No mandatory absiels – a slide-fest!
6hrs round trip (2hr/2.5hr/1.5hr)
Public land
This canyon is all about the slides.
FOURTEEN of them in total, up to 16m long, plus the option to climb back up and lap a sweet section of five slides. Three start sliding bliss on Mt Ruapehu.
First descent, James Judd, Sacha Knight and Luke Carpenter 21 Jan 2023
Thanks to the first descent crew for photos and information.
Such a great time.
Keep an eye out for pink tape when bush basing for the final section of the approach (once you break off the track) and a fixed rope down into the creek. No worries if you don’t find it, but it helps.
Makotuku gauge at .43m, although it rained throughout the whole trip. Conservatively bypassed bum flaps section, due to party members nursing some pre existing injures that we didn’t want to risk making worse when getting thrown around in the flow. Rigged a short abseil off a tree on the TL of J5, to help a team member DC who wasn’t jumping.
Great slides that can be repeated multiple times, a must do trip!
Higher water conditions at 0.65m for majority of trip due to snowmelt. Walked around the 5-slide section due to hydraulics. Would’ve been doable but had some nervous beginners.
Highly highly recommend this canyon
The slide hustle
Great little canyon for quick trip if you are in the area. Always fun when you don’t need a rope.
Fun little bush bash down into canyon, might be easier 100m up or down stream of what’s indicated on the map to get into the stream.
What a sweet canyon! So much fun, we repeated nearly every slide several times! We carried a rope in and did a meat anchor + lower on the first couple of slides but they are all pretty much perfect so we ended up just sending them after a bit of a scout from above. Will be back for a few more laps in the future for sure.