Louise never needed much encouragement. color: #34E0A1; Best Price Guarantee. } @media screen and (max-width: 1050px) and (min-width:500px){ function setREVStartSize(e){ With New Zealand native scenery and Maori History lining the gorge of the beautiful Kaituna River, let Rotorua Rafting show you our backyard. min-height: 183px; .mobile-navigation{ font-family: Roboto; Kaituna River Rafting | Best White Water Rafting on the Kaituna River, NZ 0800 772 384 Blog Contact Us "The highlight to our trip to NZ, fun guides, beautiful scenery, and worth every penny! } Its an epic section of whitewater, says Ryan Lucas, one of the countrys top extreme kayakers. } 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. try { If she wanted to do something, she would always just go and make it happen.. I expected to hear her whistle back straight away, he says, gnashing his teeth as he clenches his jaw to prevent himself from breaking down. } .book-now { } margin-top: 30px !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. .confirmations{ It is every year now for me that one of my friends leaves me, he says. Occasionally, the rafts will flip over when they hit the water at the bottom of the falls. z-index: 100; Kaituna River Rafting | Whitewater Rafting Rotorua | Raft the Kaituna River 0800 772 384 KAITUNA RIVER RAFTING $115pp book now enquire now monthly special ROTORUA ZIPLINE + RAFTING COMBO: $224 LOCK IT IN! The section of the Kaituna River that most commonly forms the white water rafting Rotorua experience, is the area focused around Okere Falls. 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. font-size: 16px; Established in 2011, by locally born and bred 4 x World Champion Extreme Kayaker Sam Sutton. things to do in rotorua for couples. } Adrian recalls getting a phone call from his daughter, then 19, suggesting they meet her in Taupo. There is one particularly striking picture taken just after he has gone over the edge of the 30m high Ram Falls in the Canadian Rockies. The truth is, his girlfriends death that horrible, nightmarish event I will never get over taught him plenty about life. li#field_1_2 { window.RSIW = window.RSIW===undefined ? A 2.5-meter waterfall quickly followed by a 1-meter waterfall. Louise had written about these risks in a blog posted less than a month before her death. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Book your spot and find out why Rotorua Rafting was ranked #1 Travellers choice experience in New Zealand, #1 in the South Pacific, and in the Top 10 in the world on Trip Advisor 2019 and then again in 2021 sealing the #2 experience in the world! Home of the 7m waterfall! width: 46%!important; I thought this is what I want to do.. Raft the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world! @media screen and (max-width: 1024px) and (min-width:200px){ Before the group dropped into the lower gorges, they came together to go over the plan of attack. I was very strong when I spoke at the coroners court to say that we didnt want that section of river closed off. Those conversations were only ever supposed to be philosophical, rather than instructional. menu2 Close Menu India angle-down International var pw = document.getElementById(e.c).parentNode.offsetWidth, 0 : e.tabh; Whangamarino School greets you as you drive in, further down on the left is the general store and seconds later youll be hitting the 100km/h zone again, headed towards Tauranga. Just before Christmas, Ryan took some of Louises friends who were visiting from overseas back down the gorges. A man has died after a rafting adventure down the Kaituna River Water crashes you in the face as you plunge down the first set of rapids. margin-left:0px; Home; About; Blog; Media Room. Meet us at our base Hangar 14s, Rotorua Airport, 837 Te Ngae Road . Going into the Olympics, Jones had a world ranking of 28. font-weight: bold !important; .admin-bar .dt-close-mobile-menu-icon { With an expert guide at the helm, you'll paddle through Class 5 white-water rapids of the Kaituna River, including an awesome 21-foot (7-meter) drop down Tutea Falls, the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. The Kaituna River is Ryans playground and his ground zero. It is understood the man had a heart attack after being thrown from the raft he was in at Tutea Falls on the Kaituna River. The first drop at Okere Falls is simple enough, and you will adjust to the raft and get used to paddling, while still getting very wet. He too has had his moments when he has struggled to reconcile this, but each time his mind arrives back at Okere Falls and the same wonderful truism: I wouldnt have even known Lou if I didnt paddle.. } 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. She had navigated this section of the river without incident numerous times that summer, including just four days earlier. @media screen and (max-width: 403px) and (min-width:200px){ 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. 