Start – Bridge to Nowhere Lodge
Finish – Jerusalem (St Joseph’s Convent)
Daily Distance – 32 km
TA Distance – 1324 km
And so the river became suddenly a quieter and more serene place. At Pipiriki (km 22 of today’s paddle)
we said goodbye to Austin, Mark, Chris (the German), Nadia, Boris, Yvonne and Jasper (the younger).
They have all chosen to either cycle the rest of the way to Whanganui or hitch forward to Palmerston
North, thereby avoiding a lengthy post-Whanganui road walk. Jasper (the elder), Marion, Chris (the
Swiss), baby Tim and I will continue paddling for another 75km until river meets the sea and we become
land lubbers once again.
Prior to reaching Pipiriki we encountered our strongest rapids yet. We were informed that 2 of them
qualified as grade 2 rapids, whereas all of the others were classified as grade 1. I have no idea what the
distinction is, so I am primarily relating this tidbit in the hope that at least someone may be at least mildly
impressed. It’s fair to say that while Chris and I may have preserved our record of not falling out since
day 1, there were moments when disaster seemed the more likely result, only for frantic paddling and
water bailing to save the day. A large slice of luck may also have been involved. Many people didn’t fare
so well and we spent a lovely lunch break parked up on the beach after one set of these rapids watching
other crews brave the waves. There may have also been minor silliness such as backwards kayaking,
standing up canoeing and swimming the rapids while filming on a GoPro too.
Anyway, all good things must come to an end and after Pepiriki we paddled another 10km to the hamlet
of Jerusalem. Jasper had heard of a Nunnery where travellers are welcome to stay and as it had been
mentioned in Lonely Planet, must be good. Erm, well. It certainly wins the award for creepiest place that I
have stayed. Not content with being utterly deserted except for the 2 old caretakers, there was a very
1900s mental hospital vibe about the place, complete with curtains around each bed that would be perfect
for a psycho to stab you through. It’s a far cry from a holiday park, although only 1 great dane away from
a scooby doo mystery, jinkies!
