Monday 27th July - family trips

SUMMER FUN FOR FAMILIES

After a weekend of big thrills and high water levels, today the pace changed just a little in Minakami to cater for several families in the lower sections of Nosehair Canyon.

A short hike through some picturesque native bush will bring you to the base of "Nosehair Falls", an impressive 40m waterfall. Below the falls is the start of the natural water park that is Nosehair Canyon. Explore behind small waterfalls and slide down naturally carved chutes, swim in the crystal clear water and float through deep pools. A refreshing half day in an incredibly beautiful canyon.

(Above; a narrow slide that provides plenty of excitement for the younger ones)

(Below; the families posing for a group photo in a hanging pool)

Nosehair Canyon is our most popular half day canyoning tour for families and for a good reason. It has a little bit of everything that makes canyoning great; jumps, slides and swims. It is a great first time canyon for families of varying abilities and thrill levels. Those who want to take it easy can be given easier options (mums and younger kids?) with plenty of flexibility to crank the thrills up a notch (older kids and dads?).

(Below; getting ready to do one of the smaller jumps.)

(Below; make sure you have a decent breakfast becuase youll need all the energy you can get!)

Check out our website and book a tour for some Family Canyoning Fun.

Ages: 6 or above (at least 110cm tall)
Tours available: July - September Weekdays only
Swimming is not essential but water confidence is a must. (must be able to put head under the water)

Maple 1 day Canyon Minakami

MAPLE CANYON ONE DAY,　MINAKAMI SAT 11TH JULY

Once again the past weekend provided us with beautiful weather in Minakami, and with the recent weekday rain the scene was set for some great outdoor adventures.

On Saturday we had a group of super repeaters who took on the challenge of the Maple Canyon 1 day trip.

Maple Canyon is set high in the mountains above Minakami, in a native forest. We started running the full day course at Maple Canyon last year. The main attractions are the many slides that it offers, but it also has it fair share of larger waterfalls for rappelling and jumping.

Because of the altitude the water is very "refreshing" (a euphemism for bloody cold) and can be drunk directly out of the river. The many frogs and other water based wildlife are a testament to the waters purity. [see below]

Starting off with a spectacular 20m waterfall the group descended into the canyon using ropes and abseiling equipment. Once in the canyon they had a series of challenges to navigate including plenty of slides and jumps.

The first jump once in the canyon gets the heart pumping as you jump into a narrow section of the canyon with lots of water gushing down on top of you from the waterfall above. For those that are not up to a jump you can be lowered by rope.

A short swim out from the bottom gets you to the safety of the riverbank.

After the first waterfall section there is a bit of a river walking section until the slider section starts. Time to enjoy the surroundings of this pristine area and warm up before the next dousing!



Sliders! The sliders start reasonably melow, with only small drops and slight inclines. This is a good warm up for the BIG sliders that the group will face in the afternoon session.

At approx 1pm the group decided upon a nice spot on the side of the river to have lunch. The guides shared out the gourmet sandwiches and soup, followed up by cake for dessert! The crew took a 10 minute kip (sleep) to let lunch settle and enjoy the sounds of the forest, before suiting up again and back into the action.

The afternoon section is mainly slides and jumps, in all shapes and sizes. Below is a selection of pics from the lower section.

[Below: One of the many sliders in Maple Canyon. As you can see by the look on her face, this trip provides excitement plus!]

[More sliders in the lower section of Maple canyon]

By approx 3.30pm the group had reached the end of the Canyon. The whole group looked pretty tuckered out (tired), so all took a slow walk back through the forest to the cars and headed back to base for a few beers and a bit of a yarn. (Yarn; Kiwi slang for having a discussion)

Although Maple Canyon a pretty big day, its well worth the effort. One of the good things about this full day course is that first time canyoners can also participate. So if you have a group with a mix of experience, thrill and fitness levels but want to try a full day canyon then Maple is a good choice.

Maple Canyon info

Full Day Canyoning Schedule

Deer Canyon Full Day Report
Sun July 5th, 2009

10 excited canyoners took on the awesome Deer Canyon Full day course last weekend with perfect conditions. The water was a little on the high side after recent rains but the sun was shining and the temps were high. The group comprised of nine women and just one man! [Above - the group saying a quick prayer at the quaint shrine above the entrance to the Canyon]

The first waterfall, Satsuzen no Taki (Murder Falls) was descended using a special rope technique called a guided rappel. This technique is often used at high water to (mostly) avoid being pummeled by the force of the water and provides a spectacular view of thew waterfall as you fly along on the rope from 35m up!





The group takes a rest in one of the crystal clear pools, enjoying the incredible terrain of the canyon and trying to make out the sky through the overhanging forest canopy.

{Above - small jump]
[Below - big jump]

The second waterfall section (Ido Falls) is a double waterfall, the first of which is usually jumped. There is a high jump (10m) and low jump(4m) option, as you see in the videos. Customers can choose between the two heights. This day there were only 2 takers for the high jump.

The photo to the right is the taken from the bottom of the third waterfall. LUNCH TIME!. The sun shines through a large whole in the canopy providing warmth. Time to relax and enjoy the delicious lunch that is provided with the tour.


The first waterfall after lunch (fourth waterfall 7m of the tour) is the first chance to try rappelling in a waterfall. It is not as easy at it looks, with the water pressure trying to take your feet out from under you at every step. The guide is actually below holding the rope for safety, so even if you let go, you will not fall. If you don't have the confidence to rappel you can also be lowered down slowly. This day everyone challenged the rappel. On ya girls!

Directly below the rappel is a great waterfall slide into a huge pool. This can be done multiple times with a short climb around the slide back to the top.





In the afternoon section, the canyon starts to widen out a bit providing incredible views towards Mt Shirane and plenty of large pools, slides and jump spots.

The lady to the right is about to do a small jump into the pool above the impressive double waterfall, Datta no Taki (30m).

Below is a video of one of the slides down the first drop on Datta no Taki. You can choose the height you want to be dropped!

This lady below is negotiating her way down the second waterfall in Datta no Taki.

The picture below shows the groups at the bottom of the last waterfall. A 35m rappel. Smiling faces (looks of relief?) all around.