March 1, 2014. Tarata Fishaway Lodge, New Zealand. The Soft Rafting Trip.

Our river guide was Briana, one of the four daughters of our host Steve. She has been rowing this river since she was six years old, so as she is now 24, she is an expert. The cliffs on both side of the river go straight up 500 feet. You must lean back and tilt your head in order to see the top. It is an amazing sight. And there are no spots to get off the river, unless you go the whole 14K. We started the trip at 10:00 and returned at 4:30, traveling in an inflatable raft. Steve is a fishing guide and he and his client were the only two people we saw all day. We had the river to ourselves. A soft rafting trip means you have only level 1, 2 and 3 rapids. As there had been a dry spell, our rapids were not dangerous, but we did bounce off the rock walls frequently. In several spots, the river is narrow and the rapids lead you directly into the wall, so the four passengers must hold on to avoid tipping into the cold water. Briana brought sandwiches for lunch, which we ate sitting on the rocks. It was definitely not fair, but Briana prepared our lunch and served our lunch, in addition to rowing the whole way along the river. We enjoyed every minute of the trip. Parts of The Lord of the Ring series was filmed along this journey. It was definitely worth a picture!! The water in the river is crystal clear and is full of trout, both Rainbow and Brown. This river rafting was dramatic.