Hike and paddle board through the Paparoa National Park

This one is for the adventurous who love a challenge - carrying your paddleboard up the Pororari River Track and then paddling out through a spectacular limestone gorge in the Paoparoa National Park! This paddle gives you amazing views of the gorge that you just can't get from the walking track. Hike and then paddle through lush West Coast rainforest and towering limestone cliffs.

It's a 4km hike carrying your SUP upstream so a good harness system is required to get yourself and your board upstream, but the payoff is so worth it. Once you drop into the river, it's a Grade 1 paddle back out, so you’ll need to be comfortable paddling on moving water on your paddle board. You will float back out through what feels like the Amazon (with way less bugs!). This is classic West Coast wilderness – raw, quiet, and absolutely breathtaking.

hike the paparoa national park CARRYING YOUR PADDLEBOARD

Hiking through the Paparoa National Park carrying my paddleboard

I had been really excited to explore some paddleboarding on the west coast of New Zealand. With the sea being so rough and wild usually, ocean paddling is a little more tricky over this side of the country, unless you are up for a SUP surf. (More on that on a another blog - after an epic SUP Surf session at Westport recently!). The west coast is known its epic scenery, limestone gorges and wild rivers, so I had planned a wee hike/SUP mission with a friend, Caleb, who was in his packraft. We initially wanted to hike the Inland Pack Track from Punakiki and paddle out of the Fox River but we decided to do two smaller missions instead to test out the comfort of the harness and carrying all my gear with my paddleboard, as I wasn't too happy with my harness set up for my last adventure hike up into the Kahurangi National Park with my paddleboard.

So for this micro-adventure, I tested out a new set up, packing my 40L Red Paddle Co expedition bag with my gear and then rolling my SUP around the bag and fixing it to the Red Paddle Co backpack harness. This backpack harness is great! It's lightweight, actually quite comfortable but it needed some tweaks to make sure it is packed well to sit in the right place on my body. As I am carrying 1/3 of my bodyweight (20kg) with the paddleboard, paddle, buoyancy aid, pump, helmet, food, water, drysuit and all my camping gear, I have got to get this as comfortable as possible!

THE HIKE UP THE PORORARI RIVER TRACK WITH MY SUP

We started by parking at the Pororari River Track car park, sussed out the egress point (just before the road bridge) and then spent far too long faffing with gear and setting up my harness system. It is a busy car park so I had quite a few strange looks and incredulous comments from tourists starting their walks!

Finally we were ready to walk the 4km track upstream. The hike follows the river the whole way and is full of lush green forest and the track takes you through a dark limestone cavern - so cool. The vibe is pure Jurassic Park – ferns, dripping moss, and birdsong the whole way.

You’ll pass one swingbridge (which links to the Inland Pack Track) – don’t put in here. But do stop for a snap! Keep going until you reach the second bridge, just past the Cave Creek confluence. We scrambled down a steep little bank to a gravel beach beside the river, inflated the boards, drysuited up and got paddle ready!

paddleboard through the paparoa national park

I chucked everything in my dry bag and secured it to the bungee cord on my Red Paddle Co Sport+. Then we hopped on the water. The paddle back the way you came is epic! The river meanders through high limestone cliffs, with dense forest pressing in from both sides. The water is crystal clear, but brown from the tannins found in west coast rivers. Being on the water really helps you comprehend how big the gorge actually is, that you can't quite see from the walking track. The flow on the river will carry you along (grade 1), with some shallow spots (take a river fin), and some rapids to pass through. We paddled this after significant rainfall in April, so the flow was higher than usual (no river gauge to check so just a visual check) but there were no significant rapids, rocks or hazards, although log jams could be an issue on this river. Once you come out of the gorge, it widens out as you approach the road bridge, which marks your exit back into the Pororari car park. If you are here in summer, the flow is not too strong and easy to paddle against (check first by paddling upstream). Then, this would be awesome to paddling out to the river mouth past the bridge where the river meets the sea.

Mission accomplished! Now, time to drive 15 minutes down the road to get ready for our longer Fox River hike to the Ballroom Overhang camp spot for a Grade 2 paddle out!

The Pororari Gorge I just paddled through on my SUP — The Pororari Gorge behind me that I just paddled through!

route

PADDLING INFO for the pororari river at punakiki

RATING

Easy Hiking, Intermediate Paddling

ROUTE & conditions

The hike and paddle is about 4km each way. The walking track is well protected from windy conditions, so very sheltered but the track will be muddy and slippery after rainfall. The route is flat with barely any elevation and good track underfoot. .
The paddle is on moving water (Grade 1) – shallow and bony sections and possible log jams after storms. It will be relatively sheltered in higher winds, but sea breezes blowing on shore would pick up and tunnel down the river mouth in the summer especially in the afternoon.
No river gauge – check conditions visually. It would be good after light to moderate rain when the river is flowing clear but not in flood.

WHERE TO PARK & LAUNCH

Park at the Pororari River Track Car Park: 4300 State Highway 6, Punakaiki 7873 – small car park, no toilet, right by the bridge.
This is both your start and finish point – you’ll return here by paddleboard.
From the car park, check out the egress point on the river to see where you’ll finish your paddle - follow the small track down to the riverside.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

A must do is to order the famous takeaway roast chicken from the Punakiki Rocks Hotel and Garden Bar - just ring through your order the day before. And check out live music here and meal deals most nights.
Pancake Rocks Café is a solid choice for food and coffee after your adventure too, famous for pancakes and pizzas - but watch out for greedy and fearless wekas!

WHERE TO SLEEP

Punakaiki Beach Camp – budget-friendly, beautiful and perfectly located close to the track and beach.
Te Nikau Retreat – forest hideaway-style accommodation nestled in native bush.
Freedom camping spot for self contained van just down the road at the Fox River.

LOCAL INFO

This paddle and hike is in Paparoa National Park, so check the DOC website for track updates and closures before heading out.
Hire paddleboards from Paddle & Carve or Waka Puna Paddle and Pedal and go explore up and down the river mouth with a freedom rental kayak or paddleboard. This is a back-to-nature paddle, so there are no facilities once you’re on the track or river - so leave no trace!
Don’t skip a visit to Pancake Rocks for some epic blowholes especially at high tide, and head down the Truman Track just five minutes drive away at low tide, especially spectacular at sunset!