@media(max-width:660px){ font-weight: bold !important; font-size: 12px !important; #test_m .the7_testimonials_carousel-8325ae0.testimonials-carousel .dt-owl-item-image { 0 : e.rl[i]; It was close to all the things she loved doing, Liz says. } He remembers the first time he decided whitewater kayaking was for him. 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. Whitewater Rafting Rotorua Rotorua's Rafting Experts, SAVE $10 Per Person Use Promo Code: CASCADES. 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. A big part of the sport is documenting their adventures. } Its just a reflection of how many people she touched and the impact she had on the community, says Olympic silver medallist Luuka Jones, one of Julls closest friends. You just need to be physically fit and ready for a lot of adrenaline and a lot of water. } top: 0; text-align:center !important; You have only a moment to catch your breath before the next waterfall meets you. }*/ These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. border-radius: 3px; e.tabw = e.tabhide>=pw ? } All you see is the waterfall mist for a slight second while the whole raft is pushed down by the falling water, then you pop out on the bottom to a nice pool of water. Ryan has spent most of his life chasing waterfalls. It is also where Ryan and Louises love story began and the starting point of their fateful trip on March 11, 2015. body .fh-button-true-flat-red:hover, body .fh-button-true-flat-red:active { He hangs at a vertical angle, with the nose of his kayak pointing directly into the mist that rises from the foot of the falls. Sitting in the kitchen of the home he and Louise shared over her final months, he shifts in his seat to try to find a comfortable position to confront the memories of that day. He was put back into the raft after a short time in the water but collapsed about 10 minutes later. left: 55% !important; padding-bottom: 0 !important; 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. Its safe enough to be used for commercial rafting runs as well as a training ground for mid-level kayakers. Adrenaline filled whitewater rafting on the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. The Olympic silver medalist is sporting royalty back home in the Czech Republic. If you want to enjoy slightly calmer rapids but great weather, then consider traveling to Rotorua in the spring shoulder season, just before summer, when the rivers will be full and the sun will begin to emerge from the New Zealand clouds. Only a few highly skilled paddlers dare to venture beyond Trout Pool Falls, the take-out point for the commercial rafts. button.mfp-close { max-width: 100px !important; } background-color: #f7e222; When he looked back for a second time, she wasnt there. /* height:100px !important; */ align-items: center !important; Wishlist. If you popped into the local supermarket in Ostrava, youd see Hradileks face adorning Red Bull cans and cookie packets. .yellow-head .elementor-widget-container{ z-index: 999 !important; }} The river, and its people, would have called him back. text-align:left; e.tabh = e.tabhide>=pw ? If you are joining a local white water rafting Rotorua tour, then in peak season trips leave several times a day, from the morning through to the afternoon. Some of them dont use it as much as others, but theres always some link back to that river. The water is clear, crisp and really refreshing on a summer day. color: #000; Your guide will tell you what to do and when to do it way in advance before you plunge down the different twists, turns and drops of the river. Take the ultimate thrill ride on this Kaituna River white water rafting tour. margin: 0 auto; .show-on-second-switch { It features powerful rapids, large drops, abrupt turns, weirs, fast boiling eddies, and numerous obstacles in the main current. Accidents happen because of a series of small factors, and one of those becomes important. He routinely looked back to check on Louises progress. Rafting, motocross, rafting, kayaking, rafting, SUPing, Shark Tank. suburbs to avoid in tauranga. A 50 minute action packed ride down 14 epic rapids featuring the worlds highest rafted waterfall! This is the story of her death but it is also a story of renewal, as those closest to her keep her memory alive by celebrating her sense of adventure. The section of the Kaituna River that most commonly forms the white water rafting Rotorua experience, is the area focused around Okere Falls. window.RSIW = window.RSIW===undefined ? Join in group. Unable to free herself, she was pushed under, the rapids exerting forces on her body she could not possibly extract herself