With all our gear loaded on the plane and thousands of dollars of excess baggage snuck in under the maximum limit and we were off. Arriving in Kathmandu we re-gathered the 7 kayaks and hundreds of kgs of gear and headed to Holy Lodge, Kathmandu's kayaker hang out. We have spent a few days sorting gear and the girls have been in the local pool here teaching the girls rolling and basic paddling skills. All the Nepali girls are super keen and motivated to get into it.
Radha in Kthmandu pool, Loving it!
Most of the Nepali girls in the pool
Learning the ropes!
Today I spent time searching for music for the film and went to check out a local temple. We were supposed to leave for the Sun Kosi River this afternoon but a road block means we cant get there. We are hoping that the road opens in the morning and then we will be off. there will not be many updates for a while as we will be putting on the Sun Kosi, 2.5 hrs south of Kathmandu, and will spend 10 days on the river almost to the Indian Border. Check back soon! Cheers josh
This morning marks the start point of a 28hr travel period to the start of the 'Nepali girls Kayak Expedition'. In 28 hrs we will be met at Kathmandu airport by hundreds of people wanting to carry bags, drive us the the best accomodation etc etc, but most importantly we will be met by someone carrying a paddle who will take us to our hostel. For a couple of days the trip will be sorting gear and buying extra gear needed before we head to the Sun Kosi to start the trip. I finally got insurance to cover all my cameras and that alone nearly broke the bank. So from here there will be as many updates as i can possibly do with the internet and access situations but there will be some! My filming starts today as I follow a group of NZ's best women kayakers and instructors on thier expedition to Nepal. Check back soon! cheers! Josh
So far this year i have had high hopes for big kayaking missions but with a shoulder unable for such excursions I have had to modify my plans to keep the excitement up and keep on the road. In Cali this year i did something to my shoulder which gave me troubles throught the season there and in Norway. Back in NZ i was attending Physios and Dr's to try figure out the problem. With my time occupied by this working was not really a possibility. I decided to take some time off to sort it and get into another film project. With all that over i was ready to get into it. But my Wisdom teeth got infected and then had to be taken out. This was another 3 weeks off which really did not do good on the bank account. With the Uncertainty of my shoulder and fast deminishing Bank account I was forced to pull the pin on joining EG and others on a sick mission in Chile! This was a super hard decision to make but it was the only option. Then as i buzzed over my budgets and posible work money for the next month it dawned on me that joining a bunch of wicked girls on the 'Nepali Girls Kayak Expedition' as a videographer could just about work. I made the appropriate phone calls to everyone and then one to Sweden with the guy who would be making a tv doco for the trip to see if I could help him out as well as make my own film for the trip. All was good and the next day I was equipt with a very expensive piece of paper saying i was on my way to Nepal. I wil be joining the girls to tell their story from 11th november till 22nd December and will use the footage as part of my Film shows around New Zealand next year. I will be posting updates on how the trip is going on here over the trip so keep an eye out. I will hopefully be meeting up with a few mates from round the work for a bit of personal boating too which should be sick! I have been keeping an eye on Will Clarks Blog on his trip there so will hopefully get on the River with him. I spent 6 weeks in Thailand with Will this time last year.
It is always cool getting updates from people who are out there on their weekends searching and exposing some of New Zealands more undercover drops and slides. Over the past few years I have been getting emails from Matt Danes from Hastings who has a skill to scope out drops from Google Earth like no other. I have seen his waterfall folder and its definatly a well researched and elaborate piece of his kayaking equipment. While a few of his prospects have come up unpaddlable the one that have worked have opened my eyes to what Hawkes Bay has to offer.
Walk in to the Upper Esk River - Matt Danes and Skux dissapointed that this one does not go, well maybe with rain?! - Photo Josh Neilson
On Saturday Matt Danes and Marcus Thompson went into the hills behind my place in Hawkes Bay and slid down this little beauty. Matt found it many years back but never got to paddle it and it was believed to be paddled first last year by someone which you can see in a copy of Cumec magazine. Myself, Skux and kurt went in earlier this year which was a good day out but I can imagine that a lot more water would make it a lot more fun. These shots were from the boys trip in there on the weekend just past! Be warned, Bay paddlers out there if this creek gets high there is a beauty just upstream that might go! HUGE
Marcus Thompson - photo Matt Danes
Kurt Jane montaged on his descent down the slipery slide by Josh Neilson
Once Me and a few mates were out for a surf at Ocean Beach but with the storm coming in we decided it was too big. On the way home we stopped to check out Maraetotara River. The falls were low but I rocked up and ran my first waterfall ever. It was so low that i pretty much seal launched off the lip into the pool but that was it, i loved waterfalls. I then returned a few years later in flood with Kurt and we flew off the flooded drop. With Matt there watching and talk of waterfalls below and above we decided that one day we would check it all out.
