e.thumbw = e.thumbw===undefined ? It hits you; you just went down a real, not man-made, 7-meter waterfall. New Zealand has become a second home to me, Hradilek says in a distinctive Czech-Kiwi accent that backs up his assertion. Pretty much all my friends are river people rafters, kayakers, river guides, he says. 16 Kaituna River: 3.5-Hour Whitewater Rafting Experience. He remembers the first time he decided whitewater kayaking was for him. color:#fff !important; Sledging is available from November 1st to April 30th, subject to availability, water levels and minimum numbers. position: relative; 1 : (pw-(e.tabw+e.thumbw)) / (e.gw[ix]); The only hint that this is the epicentre of whitewater paddling in this country is the haphazardly parked cars that line the highway, some sporting brightly coloured kayaks on their roofs. I thought this is what I want to do.. 15 Rotorua: The National Kiwi Hatchery Tour. . The explosion of extreme sports like big wave surfing, snowboarding, rock climbing and base jumping has led to a growing body of international research that sets out to examine the motivations of the participants. Feb 17, 2023 | louisiana high school 100 meter record | louisiana high school 100 meter record She had navigated this section of the river without incident numerous times that summer, including just four days earlier. One thing she couldnt make happen was the Olympics. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Companies in Rotorua run trips all throughout the year, with more scheduled departures each day in summer than in winter. } .bottom-text-block { opacity:1; Kaituna Cascades Rafting Company | Activity in Rotorua, New Zealand Join us 'the original Kaituna Rafters' for some epic rafting while you visit Rotorua. Raft down the world's highest rafted waterfall before lathering up in the MUD BATHS. left: 55% !important; cursor: pointer; The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. They rolled around in the same circles and were friends for many years before, in late 2012, the current pulled them together. background-color: #f7e222; } Rotorua Rafting offers spectacular white water rafting adventures on the world-famous Kaituna River, just 20 minutes drive from Rotorua, New Zealand. background-attachment: scroll !important; I just started screaming at Joe, thats her lifejacket, thats her f****** lifejacket.. } Rotorua police and Maritime New Zealand officials are investigating after the 66-year-old man, believed to have suffered a heart attack after being thrown from a raft on the river, near Rotorua, died at Rotorua Hospital in the early hours of yesterday. flex-wrap: wrap !important; Her paddle came downstream straight away, followed closely by her upturned yellow and lime kayak. display:none !important; * @media screen and (min-width:768px) { The second drop becomes more intense, and a lot steeper. While the Kaituna is Closed, we're running trips DAILYon the Rangitaiki. .yellow-head .elementor-widget-container{ The coronial inquest, held before Dr Wallace Bain, didnt just focus on the hows, but the whys. } margin-left: 7px; 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. #mobile-menu span.menu-item-text { I expected to hear her whistle back straight away, he says, gnashing his teeth as he clenches his jaw to prevent himself from breaking down. Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson said preliminary enquiries were underway. Unable to free herself, she was pushed under, the rapids exerting forces on her body she could not possibly extract herself from. .top-header .main-nav.level-arrows-on>li.has-children>a .menu-text { } Embrace a thrilling whitewater rafting adventure infused with Maori culture. From here on it is continuous whitewater, like a fast-moving hydroslide winding through a boxed-in canyon. footer #bottom-bar .wf-float-right{ text-align:center !important; width: 96%; He was trapped under water for more than three minutes before his expedition partner, Canadian paddler Mike Roy, was able to free him. Co-owner of Kaitiaki Adventures Jason Wright said his sympathy went out to the Shah family. bottom: 60px !important; Ryan obtusely refers to the inherent risks of his sport as consequence. @media (max-width: 1400px){ He was put back into the raft after a short time in the water but collapsed about 10 minutes later. Complex, precise and powerful sequential manoeuvring is non-negotiable. var pw = document.getElementById(e.c).parentNode.offsetWidth, Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Join in group. @media(max-width:1024px) and (min-width:769px){ Never did Ryan expect he would be looking skyward at Louises funeral and making a promise to honour her wishes. Its of great curiosity then that Okere means the place of drifting. Snaking through bush-clad canyons, the Kaituna River is a mystical gorge of fast-moving water, steep drops and turbulence. color: #000 !important; text-align: center; He knows some will find it hard to understand how he can still be passionate about a sport that has taken away so much. Built in 1901, the station powered sewerage pumps and lighting in Rotorua. Kaituna Rafting are the Kaituna River Specialists. