Some folks are just downright suicidal, and sometimes I am one of them! In 2009 I had conceived a plan to be the first person (I think) to canoe the mighty remote Seaforth River in Fiordland NZ (14 years ago today!). I had a brand-new Alpacka ‘Fjord Explorer’ packraft (https://alpackarafts.com/product/fjord-explorer/) courtesy of Kevin Rudd’s bushfire compensation scheme following the 2010 fires here which left us trapped at home for weeks with fires burning all around us.
That year I walked in from Lake Hauroko to Loch Marie (3 days) with my raft and gear in my trusty Gossamer gear G4 pack: http://gossamergear.com/g4-ultralight-backpack-all-bundle.html. On the fourth day I canoed across the lake, then walked down to just past the Bishop Burn and spent the rest of the day canoeing the Seaforth.
I had carefully checked out the river from Google Earth which misses some big rapids -Trust Me! I had also walked around that lower section of the Seaforth quite a lot of times so I thought it was pretty safe. Well, I knew there were a couple of quite deadly rapids, but I was indecently confident I would hear them coming up and could safely portage them. (Every man has a plan which will not work!)
Most of the river is deep and wide and consists of pebble races or Grade 1-2 rapids at most. Unfortunately, there are 2-3 rapids which come up on you pretty quickly, which it would be death to attempt, and which are quite difficult to portage.
The worst was in the general vicinity of the old Supper Cove Hut. Suddenly on a left-hand bend, there it was: with perpendicular river banks both sides, but no other option but to grasp a tree root on the right bank and hang on for dear life! I did manage to climb 5 metres up that vertical bank pulling myself up by the tree root, then haul up my pack and the raft (both of which I had tied to a line) after me. There was one other nasty rapid below this – which I had never seen even though I had walked that section near the mouth of the Henry Burn (Moose Creek) extensively.
Once I was in the flat water below I thought I was home safe. By then it was getting pretty cold and daylight was fading. I had realised that there were oodles of sharks in the Fiord but I thought to avoid them by paddling the shallows on the margins of Supper Cove. I had forgotten the 2-3 kilometres of tidal deep river above the Fiord, which teemed with them! They were mighty curious too, repeatedly cruising underneath the raft, gently lifting it as they rubbed underneath. It was a little unnerving!
Steve must not have been on their menu that day! I had this experience about twenty times before I made Supper Cove where you can be sure I hugged its margins like a drunken sailor! However, as you can see I made it – much to the astonishment of the (few) onlookers, including my daughter Irralee, who had been anxiously awaiting me there for three days! The Seaforth River is a beautiful and exhilarating trip. I somewhat regret I might not paddle it again though!
I have been back for other looks though, as recently as a month ago. For a more detailed description of the track read: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/ & ff.
First Published on: May 24, 2017
See also:
Dusky Track 50th Anniversary Walk
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-day-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-3/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-4/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-5/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-7/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky-8/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-nz-with-bryn/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-april-2007/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-for-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-dusky-adventures/
Glad to read that there are others who love to explore such extraordinary and breathtaking country a little differently. In March 2008, Just to let you know, my brother and I also Pack Rafted the Spey River. However we came in from Lake Manapori. Our first put in place was near Kintail Hut to float into and down Gair Loch. Second put in was the Seaforth River after the gorge and made it down stream to Loch Maree Hut. Like you we also rafted the Lower Seaforth after the gorge down stream of Loch Maree for most of the way to the Sound.
Thanks for you great photos bringing back some great memories and reminders of the challenge it was. Cheers
Thanks for that Rob. I see I wasn’t the first after all! Any more detail of the river from the Kintail down for others who might be considering it? Ps: I gather from your email address you may be interested in this post too: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/05/the-lure-of-the-moose/ Cheers, Steve Jones. You can email me at stevendella@finnsheep.com
Great effort. Considering pack rafting down the Seaforth. How far up stream could you realistically put in? Is the river too much of a stream to put in at Gair Loch?
Thanks Kerry, Most times there is probably enough water to come down from the Kintail. Not sure how you would judge that remotely, probably look for average rainfall at Te Anau. When I walked up the stream from Loch Marie in 2012 it had been unusually dry and you would have been getting out for pebble races quite a lot, but it is not normally like that. You will have to expect to get out a bit (for logs and dangerous rapids anyway – and of course for the huge slip that created Loch Marie). It would be a great trip. Maybe if I was younger I would consider having another go. Who knows I may anyway. There are quite a few good rivers here in Vic (the Snowy for example) I have never canoed too. Have a great trip. Cheers, Steve. PS: Talk to Val McKay from Tuatapere – they own a cafe there. He probably knows the river better than most folks – or knows someone who does.
Thinking of doing a kayak trip in the sounds, should i be concerned about sharks? what time of year were you there?
I am usually there in March/April – which is probably the best weather-wise. These were mostly the ‘seven-gilled’ sharks I think they are call, so they are only as big as a man at most, so probably wouldn’t bother you much in a larger craft. However there are certainly also larger sharks. Lots of others kayak down there though. I think being eaten by sharks is the least of your worries. If you stay where the cruise ships go there will be a boat along once/twice a day if you need anything. Find out what radio they use and take one. These are incredibly cheap: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/emergency-cb-radios/