
Episode #196
196: Packrafting the Landsborough River from the West Coast with Tom Waters
Tom Waters grew up on a farm near Tekapo and found the outdoors through hunting with his dad, before whitewater kayaking became a healthy obsession. He shares about a packrafting trip to the head of the Landsborough River, approaching from the West Coast via the Karangarua Valley and the Douglas Traverse. Tom talks about crossing a glacier lake at first light to beat an incoming front, ice falls coming off the Douglas Névé on Douglas Pass, and a 14-hour day through a boulder-choked gorge before putting in at Percy Creek. He reflects on why a river carries a different type of risk to walking. Tom shares advice for anyone that wants to start packrafting, from checking flows and sticking to grade one and two, to never paddling alone and knowing when to leash to your boat. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Tom on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alpine_dog_/ Find packrafting trips by grade: https://www.packraftingtrips.nz/ Join PRANZ: https://www.packrafting.org.nz/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