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. } color: #000; They knew there was no hope of finding her alive, but the thought of leaving her behind in the rapids was too much to bear. They rolled around in the same circles and were friends for many years before, in late 2012, the current pulled them together. White Water Rafting: Rotorua New Zealand Planning Tips. The force of the rapids had pushed Louises lifejacket over her head. .ult-open > .ult_modal div.ult_modal-body > iframe { The Kaituna River is home to kere Falls, Kaituna Falls, and the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world - 7m Tutea Falls. The first of the three gorges is known to paddlers as Awesome. 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. American Whitewater reports that on average, there are only 6 to 10 whitewater rafting deaths for each 2.5 million user days on guided rafting trips. footer #bottom-bar .wf-float-right{ /* elementor */ } Join in group. The minimum age is 15 years. Louise didnt have dreams, she had plans, says Adrian. } } 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. There was nothing to suggest that Wednesday evening was going to be any different, until Ryan saw a paddle whisk past him in the rapids. @media screen and (min-width:768px) { This is a long, deep gorge in a changing landscape that sees the tight, winding canyon widen out to boulder gardens. Youll get kitted out and made to go through the motions of paddling by your guides before you are even allowed near the boat. } } There are three waterfalls in the upper section of the river, the first of which sits alongside the remains of what was one of the first hydroelectric power stations in New Zealand. body .fh-button-true-flat-red:hover, body .fh-button-true-flat-red:active { } .footer-1 a.kaituna-button { We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. e.tabw = e.tabw===undefined ? It led her to reassess what she wanted from the sport. New Zealand is known for its extreme activities and sports throughout the country. div#bottom-bar { e.tabhide = e.tabhide===undefined ? Location: Okere Falls, Rotorua, BOP/NZ Product code: Kaituna Rotorua Rafting are the Kaituna River (Okere River) Specialists. Including free pick up from your Central Rotorua accommodation. Our sweet Rafting Base in Okere Falls is in an awesome sunny location, surrounded by a scenic reserve and backs onto the shores of the Kaituna. 0 : parseInt(e.tabhide); We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. .vc_custom_1619577787216 { !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) Learn more All Rotorua Tours .light-preset-color.masthead:not(#phantom):not(.sticky-on):not(.sticky-mobile-on) .menu-line:after, .light-preset-color.masthead:not(#phantom):not(.sticky-on):not(.sticky-mobile-on) .menu-line:before { } max-width: 100px !important; .mobile-header-bar{ margin-top:25px; margin-right:10px !important; /*color: #3A444D;*/ 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. @media screen and (max-width: 1920px) and (min-width:769px){ font-weight: bold; } We visited there not long before she died and I remember standing on the deck [of the Lucas family bach] and thinking it was the perfect place for Louise. 0 : parseInt(e.mh,0); @media (max-width: 1400px){ a.book-btn.fh-button-true-flat-yellow.fh-fixed--bottom.fh-size--small { } All of our guides are handpicked, highly skilled professionals that come from an extreme whitewater background in Kayaking and Rafting. 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. float: none; Thats all I had left of her, he says, crying. 0 : e.thumbh; @media(max-width:660px){ If you arent brave enough to take on white water rafting Rotorua, then Tutea Falls and Okere Falls are just a 20-minute drive from the city, and you can watch the rafters on the river as they tumble over the edge instead of tumbling over with them. left: 40% !important; It was inevitable that their paths would cross here. I could see why she really loved it, says Adrian. Kaituna Cascades was established in 1991 and is still today locally owned and operated out of Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand. Rotorua Rafting: Kaituna River rafting - See 1,518 traveler reviews, 219 candid photos, and great deals for Rotorua, New Zealand, at Tripadvisor. } 14 Geothermal Mineral Baths Experience: Pavilion Pools for 12+. color: #000; This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A police spokeswoman said police and Hato Hone St John Ambulance personnel were advised of an incident at Trout Pool Rd, Okere Falls in the Rotorua district about 3.10pm. The river, and its people, would have called him back. window.innerWidth : window.RSIW; You canlearnmore about us here. Yet he doesnt consider taking on such challenges to be an act of recklessness, rather an act of faith in his abilities. .gform_button { The company you book with will provide most of the equipment of course, including wetsuits to keep you warm in the water, helmets, boots, and top of the range lifejackets. /* Home Carousel */ } sl = nl[0]; } Itinerary Details Operated by: River Rats Raft Kayak This is a typical itinerary for this product Stop At: River Rats Raft & Kayak width: 100%; The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Ryan was knocked unconscious after his head slammed into the front of his kayak on landing. border-radius: 3px; e.gh : [e.gh]; Things were starting to get back to normal it felt like, back to those days where we paddled together all the time. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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