Whanganui River Journey

Try this for team building or a social club outing

2010-03-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Wonder what to do to motivate your team or even how to fill a weekend?
If you live in a radius of under three hours from Taumarunui then why not think about doing Blazing Paddles' "Splash 'n Dash" - a four hour paddle on the Whanganui River from Cherry Grove to Ohinepane?
You can do it in either two person open Canadian canoes or in one of our single kayaks. No experience is necessary and it is suitable for almost all ages.
You can either make your way to our place at Piriaka and we will look after you from there or we can organise a door-to-door service from your home or business for not much more.
If you come to us the price is $80 per 17+ and $60 for under 16s. If we come to you the price is $100 pp regardless of age for those in Hamilton, Rotorua, and Taupo, and $120 pp for those from Auckland or Palmerston North.
If you want to come to us, we operate on demand, so you can turn up any time so long as there is more than five hours of daylight left.
If you want to try door-to-door the pick up in Hamilton, Rotorua and Taupo is at 8 am at one location; from Auckland or Palmerston North is 7 am at one central city location.
This will get you on the river by 10.30 am and we pick you up at the end at 3.00 pm. You should all be home by 7 pm at the latest.
Bring your own picnic and clothes that you don't mind if they get wet. Old running shoes/sneakers are best for your feet.
To book a trip or even make enquiries you can either call us toll free on 0800 BLAZING or email us at judithe@blazingpaddles.co.nz
Note: Mininum two pax if you come to us - min 10 pax if we come to you

Be in quick

2010-03-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Easter is coming up quickly - but we still have a few canoes and kayaks left for hire. Give us a call on 0800 242 946 (0800 BLAZING) or email us at judithe@blazingpaddles.co.nz. We look forward to having you on board.

Campervans – an ecological problem or an opportunity?

2010-03-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Otago Conservation Board members may be considered somewhat extreme in their desires to see campervans banned from New Zealand roads, but their concerns need to be taken seriously. Nothing is more likely to damage New Zealand’s supposed “clean green” image than the disgusting sight of human waste and toilet paper that now lurks behind the green façade at many of the lay-bys and rest areas around New Zealand.

The number of campervans on our roads seems to be growing exponentially and the potential ecological impacts of “freedom” camping are such that something drastic needs to be done – and soon.

There is a simple answer – remove the economic imperative that drives the misnamed “freedom” camping model that has somehow become the catchcry of not only those in self contained motor homes but also the multitudes who hire campers with names like “Wicked”, “Escape” and even “Spaceships”. While the operators of these brands are sensitive to the issue and generally encourage their customers to use campgrounds where they can access toilets and showers, the reality is that many of hirers are only interested in saving money so they can spend more on other things. Sadly it is the environment that suffers as a result.

The way to solve most of the problem is to make it compulsory for all hire campervans without a self-containment certificate to purchase a non-refundable accommodation pass for every night away from the hire company depot. This does not need to be as draconian as it sounds and could be a “win-win” solution for everyone. (If the hire companies don’t want to subscribe to the NZCMA self-containment programme/standards, then Vehicle Testing Services [VTS] could offer a similar certificate as part of its Certificate of Fitness (COF) examination.)

Currently many of these campers do not go to campgrounds or, if they do, it is only for one night in three so that they can shower and do their laundry, so the holiday park industry receives little or no revenue from these campervans. The campervan hirers say the campgrounds want too much money and that they don’t want or need all of the trappings that the major holiday parks offer. There is right on both sides. There needs to be an area set aside at all campgrounds where budget campers can park up overnight for a realistic fee that includes free use of toilets and waste disposal, but could involve coin operated showers and laundry facilities that could generate more income for the accommodation provider. Those that choose could opt to pay extra for a power hook-up.

We recently travelled 6500 miles in the UK over a 10-week period in a self-contained campervan and stayed by choice in Caravan Club certified locations (CLs). In most cases the overnight cost for both of us was between £5 and £10 depending on the facilities available, which we considered more than reasonable. Translate that to New Zealand dollars at current exchange rates and that suggests an overnight cost for a couple could be between $15 and $30. An average dorm bed in a reasonable quality backpackers is around $25-$35 in New Zealand, so a $15 per person overnight charge in a campground should be considered value for money. From a campground operator’s perspective there is a chance to leverage this by providing coin-operated Internet, shower and laundry facilities.

One of the biggest players in the campsite market and operating in many of the scenic areas that are the major attraction for overseas visitors is the Department of Conservation (DOC) and it offers minimal service but low cost options for budget campervans in most parts of the country. Conservator-General Al Morrison has recently gone on record as saying the department needs to act like a business and recover more costs from users where it can so that taxpayers funds can be better targeted towards protection of threatened flora and fauna.

This suggests that campervan hirers could have a choice in the voucher packs they are required to purchase – from a minimal cost DOC option through a low cost holiday park opportunity to a full service pack where they can pre-pay for everything.

