12m max drop
Extremely high flow – mostly swimming and jumping, in a long, deep gorge.
Access
Canyon is on private land.
Access permission must be obtained from Hunter Valley Station and is easily arranged via their website followed by a phone call. Good hut accommodation is available at the station (~$50 pp/night). A high-clearance 4×4 is required for vehicle access.
The 2nd descent team took a Helicopter to the 520 m contour, where the flats end above the canyon.
Descent
The canyon is approximately 3 km long. The first 1.5 km contains the most sustained and technical sections. Once committed, escape options are extremely limited.
Expect steep boulder gardens, narrow gorges, and continuous hazards. Canyon walls rise to 200 m. Undercuts and tree debris are present throughout. Water levels can be high and require ongoing assessment and problem solving.
Key obstacles:
12 m mandatory jump (or kayak boof)
Mid-gorge slip. The 2nd descent team climbed up a loose slip that comes in mid-canyon, then had to rap 50m from a single bolt in crumbly rock back down to the water level.
The last drop in the middle canyon is the crux of the river corridor, climaxing with a hard-to-access 2 m drop. Not a spot you’d won’t to swim or flush off. At proper summer low flows, Phil thinks you’d be able to swim into an eddy at the lip of that drop and then down climb it.
Pre-scouting the river corridor with drones from the lake is strongly recommended.
History
Here’s a few historical stories, in roughly chronological order ;0)
First descent: Legend has it, that Justin Venable kayaked the Big Hopwood Burn – we’re not sure when exactly, but that’s the claimed first descent.
Sometime after that, some local canyoners from Wanaka went for a look from the bottom:
Good fun sections. Lots of water. Some Jolie encasement. No major waterfalls, but lots of swims and jumps if you want. Have not yet done a canyoning descent, but explored up from road to about half way.
Then in January 2026, a strong team of kayakers went in “about 2 days after a little rain” with drones, drills, and ropes. They recorded a bit of beta, and took some rad photos.
Second descent: Scotty Robson, Zack Stones, Sam Walton, Shanon Mast, Rata Lovell-Smith, Phil Palzer
