Dart River Funyaks — New zealand uncovered

Floating down a crystal-clear river surrounded by towering mountain peaks in an inflatable kayak is quite a surreal experience. Dart River flows down and through Mt Aspiring National Park. It’s a peaceful paradise with only the sound of nature to disturb you, think gurgling river and noisy bird life - come on you know the score, this is New Zealand after all.

Dart River Adventures offer a variety of ways to explore this picturesque place but I had opted for the funyaks - something I definitely couldn’t experience anywhere else. It meant a full day exploring some untouched wilderness deep in the heart of Mt Aspiring National Park, north of the small settlement of Glenorchy - think prime ‘Lord of the Rings’ scenery on tap - this area was where a lot of the scenes from the trilogy were filmed.

It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage area in every sense and it will leave your senses invigorated.

And so, my day began at the Dart River Adventure office in Glenorchy with a briefing and introduction to the day ahead. I was given a range of waterproof and windproof gear to change into - what you choose to wear is up to you, but the weather can change quite quickly in these parts so best to be prepared. I joined a tour on a late March weekend when the New Zealand borders were closed due to COVID. This meant it was quiet, with only five of us on the trip. Our guides informed us that prior to the pandemic they had been taking numerous tours out each day, each one full. I felt lucky to have the occasion to myself more or less.

Once we had been equipped with our life jackets and other safety equipment, we clambered into the minibus to be driven the short distance to the pier to meet up with our waiting jet boat. The great thing about the full day trip with the Funyaks is that you get to experience both sides of the adventure - the first being the thrill of the jet boat flying up the river at full pelt and the second being the tranquil, lazily relaxed method of floating back down in your funyak.

A small mention - I will write a piece about Glenorchy in a later feature as it’s a fantastic place to visit and stay awhile. As is nearby Kinloch, just across the water.

Back to today’s adventure and clambering on board our jet boat we spread ourselves out with all the free space available (another benefit of the quieter trip). Our driver promised us he had years of experience driving jet boats and had actually come out of retirement to continue racing us down through this stunning landscape, he had missed it so much. I felt safe in his hands. Even more so when he kindly switched the heat on the metal grip handles for us to cling onto on this cold crisp Autumn morning in the mountains. He gave us a trial spin on Lake Waikatipu which we all shrieked and yelped in delight at before we began our manic dash up the river. It’s hard to describe a jet boat experience - it’s crazy, you get wet, you get blown away, yet you still can’t help laughing your head off from so much fun. At times the river seems to disappear up ahead or turn at an impossible angle, sometimes it seems too shallow to possibly get a boat through. Somehow our amazing driver found a way, barely slowing down or pausing to judge or consider. I tried my best to absorb the mind blowing scenery I was soaring through as we ventured further and further up the Dart River and deeper into the park. With no other way of entering this remote landscape, except on foot, you really are on your own surrounded by imposing, towering mountains, thick untouched native bush, lush and loud New Zealand bird song and of course the pure fresh mountain water. Our driver took breaks on the trip to tell us about the area, the names of the mountains we peered up at and the general nature and fauna of this special and unique part of the world. We ventured up the river as far as we could until Mother Nature had created a natural blockage of rockfall and debris that had flowed down from higher, preventing further travel. At this point we turned around and headed back down river to a stoney bank where our other guides were waiting, blowing up our Funyaks to begin the more serene part of the trip.

Second instalment of Dart River Funyaks to follow soon.