from. @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River max-width: 120px; background-color: #f7e222 !important; .top_marquee { } position: relative; } Her body was still ensnared on the log when a rescue team was deployed the next morning, after the river level had lowered. In winter then, youll need to be flexible if you want to get out on the water, but when you do, youll probably have the most exhilarating white water rafting Rotorua experience of the year. e.gh : e.el; position: relative; This is where the lower gorges begin and the rapids have much more consequence. @media screen and (max-width: 782px){ width: 100%; div#price_1 h3.pp-pricing-table-title { You will get wet, very wet, so make ensure that you bring some warm clothes to change into at the end of the trip, particularly if the weather looks like it might take a turn for the worse. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. } } 0 : e.thumbh; Louise and Ryan, who paddled the gorges regularly, filled Morley in on some of the particularly challenging features to look out for. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. e.tabhide = e.tabhide===undefined ? Now with no one paddling, you sort of lose track. 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 } 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. @media screen and (max-width: 1050px) and (min-width:500px){ This week's death was the third as a result of an incident on the Kaituna River since last August. They decided to go further downstream. background-color: #f7e222 !important; Its a place like no other for adventure seekers, and its found just outside of Rotorua, in the heart of the North Island. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. e.thumbh = e.thumbhide>=pw ? Kaituna River Rafting English. but nothing compares to the end waterfall. If you have your own action camera, such as a Go Pro, then as long as you have suitable accessories to ensure you dont lose it, then you can bring this along too. .mobile-header-bar .mobile-branding img, .branding a img, .branding img { Simply show up and get ready to raft! The Kaituna River is a world-famous white-water destination. Revenue Code For Cpt 59409. max-width: 150px!important; padding: 10px 10px; 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. No further information is available and the death will be referred to the Coroner., "Eventually the additional tax burden will have to be passed to tenants". He knows that after Louise, people will be thinking has this guy learned nothing?. "We voluntarily suspended operations for the day and have met with Maritime New Zealand to explain what happened. menu2 Close Menu India angle-down International Those fears were founded. We were all really fired up, I remember Lou looking at me and giving me the vibe like lets do this, says Ryan. for (var i in e.rl) if (e.gw[i]===undefined || e.gw[i]===0) e.gw[i] = e.gw[i-1]; 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. .top-header .main-nav.level-arrows-on>li.has-children>a .menu-text { .mobile-mini-widgets-in-menu span{ Dont worry about hitting a rock just let the powerful rapids take you for a wet n wild ride. 2hr30min - 3hrDuration. Of course, though, the rapids require rain to make them formidable, and you will find the most intense white water rafting Rotorua just after a rainstorm! Still, dropping into Gnarly gorge is never easy. } color:#fff !important; 1 : (pw-(e.tabw+e.thumbw)) / (e.gw[ix]); #carousel-container { Ryan was knocked unconscious after his head slammed into the front of his kayak on landing. top: 75px !important; " Stephanie - Germany KAITUNA e.gw = Array.isArray(e.gw) ? .wprs_unslider a { Or view a regional map of surrounding New Zealand tracks, campgrounds, and lodging. Ryan describes returning home that night without his girlfriend as the most gut-wrenching moment of his life. } 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. } LEARN MORE Rotorua, New Zealand MOST POPULAR Kaituna & Wairoa Combo Grade 5 White Water Rafting $ 240 Can't make your mind up - do them both ! I was like, my girlfriend, she is pretty kickarse.. } window.RSIW : pw; The Highest Commercially Rafted Waterfall The Okere (Kaituna) River is situated at Okere Falls, between Rotorua (20 minutes drive) and Tauranga (45 minutes drive). background-position: top center !important; I always try to think over her exact words. .vc_custom_1619577787216 { } A man in his 50s had got into difficulty in the Kaituna River and, despite attempts by medical staff, [was] unable to be revived and died at the scene. e.thumbh = e.thumbh===undefined ? One trip you should not miss on the North Island when you visit Rotorua is a rafting trip with River Rats Rafting. I wasnt a very good kayaker then, my skills werent all there and I pretty much just chopped my way down. .carousel-container-content { Every time we go through theres a few tears. 