While I was overseas Matt and Marcus ran the top section and found some cool stuff but a bit more water would again make it a faster trip. There was also talk of them running the bottom section but I am still trying to find these photos. All in all these local boys have torn up the back blocks of the Bay and found some nice little creeks!
Matt Danes- Upper Maraetotara River - Photo Marcus Thompson Matt Danes- Upper Maraetotara River - Photo Marcus Thompson
Matt Danes- Upper Maraetotara River - Photo Marcus Thompson
Matt Danes- Upper Maraetotara River - Photo Marcus Thompson
Marcus Thompson- Upper Maraetotara River - Photo Matt Danes
These next drops have not been Paddled but are part of a creek near the sea that matt walked into to check out. There is one more waterfall that you can see from the rd but that is too shallow. All the bay needs now is a bit of water and it has a bit of fun!
Sam, Josh and Dylan at the bottom of the main section but still one more to go
Dylan clearing the weir - Sharn in front filming
Josh entering the rapid at the top.
Josh coming out of the melting drop feeling very small compared to the water
Josh at the weir
In December of last year I was lucky enough to join a film tour for the North Island part to paddle a number of cool rivers. I just came across some photos that Kenny Mutton shot the day we ran Aratiatia Rapids for the second time.
Sam at the top
We paddled it a few days before and this was our second attempt. I think i was more nervous at the top this time than the first but all went well. This would definatly be up there with one of the scariest things I have paddled. It is not like a big waterfall that looks super impressive but is much harder. This thing is committing from top to bottom.
The crux comes in the middle at the weir but has many other parts that you need to be on your game for.
While a bunch of us have been overseas in the northern hemisphere summers kayaking, some of the crew has been sticking it out here in the winter of New Zealand! One tends to see winter as a good opportunity to roll under a pile of leaves and hibernate for the duration of the cold but not these guys!
Ben Jackson and Brendan Bayly at an early confluence slide - Photo Bernard Oliver
A few years ago while studying with Brendan Bayly he told me about this little creek next to his house that had some big drops on it! he had a little video of him and his bro Darryl scouting it out. I was hooked! This thing was the business! That summer we went and stayed at B's house to check it out. It was low but we still wanted it. We bush bashed in to the lower section and ran a few small drops into the gorge. With minimal water and lots of trees in the bottom of the first drop we portaged to right about the 15m clean drop. We all ran it and it was sweet but we wanted more!
A view from the Bottom - Bernard Oliver
The next summer B told me there was more upstream that we needed to check out. While on a weekend in Taupo i got a call from B stayin it was raging and we needed to put on. I met him at his house and we ran from the top to bottom of this sick creek.
Drop 1 about 30 seconds into the run - Photo Bernard Oliver
With the second to last 10m drop still unpaddled we were left wanting more! While I was sitting in Norway this year I was talking to Ben on skype and he mentioned there was water in the area and he wanted to get this creek. I told him to ring B and go to it! They got on in good flow and B finally took out the drop we had been waiting for!
The one that kept us coming back! (this 10m drop is only 10m from the lip of 15m!)- photo Bernard Oliver
This is a Super classic river if you can catch it with water in it! Watch for trees and enjoy! These photos are courtesy of Bernard Oliver who was on the latest descent of the Mangawhio!
Ben Jackson at the lip of drop 1 - Photo Bernard Oliver
Shot 2 - Bernard Oliver
Ben on the Boogie water heading into the gorge - Photo Bernard Oliver
Brendan setting up film at the 10m - photo Bernard Oliver
Brendan at one of many cool looking drops - photo Bernard Oliver
B sitting below the second to last drop - photo Bernard Oliver
Ben Jackson Lining it up - photo Bernard Oliver
The Last but not least drop! Is there anybody in there? Photo Bernard Oliver
Keep an eye out on www.jacksonoutdoors.blogspot.com as i hear there might be a little film coming out from this trip! Cheers for the photos boys!
Team NZ and the Nepali girl kayakers!
Holy Lodge, Kathmandu - sorting gear
Radha in Kthmandu pool, Loving it!
Most of the Nepali girls in the pool
Learning the ropes!
Kathmandu from the monkey temple.
Emi at the Temple
