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
