chilling together while watching the sunrise.

Kayaking down the blue Waikato river was extremely rewarding. The beginning was mostly flat with little hazard for a potential capsize. Travelling in small groups down the river was peaceful and pleasant, and most of us were in awe of the rockfaces, mini waterfall streams and all sorts of odd greenery growing around us as we gently paddled through the blue water. About halfway, we reached what looked like a small abandoned wharf dock where we saw others jumping off and into the water below. I am proud to have been the only one to perform a front flip.

It was unfortunate that I was also the only one to faceplant the water on the same jump.

The biggest rapid at the end provided a good dose of recommended daily adrenaline intake for me as it was my first time kayaking through a rapid and boooy, did it look MENACING.

Water rushed to form all sorts of shapes as it gobbled up stealthy submerged rocks on the riverbed, mini whirlpools formed and broke and formed everywhere around the side, seemingly multiplying then suddenly merging to form one big whirlpool, powerful eddy lines formed by the heavy shear of water against the bank. The only 'safe' line was straight down the middle where it looked like a triangular clearing of churning water with three consecutive waves that seemed to constantly stay in one position. "Alright, lets go, straight down" says the instructor. I almost got a mini heart attack as I big-eyed the brave-heart who made that remark.

At the point of no return, I paddled hard, half blind by the water spitting up at me, and I cleared the first two waves with succession. Wiping the water away from my eyes with a mini celebratory "woohoo" in my head, I realized I had forgotten about the third and biggest wave as I approached it with one hand on the paddle and one hand rubbing my face as it knocked me off balance. It came as a surprise to me but I realized that I was underwater.

Here's a tip: don't wear sandals and expect to swim well.

Don't bring sandals in a kayak if you're going to capsize.

Also, don't bring sandals.

- Harry Shin