Taipo River, West Coast, South Island, NZ

The Taipo is on the west side of the Arthur’s Pass Road and has a gauge under the bridge.

Graham Charles’ guidebook says its best at 2.8 to 3.2 (http://rivers.org.nz/nz/west-coast/taipo/lower-taipo) but we had a great time at 2.4.

We camped at the lowest hut after walking in during the evening, then walked up about a km past the mid-Taipo Hut to put-in at the swingbridge. Going another km or so would have likely added even more fun, but we were cautious about that section’s class IV.

Erik Tomsen said if the Taipo run had a title it’d be, “Never a Dull Moment.” It’s a must-do.

Hike-in time was about five hours up and paddle down was three hours.