By making the accommodation vouchers non-refundable, there is no incentive for “freedom” camping where the main objective is to avoid the costs associated with staying in a campground. This doesn’t prevent a hirer from genuinely “freedom” camping in areas where it may be permitted, but recognises that such opportunities are actually quite restricted in New Zealand. The revenue from unused vouchers could go into a contestable fund that local authorities, Land Transport New Zealand and DOC could access to provide more public toilets and waste disposal options in areas where the so-called “freedom” campers are currently congregating. It may even help encourage councils to make more reserves available for self-contained campervans in areas where there are few or no commercial campsites available.

If the campervan companies are genuinely interested in helping create a sustainable solution for the unsavoury practices that many of their customers are currently adopting, they should have no problem in joining the Tourism Industry Association’s “Camping Our Way” organisation and working out a voucher system that works for everyone. The Holiday Parks Association can play its part by recognising the extra business they will receive and giving a good “bulk buy” discount to campervan hirers. The New Zealand Motorhome Association (NZCMA) should be encouraged to bulk buy on behalf of their members as well because the reality is that many will avoid using their onboard toilets where possible.

To be truly effective, however, local authorities need to have effective enforcement options and to use them. Instant fines that are double the cost of the accommodation voucher, payable on demand, or be wheel clamped until paid up, would soon get the message across.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are personal and do not represent those of any organisation I am involved with.

Version #3 and looking great

2007-02-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we've had our website redone - our designer Lawrence wasn't happy with the speed of the Flash intro and a few other technical details, so when we started to experience a few problems caused by this very inexperienced webmaster, it was easier for him to redo the site - and I am sure you will like his efforts. One of the technical things I could not resolve was getting this blog hosted on our site, so we have gone back to the tried and true Blogger.com. But we have also added some extras to the site, like being able to download our departure sheet so larger groups can prefill in their paperwork and speed things up when they arrive at out depot. You will also find our client briefing sheet also listed under downloads, and I am working on some FAQs to add next. We have also linked to our first associate - www.hostelbookers.com and this will make it easier for you to book hostel accommodation before and after your trip - all online from our site.
Meanwhile if you are reading this someone in the world where budget airlines operate (not like our cosy little duopoly or should that be quadopoly) you should think laterally about how you can travel, if time isn't an issue. The Emirates Today newspaper in Dubai reported today that a reader flew from the UAE to the UK return for about $140 plus fees - well below what the mainstream airlines are charging (BA had a special on at $390 plus fees) which is usually around $775. How did he do it? He caught a cab to Sharjah which is right next door to Dubai Airport, then Air Arabia to Istanbul and Easy Jet from Istanbul to Luton. It took him a few hours extra - but he also got to see a bit of the world he hadn't seen before - so start looking up the specials on Easyjet, RyanAir etc and see who you can marry them up with.

We've moved with the times...

2006-12-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings. This is my first post in the new Blogger Beta, and we have taken the big step of hosting the blog on our own website www.blazingpaddles.nz which has just been completely overhauled and got most of the technological bells and whistles, like Google Maps, Google Earth Flyby, Yahoo Search Engine and even a Youtube video for you to admire. Now all I have to do is fix a Quicktime problem so you can see my first videocast, add a site map and privacy policy, and the site will just about be finished from my perspective, at least for the time being. Now it's your turn to contribute, so please post your comments to this blog and include any links to your own blogs that talk about your Whanganui River and other exciting New Zealand experiences, and we'll be delighted to get more pictures for our gallery and more Youtube videos will be welcome too.
Hope to see you on the river some day.
Mark

Isn't the Whanganui River experience tremendous

2006-11-17T03:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this blog. This is all about you - not us! We want you to tell others about what a great experience canoeing the Whanganui River is. With less than 5000 people doing the Whanganui Journey each year, there is plenty of space for everyone - except at peak periods like Christmas and Easter. Compare that with the 50,000 a season on the Tongariro Crossing and 450,000 through the Waitomo Caves.
We are shortly putting up our new website with a link to this blog, and we encourage all our customers to have a look at it and see how they can remain involved.
Check out the photo gallery and see if you have shots that would better show off the river than the ones we have there. If we use them, we'll give you a full photo credit. Just send us a low res version to mark@blazingpaddles.co.nz and we'll come back to you if we want a higher res file.
Help me with my pet project - a coffee table book on the "Waterfalls of the Whanganui". Again, send me a low res version of your best Whanganui River waterfall shot(s). If they fit, I'll come back to you to negotiate a price to include them in the book, along with a photo credit. I'll also use the pick of the shots to create a "Waterfalls of the Whanganui" calendar each year, and the same deal applies - if your photo is used, we'll agree a price before hand and give you full credit.
Good paddling!!
Mark