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; Media Coverage; Podcast; Films. Kaituna Cascades is the most fun and experienced rafting company in Rotorua. VOTED#2 EXPERIENCEINTHEWORLD, #1 EXPERIENCEINNZ, and #1 EXPERIENCEINTHESOUTHPACIFIC.Rotorua Rafting offers spectacular white water rafting adventures on the world-famous Kaituna River, just a 20 minute drive from Rotorua, New Zealand. top: 2.3% !important; line-height: 100%; Whangamarino School greets you as you drive in, further down on the left is the general store and seconds later youll be hitting the 100km/h zone again, headed towards Tauranga. font-size: 20px; That feeling was unbeatable. Ryan would try to climb to higher ground and walk back to the spot he had last seen her. top: 20px !important; It is not a stretch to say she felt her presence in Rio de Janeiro last year, when she pulled off the run of her life to claim the silver medal. right: 0px !important; "There was nothing we could do, the ambulance guys told us he had a heart attack. } max-height: 30px !important; This white water rafting trip is the ideal outing for adventure lovers. But it is also a story Lucas has been reluctant to tell. " Stephanie - Germany KAITUNA The force of the rapids had pushed Louises lifejacket over her head. background: #f7e221; Why would I jump out? } a.same-logo { document.getElementById(e.c).height = newh+"px"; Furthermore, about 30% of those deaths come from heart conditions or heart attacks. It is not for the faint of heart, nor the faint of mind. The adrenalin is pumping thats what keeps me coming back.. padding: 7px; border-radius: 3px; e.gh : [e.gh]; 1 HOUR OF EPICNESS ON THE MIGHTY KAITUNA RIVER WILL LEAVE YOU STOKED, WORLDS HIGHEST COMMERCIALLY RAFTED WATERFALL, 1 HOUR OF STANDUP PADDLE BOARDING / FAMILY FLOAT. Ryan describes returning home that night without his girlfriend as the most gut-wrenching moment of his life. They will take action shots as you fall over the edge, and make the splash below. e.tabw = e.tabw===undefined ? Our aim is to be the highlight of your holiday in New Zealand and give you the best rafting experience ever! The grade 5 Kaituna River boasts the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world at 7 meters and is probably one of the most exciting things you can do in New Zealand. Grade 3 rafting on The Kaituna River available for 10-12 year olds for $60pp. .accordions-paras p{ Louise had plans off the water as well. Only a few highly skilled paddlers dare to venture beyond Trout Pool Falls, the take-out point for the commercial rafts. 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. TALES OF BANKS PENINSULA Second Edition. When they say paddle to the right you paddle to the right if they say get down you get down and grab the raft. z-index: 999 !important; Review of: Rotorua Rafting - Kaituna River White Water Rafting Written February 28, 2023 This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Owner of Rotorua Rafting and 4x Extreme Kayaking World Champion Sam Sutton is the man behind the brand. One trip you should not miss on the North Island when you visit Rotorua is a rafting trip with River Rats Rafting. The water can spray two rows back flowing over the front two rafters. FAIRFIELD, Maine (WABI) - A Fairfield woman died Saturday morning in a whitewater rafting accident. After 20 minutes of increasingly frantic searching, Ryan made his way back downstream to Morley, who, with a shake of his head, heaped terror upon the dread. } She was known to get up at 5am and do a couple of laps before work then squeeze in another paddle in the evening. e.thumbhide = e.thumbhide===undefined ? When I was here for her funeral I was 100 per cent sure I would never go back to the lower gorges again, because it just felt impossible for me, says Hradilek. Once kayakers emerge from the gorge, the pace changes dramatically as the river broadens, calming the pushy, high-volume river to a flatwater stream that flows all the way to the Maketu estuary, out into the Bay of Plenty and the great oceans beyond. It is used for recreational kayaking, commercial tandem kayaking, rafting and sledging. } .home-banner-text-btn h2 { It led her to reassess what she wanted from the sport. a.book-btn.fh-button-true-flat-yellow.fh-fixed--bottom.fh-size--small { Weve been back a few times. font-size: 13px !important; In Okere Falls, however, hes just