Kayaking the Pelorus River – Day 83

We are heading to Okiwi Bay, that is our final destination, but before we get there we’re going to make a pit stop in Middle-earth. It’s a kayaking tour through one of the best Hobbit location in the country. This is where they shot the part which is the Barrel Run.

After leaving Picton really early this morning we are heading to the Pelorus River.

The Pelorus River is famous to be the setting for the scene of the Barrel run from the latest Hobbit trilogy. And also for being the spot where we went kayaking that’s what it’s famous for. Where Robin and Laura went to kayak.

After a short shuttle trip with Pelorus Eco Adventures we are being given our jackets our helmet and all the equipment we’re going to need for our kayaking tour.

Left, right, left, right, Stop, and slaying the orcs.

Shaun is giving us what is probably the funniest safety briefing we’ve ever had during this trip and after that we are starting to take the kayaks down to the river to start our journey.

We are going on the Hobbit Kayak Tour which takes us down the very same river that features in The Hobbit trilogy – more particularly the Barrel Run where the dwarves and Bilbo are in barrels going down the river.

And we are hopping in the kayaks which are not the classic hard shell kayak that we’re used to but rather some blow-up kayaks. they are really easy to maneuver and they are perfect for this river. Because it’s a really mellow kind of river, it gives us much more chance to play around and make our way like left and right to go check out every little nooks and cracks of this stunning river.

And we can see exactly why this place was chosen for a movie location. This place looks unreal. there’s grey blueish rocks surrounding the river covered in moss.the water is super clear so it looks even inviting for us to jump into during the middle winter.

And after only a short while, we arrive at one of the main attractions of this trip. It seems like a very small waterfall that actually doesn’t even have a name, but this was a major part of the Hobbit movie. This is where the Hobbit went into the river and because it is such a small waterfall, the production crew had to dump gallons and gallons and gallons of water onto it when filming to make it look like more a gushing a raging waterfall.

So far we are really impressed by our equipment especially the life jackets that aren’t too bulky so it’s easy to move around in. And as we’re going down the river Shaun and Chris are giving us heaps of insights not only about the Hobbit locations but also about the wildlife, the ecosystem here. they are also teaching us how to improve our kayaking skills as well.

Although the river is pretty mellow all the way there are a few challenging rapids that makes it a little bit more fun.

Soon enough, we arrive at a massive bridge which is actually the bridge that we drove onto to make our way to the Pelorus River. It’s pretty fun to see it from another angle. We were really impressed by the view while driving but to be honest being inside the canyon on the river feeling so small surrounded by natural features of New Zealand is priceless and we are so stoked to actually arrive to the same place we were before at another angle.

I just can’t believe my eyes how amazing looking is this river and the sun is really playing around with us being in shadow and then in sunlight. It gives us a wide range of colours that we are absolutely amazed by.

We’re stopping for a quick pit stop on the banks of the Pelorus River to have a skimmers competition. Unfortunately everyone is as bad as each other. There’s not really a winner here I think.

We’re now hopping back into our kayaks and back down the Pelorus River where we are now floating like dwarves in barrels. We are absolutely in awe of our surroundings this place is absolutely stunning.

I have to admit that I start getting the taste for natural water. i see a bit of a water fall on the side and i ask shaun if I can drink from it and he’s like oh yeah, I’m pretty sure you can I don’t really have a quality assurance from Pelorus Eco Adventures but it will do and I’m just taking my natural refreshment.

Aside from a few short short sections where we have to paddle the rest of the trip is mostly float and admire section. We are gazing at our surroundings in awe of its beautifulness. And there’s even a few fantails hunting bugs that pass us. It makes for an amazing way to finish our trip.

Next stop is Okiwi Bay so we hit the road the GPS directions aren’t exactly reliable here and there’s no cell phone network but the drive is absolutely stunning and tonight we are meeting our hosts at the Okiwi Bay Holiday Park, Pam and Ian.

Ian has suggested that we do a hike which we can do straight from Okiwi Bay and that will take us right up into hills and he promises that the views will be epic. So we can’t wait to do that tomorrow.