The river is tailor made for what is a totally counter intuitive idea that you paddle upstream to a section above rapids and then enjoy them on the way down. Best avoided by TripAdvisor clients who aren’t so familiar with the laws of gravity! But for everyone else, I thoroughly recommend as a great way to discover the joys of paddling your own boat, and on the way down learning about fluid mechanics! Delightful service from the gentleman who runs the place. The only thing that made a stop over in Punakaiki worthwhile in my view.

This was the best activity we did on the west coast, although it may have been helped by the wonderful weather in stark contrast to earlier days of foul weather. Informative and friendly owner who kitted us out with everything we needed - wet suit type shorts and shoes plus life jackets and containers for our phones etc. We headed up river, knowing it was full of water and obstacles after recent storms. Huge fun and much more tricky than we expected - we had to work out how to navigate upriver as well as down - but it all felt safe. The scenery is magnificent so the trick is to keep paddling rather than be too distracted by the views. And so nice to do something like this alone, rather than in a group or with a guide.