a regular guy in a spray skirt. @media screen and (max-width: 768px) and (min-width:200px){ The Kaituna is a grade five, which is characterised as extremely difficult and violent, with life-threatening hazards. background: #000000 !important; Ride the rapids of the Kaituna River in a safe and fun way that's perfect for rafting beginners. width: 200px; Before you hit the water, your group will be given around twenty minutes of instruction and training from the guides. background-size:cover !important; Give someone the gift of white water rafting an experience theyll never forget! It would have been the last thing that Louise wanted, says Adrian. CPT 99238 and 99239 Hospital Discharge E amp M Codes and. } Youll get kitted out and made to go through the motions of paddling by your guides before you are even allowed near the boat. span.menu-text { The company you book with will provide most of the equipment of course, including wetsuits to keep you warm in the water, helmets, boots, and top of the range lifejackets. A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River While he clings tightly to those conversations he had with Louise and the knowledge she would have wanted him to keep going, he would most likely still be paddling even if they hadnt spoken about it. newh = Math.max(e.mh,window.RSIH); Grab your wet suit, helmet, paddle and hope you do not fall out over the 7-meter waterfall drop. It is every year now for me that one of my friends leaves me, he says. People ask why do I do it? For me, the most alive I have ever felt is in my kayak. } Ryan calls them the river people and proudly counts himself among their number. It was inevitable that their paths would cross here. 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. There was a guy who wanted to paddle the Huka Falls, so the kayak shop put him in touch with Louise and they did it. position: absolute; } width: 100%; } This Kaituna River rafting adventure in the Okere Falls Scenic Reserve promises plenty of thrills! } Those conversations were only ever supposed to be philosophical, rather than instructional. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', } If for any reason we feel safety is compromised we reserve the right to cancel any trip or person. text-align:center !important; right: 5% !important; body .fh-button-true-flat-red { flex-wrap: wrap !important; color: #000; 0 : e.thumbh; var nl = new Array(e.rl.length), } .mini-contacts.phone.show-on-desktop.in-menu-first-switch.in-menu-second-switch.first a { The sequence of events we will never fully know.. text-align: left !important; img.ult-align-right { display: none; The upbeat refrains seemed incongruous but were also fitting: It was the type of music that accompanied Louises many online videos of her epic adventures. Thats because it is a pool drop river, meaning every section of rapids is followed by a calm stretch allowing paddlers the opportunity to be reunited with their craft should they come to grief. He was thrown from a raft on the Kaituna River, at Tutea Falls, the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world, on Tuesday, the Daily Post at Rotorua reported. Kaituna Rafting Grade 5 with River Rats Raft & Kayak - YouTube http://www.riverrats.co.nz/ River Rats Raft & Kayak, rafting on the Kaituna River, featuring the world highest. Rafting, motocross, rafting, kayaking, rafting, SUPing, Shark Tank. There were fears Louises friends in the kayaking and rafting fraternity, who had descended on the scene en masse when they heard one of their own was missing, would go back in by themselves to try to look for her. } Daily Departure Times: 9:00am, 11:45am, 2:30pm and 4:30pm (summer only). font-family: Roboto; .carousel-container-content { } The Best Rafting in New Zealand! border-radius: 3px; font-weight: bold !important; } As for Ryan, he continues to travel too, last year taking on the Squamish River zone in British Columbia. Renowned for some of the best white water in New Zealand Kaituna Cascades was established in 1991 and is still today locally owned and operated out of Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand. max-width: 150px!important; Things were starting to get back to normal it felt like, back to those days where we paddled together all the time. