Hey all,
I'm planning on getting out of this country sometime soon and heading down to New Zealand. Was thinking that it would be a shame to fly over all those lovely rivers without stopping off for a dip though so I am looking for some suggestions on where I should stop off. My vague plan at the moment is to leave sometime towards the end of the summer. Two places I was thinking of were Uganda and Canada. Anyone got anywhere else good? They would need to be pretty paddler friendly as I would probably be travelling on my own and boatless. Anyone with any advice or abuse feel free to post.

Cheers,
Pierce

If you have any interest in Bhutan, Northern Thailand or Japan let me know. Just returned from a great month of paddling. You can get boats in all 3 countries and I just left 4 new Bliss-Stick creek boats including a new mini in Bhutan.

t

Whats are the locals paddlers like? Is it likely I could turn up and hook up with a few guys over there for a week or two? What time of year is there water?

Hey Pierce, In Thailand we hooked up with a local outfitter in Chain Mia. He has a good operation there and has boats you could probally hire. We stayed at his camp and boated with his crew in the mornings before rafting customers arrived and then taged along with rafts for second runs. You can contact Jason at www.siamrivers.com

You would not be able to just show up in Bhutan, It is a country where you would have to make all arrangements in advance. This is an awesome kayak destination though. It is a country steep in the Himmilaya with tons of rivers full of giant boulder gardens and lots of rivers that are unrun.

In Japan, I hooked up with a group from a store called Go-Insane Kayak. Kob and his group really showed me a good time that usually ended up in a hot spring at the end of each day.

Let me know if you need any other information and I will give you what I have.

If you do male it to Canada and are clost to the Idaho Panhandle drop me a line. Can hook up and boat something.

t

Hey Terry,
Thanks for the info. I'm leaning towards the more conventional and going out through Zambia and Uganda and back through Canada. I'll dop you a line next year some time if I survive the year or don't decide to stay down under

Hey Pierce, hope you have a great trip! Try to stop in at the factory on the south island when your there and see how Bliss-Stick boats are made. It is really very cool and if you get to the north island please stop by the NZ Kayak School in Murchenson and tell Mick I said \"hello\"!

I'll catch up with you somewhere thru life!

t

Bliss stick factory in North Island, NZ Kayak school in South Island.....

Sorry I must be dyslexic!