There’s always a shift when you enter New Zealand’s Southern Alps. It begins in the mind and melts down through the entire body, enlivening every last nerve ending. The lush green forest, sparkling turquoise rivers and giant gleaming mountains displace the clutter of daily worries and replace it with jaw-dropping wonder. And what better way to experience all this than riding the rush and roar of a pristine glacial river down the Landsborough Valley on the South Island’s west coast, in a raft.

 

Day one dawned bright and bold. The mountains stood in stark relief against a vivid blue sky, putting our small group of five rafters and three guides in high spirits. We’d been gracefully dropped in the mountains by a helicopter the afternoon before and spent a night adjusting to the serenity and silence of the bush.

 

Honeymooners Kara and Steve from Chicago looked awestruck by the massive scenery surrounding our humble camp. Retired UK couple Margot and Malcolm were buzzing to get in the raft, throwing off any hint of their 60-odd years and racing around like kids.

 

The next morning we loaded up the rafts and pushed off into a bluebird day. The first stretch of the river was bumpy due to it being shallow. We bounced between rocks and our guide Wizz had to get out a couple of times to dislodge us, but we were soon rushing down deeper channels and enjoying the ride.

 

The Landsborough River offers some of New Zealand’s best rafting thanks to its range of rapids. Grade one and two stretches of relatively flat water give way to grade four and five foaming watery beasts eager to consume meagre rafts…

 

To survive, Wizz gave us some simple instructions – paddle forward. Stop. Paddle backwards. Stop. Paddle forward left. Stop. Paddle forward right. Stop. He did the rest.

 

Facing a rapid is like sitting out the back of a surf break then paddling onto a wave. You can see the water fuming and curling in front and know it’s only a matter of time before the waves grab and slam you, white water boiling all around, and then it’s over and a giddy feeling of elation flushes the body as adrenalin pumps in your veins.

 

Our second campsite was nestled beside a small beach in lush forest. Kaka parrots, tuis, yellow crowned parakeets and fantails welcomed us to camp. The Landsborough Valley is rich in native bird life thanks to extensive stoat and possum eradiation programmes by the Department of Conservation.

 

When night fell, Wizz led us beyond camp into the black forest. Glowworms pierced the darkness like Earthbound stars clustered in constellations amongst the dense undergrowth.

 

The following morning gathering cloud promised rain. Ah, the West Coast’s infamous wet weather was going to bless us after all. We quickly climbed back into our wet suits, clambered aboard the raft and pushed off. There were a few splashy rapids, but most of the morning we simply slid downstream.

 

Early afternoon low clouds and rain swallowed the mountaintops. We skipped lunch in the wet and instead clambered up a hidden stream to an impressive waterfall.

 

A cold headwind hampered our final stretch to the waiting bus. After some energetic paddling, super-friendly sand flies finally welcomed us ashore. Pulling the raft out of the river I felt a surge of achievement. We’d done it - none of us had ‘had a swim’, ie - fallen out.

 

It was with a touch of sadness I stripped out of my wetsuit and donned warm dry clothes. New Zealand’s untouched wilderness had cast its spell once again, leaving me wanting more.

 

FACT FILE -

The ‘Landsborough Wilderness Experience’ runs from mid November to the end of March each summer from Queenstown.

Ph: 0800 723 8464

www.rafting.co.nz