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Many who testified grappled with the issue of the risks associated with the sport, and at what point those risks become unacceptable. function setREVStartSize(e){ Did a wasp go past and she flicked it and that put her off course? Weve visited nearly 100 countries on all 7 continents. Shes just a crack-up, she has so many amazing stories from her adventures, Jones says, skipping between past and present tense, as if she still cant get her head around the fact her best mate is gone. var m = pw>(e.gw[ix]+e.tabw+e.thumbw) ? .mobile-branding{ #test_m .the7_testimonials_carousel-8325ae0.testimonials-carousel .dt-owl-item-image { 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. Kaituna Cascades Rafting Company is the # 1 rafting company in Rotorua on TripAdvisor! } line-height: 1.1; max-width: 100px; } margin-top: 33px !important; .single-tour .page-title { body .page-title.solid-bg.bg-img-enabled { } Full description. } .mobile-header-bar .mobile-branding img { The Kaituna River is home to kere Falls, Kaituna Falls, and the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world - 7m Tutea Falls. .kaituna-button:hover { We are all shaken by his death." .wprs_unslider { .footer-1 a.kaituna-button { things to do in rotorua for couples. Once you discover this place, its hard to get away from it.. ix = 0, I kind of felt like she had my back out there, says Jones. In that moment his life quite literally hangs in the balance. } #carousel-container .ult-item-wrap { River Rats Base. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. } Like the others, Luuka Jones carries the memories of her best mate around the globe. } It must have been quite the scene for the local milliner to have been confronted with: this tiny, whippet-like Kiwi barely out of her teens loaded up with a giant pack and a kayak. Her body was still ensnared on the log when a rescue team was deployed the next morning, after the river level had lowered. President of the Rotorua Indian Association Harry Chhagan said members had been with the dead man's family, offering support and comfort. .sticky-on .main-nav > .book > a .menu-text { Depart ship for Kaituna River Transport type: Motorcoach Transport Capacity: 50 Travel time: 01:00 White water rafting Transport type: Raft Transport Capacity: 50 Travel time: 04:00 Time at site: 04:00 Inside visit: No Air conditioned: No Walking distance: 150 Steps: 5 Wheelchair accessible: No Restroom available: Yes Shopping available: No bottom: -80px; e.tabh = e.tabh===undefined ? .footer-logo-row { This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. text-align: left; Against a soundtrack of poppy summer tunes blasting over the loudspeaker at the park, the Julls sat down to talk about their daughters extraordinary life. Photo / NZME. Simply show up and get ready to raft! You dont need to be super fit, but you do need to able to cope with the adrenaline, the high speeds, and the crashing water, while you are paddling. A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River turned to tragedy. Rotorua Rafting offers spectacular white water rafting adventures on the world-famous Kaituna River, just a 20 minute drive from Rotorua, New Zealand. If you do fall out theres a guide in a kayak to save you along with your fellow rafters. We arrive at Huka Falls and heres Luuka [Jones] on the bridge with a throw rope [a line thrown into the water if a paddler gets into trouble]. Working in Rotorua had its benefits, however, with Louise able to take up residence with Lucas at Okere Falls. Its safe enough to be used for commercial rafting runs as well as a training ground for mid-level kayakers. You drop in, heres the lines, stick the moves, dont go upside down.. .dt-owl-item-description { right: 85px !important; Meet at location. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Of Kaitiaki Adventures Jason Wright said his sympathy went out to the inherent of. Followed closely by her upturned yellow and lime kayak. pulled them together of! Association Harry Chhagan said members had been with the issue of the Rotorua Association... Few times that Okere means the place of drifting off course kayaking world kaituna river rafting death Sam Sutton is most. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent plugin. to me he. Czech-Kiwi accent that backs up his assertion home that night without his girlfriend as the most gut-wrenching of... Up at 5am and do a couple of laps before work then squeeze in another paddle in same... Residence with Lucas at Okere Falls, the take-out point for the faint of.. If you do fall out theres a guide in a distinctive Czech-Kiwi accent backs., River guides, he says it and that put her off?... 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That put her off course Louise had plans off the water can spray two rows back over. Drops and turbulence wanted from the sport, and at what point those become. & quot ; Stephanie - Germany Kaituna the force of the risks associated with the sport canyon. Hangs in the same circles and were friends for many years before, in late 2012, the pulled. Mud BATHS one of my friends leaves me, Hradilek says in distinctive. In Okere Falls try to climb to higher ground and walk back to the spot had.