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. Of the 12 deaths reported this year by American Whitewater, four died while rafting with commercial rafting companies. In other words, there is one death for every 250,000 to 400,000 "person visits" of whitewater rafting. padding:0px 10px !important; width: 100%; Rotorua & Kaituna Rafting offers spectacular white water rafting adventures on the world-famous Kaituna River, just a 20-minute drive from Rotorua, New Zealand. } .dt-owl-item-description { Keep kayaking, keep charging.. Ride the rapids of the Kaituna River in a safe and fun way that's perfect for rafting beginners. } } } .vc_row.wpb_row.vc_inner.vc_row-fluid.carousel-container-content.vc_custom_1619577787216.vc_row-has-fill { 0 : e.thumbw; The first of the three gorges is known to paddlers as Awesome. e.gw : [e.gw]; right: 85px !important; All of our guides are handpicked, highly skilled professionals that come from an extreme whitewater background in Kayaking and Rafting. width: 98%; opacity:1; As far as grade five rivers go, the upper section of the Kaituna is considered the forgiving kind. He wouldnt be the first to question the psychology. 0 : parseInt(e.thumbw); text-align: center !important; 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. background-color: #f7e222; The minimum age is 13 years old, so this is an activity thats suitable for teenagers too, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Ryan would try to climb to higher ground and walk back to the spot he had last seen her. 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. padding: 16px 20px; .soc-ico .facebook{ color: #3A444D !important; Its a story that defies belief. Mr Chhagan said the man was with his wife, son, daughter, son-in-law and some friends when the incident occurred. 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. In Okere Falls, however, hes just a regular guy in a spray skirt. She was determined and she always challenged herself to get out of her comfort zone.. Our journey for the day started in Rotorua. Experience whitewater rafting immersed in the jaw dropping beauty of the mighty Kaituna River. It is every year now for me that one of my friends leaves me, he says. text-align: left; } e.thumbw = e.thumbw===undefined ? .mobile-navigation{ He remembers getting a glimpse of her after completing the first difficult move. That group included Vavrinec Hradilek. .team-members-all .pp-tm-content.pp-tm-content-normal { cursor: pointer; As you near the edge, follow your instructors commands and hold tight. top: 5px; It is here he finds his ultimate joy going places physically and spiritually most people will never experience. Were a really tight-knit community. Take on 14 rapids with world class guides and gear. Located in the heart of kere Falls, Rotorua Rafting is directly opposite the put in (the start) of the Kaituna River (see map), allowing us to show our knowledge of the surrounding areas. 33-year-old Emily Fournier of. newh = Math.max(e.mh,window.RSIH); After all, if youre going to throw yourself off a 20m waterfall in a plastic tub, then youre going want to have some skite footage. Like the time she caught the train to a small French town and ended up sleeping on the floor of a hat shop. .top-bar { The Kaituna is a white water enthusiast's dream come true. This section offers Grade 5 rapids the highest grade for rafting you can tackle, unless your a professional but dont worry, because even if youve never rafted before youll be given prior training. Owner of Rotorua Rafting and 4x Extreme Kayaking World Champion Sam Sutton is the man behind the brand. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; Embrace a thrilling whitewater rafting adventure infused with Maori culture. right:0px !important; Paddle through the pristine heart of the best rafting region in New Zealand - Okere, Rotorua; 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. This is when the weather is at its best, and considering youre going to be very wet for a few hours, having a bit of sunshine will add to your experience immensely. Rafting immersed in the world home in the Czech Republic height:100px! ;... * height:100px! important ; its a story that defies belief menu2 Close Menu angle-down. Collect information to provide a controlled Consent e.el ; position: relative ; this is the. 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