Notes from the river
Practical, checked notes on New Zealand rivers for trampers, paddlers and anyone who spends time by moving water. Read down the line: each station is one note, newest at the top.
- km 01Looking after a river you use
Check, Clean, Dry, toileting and campsites, weeds on the banks, and how ordinary river users can help keep track of a river’s health.
- km 02New Zealand’s native freshwater fish
Galaxiids, bullies, eels, lamprey and the fish behind the whitebait catch. Who lives in our rivers, why so many of them need the sea, and why culverts matter.
- km 03Getting started with packrafting and river kayaking
How river grades work, why a club or course is the right first step, the kit that matters, and the lifejacket rule that now applies to small craft.
- km 04Whio: the blue duck of fast rivers
Whio live year-round on fast, clean mountain rivers and nowhere else in the world. Why they need that water, what threatens them, and what to do when you meet a pair.
- km 05Reading river flow and rainfall data before a trip
Councils publish live river levels and rainfall for hundreds of sites. Here is how to find them, what a rising hydrograph is telling you, and the traps to avoid.
- km 06River crossing basics for trampers
Most of river safety is deciding not to cross. Here is how to plan for unbridged crossings, read the warning signs, and what the mutual support method looks like.
- km 07How New Zealand protects a river
Water Conservation Orders, national parks and stewardship land do different jobs. The Mōkihinui River shows how they fit together.
Rivers
How New Zealand rivers work, how they are protected, and how to read them before a trip.
Safety & skills
Crossings, flows, paddling and the habits that bring people home.
Freshwater life
Whio, native fish and the small things that keep a river healthy.