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 The Whitewater Canoe Club was formed around 1980. It is the biggest whitewater kayak club in New Zealand, with a current membership of over 150. The club is a member of Whitewater NZ (formerly the New Zealand Recreational Canoeing Association - NZRCA).
The club organises trips on South Island rivers, ranging from Grades 2 to 4, runs kayak races, and has a comprehensive instruction scheme.
The club participates in river and water management and conservation issues that affect our enjoyment of the rivers we paddle.
This is the Club President and he seems to be enjoying himself.
Club Activities
The main activity of the club is running trips on South Island rivers from Grade 2 to 4, but members also are active in:
Many of our rivers are threatened by hydro-electric and irrigation developments. The club attends hearings and participates in community consultation, and is represented on a number of committee and water management bodies.
Newsletter
A bi-monthly newsletter is sent to members. Members also receive "New Zealand Canoeing" which is the quarterly NZRCA newsletter. You can find previous issues here.
The club has a range of whitewater kayaks and personal gear available for hire to financial members. The club also has some single and double sea kayaks for hire.
Boat Shed
The club rents a small building on the banks of the Avon River for storing club gear only. Sorry, but there isn't space anymore for members to store kayaks. The list of boats available is here and the Gear Officer's contact details are here.
The Club organises regular social functions for members to get together and talk about kayaking (or even real life!). These include monthly after work drinks and the higly entertaining Xmas paddle and BBQ.
The Club has a minimum qualification of 18 years or over, and the ability to safely paddle Grade 2 whitewater. This minimum is set so that members can safely paddle on the easier club trips and not be a burden on others present.
Novices: Each year the Club runs an Instruction Course for novices. This runs early in the season around October. This enables novices to meet the entry standard for participation on Grade 2 club trips. See Instruction for more details.
How to Join:
Download and print the Membership Application Form and post to:
Membership,
Whitewater Canoe Club (Inc.),
P O Box 4476,
Christchurch
Enquiries: membership@whitewater.org.nz
Please also register on this site to make data entry easier for us (use your first name and the initial of your surname as your username e.g.Joe Bloggs = JoeB).
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Many of our members are keen competition paddlers. The WWCC does not specialise in racing, but it supports the Canterbury racing calendar with the popular Brass Monkey Series, and it helps with safety for a number of club and commercial events.
The WWCC has run the Brass Monkey Race for over 20 years. This is a 12km time trial series of 5 races held on the Waimakariri River during July and August. The course is from the Pylons at MacLeans Island to the State Highway 1 Bridge. Members volunteer their time to staff the scoring, safety and management of the series.
This is our canoe sister club in Christchurch. This club has 400 members, specialising in flat water and moving water kayak racing. It has a splendid club rooms on the Avon River at Kerr’s reach.
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A vibrant canoe polo completion series operates throughout winter at the QEII pool. There a number of mixed grades, with the top teams being competitive nationally and internationally. There is also a women’s competition.
Canoe and Kayak Slalom
This sport is running through a quiet time at present. There is a set of poles and bibs available through the Club if anyone wants to resuscitate slalom.
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Several courses are held during the kayaking season using instructors from within the club or external professional instructors. Courses include:
1. Beginners' Course - learn to kayak with basic whitewater skills (courses usually held in October)
2. River Safety Course
3. Outdoor First Aid Course
The club also has a policy of continuous education - there is much to be learned from paddling with more experienced kayakers.
In addition, club members who have made a contribution to club activities may apply for subsidised skills courses at the NZ kayak school.
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The Club takes safety very seriously. All Club trips are run to a high standard and those participants who don’t turn up properly equipped may be turned away. The Trip Leader and Trip Organiser will exercise their judgement leading up to a trip or on the day itself when flows and weather conditions or insufficient skills or experience may result in a paddler being asked not to paddle with the group.
In general less experienced paddlers are partnered with more experienced paddlers. As the season progresses members are expected to exercise their own judgement and be considerate of others.
The Club runs a number of safety courses during the year, and many of these are free or subsidised by the club.
Other Kayaking and Canoeing Activities
Multisport
Club members compete in multisport events such as Coast to Coast, Goldrush and others.
Other Activities:
Sea kayaking, touring, rodeo and social events are popular activities that members also participate in.
River Trips
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This is the heart of the Club’s activity.
River trips are held every weekend from the beginning of September to the end of May. Day trips on Sundays are on Canterbury and West Coast Rivers.
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Private Trips
Club members arrange private trips with friends they have made through the Club. Some of these rivers are harder than the trips the club organises on a regular basis.
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Wilderness Trips
Each year the Club organises trips to wilderness rivers like the Grey, Clarence, Waiatoto, Landsborough, Mokihinui and Karamea.
These trips sometimes involve helicopters and self-supported or raft supported overnight camps.
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Paddling with other more experienced paddlers will lift your skills and enhance your enjoyment of the rivers.
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