Citron Rapids

We've done this short section twice now - didnt comment on it the first time - but after running it a second time I thought it merrited a comment....

Citron is a cluster of three drops/sections making up one 600m(ish) rapid. Its situated along the Kavaroa River, just after its infamous big brother "Nevis Bluff". The gorge is tight, concidering the volume of water the river holds, making it one of the few 'big water' runs of New Zealand.
The first time we ran it as a strong team.
Doni and Tanner took the left line Scott and I took the right. Our line proved to be the most sensable (of course it did, i picked it). Doni and Tanner attempted to punch a meaty stopper - thus allowing for an easier second and third drop. Unfortunatly both got slammed into a pin wall and were held in a gnarely eddy (together!). Both worked there way out of trouble fairly promptly and cruised over the next couple of drops with no problems. Scott and I went far right - thus giving us an oppertunaty to boof our hole rather than just wrestle with it - both of us cleared the stopper and found our intended eddies - then ferried to the left and followed Doni and Tanner's lines down two and three. cool.

The second time we ran it (last sunday) it was MUCH higher - rising from 100 to 170 cumecs! This meant higher wave trains, fewer eddies (with nastier eddy lines) and monster holes!
The team consisted of Doni and I and two trainee instructors from Duneden, Rickie and Vaugon. We all decided on the right line this time - although this line had changed conciderably since the last time we had run it. The boof rock at the top was almost completely covered, demanding pin-point accuracy to avoid the monster hole below. To make matters worse a new hole had decided to form above the boof rock aswell!
We ran it in pairs - Doni would lead Rickie down, I would lead Vaugon.
Doni ran it first - he found himself slightly off-line and so ploughed into the first hole. The little German has alot of talent though, he rolled quickly and battled out of it, somehow he went on to clear the second hole (this making his line for the rest of Citron pretty straight forward). Rickie, bless him, followed Doni straight into the hole......WIPE OUT..... he ran the first drop upside down. After a few seconds he rolled up, just in time to see the second hole, open mouthed, as it totally engulfed him. The poor lad had quite the battle - had he been playboating, it would have been a spectacular display; loops, carwheels and alot of surfing. He swam the third drop where Doni was able to get him to the bank.
After watching Rickie, Vaugun decided to portage the top (and worst) section. He said he'd wait in the eddy at the bottom and then follow me down part two and three. I ran the rapid slightly harder right than Doni (hugging the bank), a risk which paid off and meant more speed and power behind the boof. Therefore a dry face for the first drop. Unfortunatly I was too busy whooping and being cocky about the whole thing to realise i had missed both eddies at the bottom, thus giving me no chance to paddle the must-make ferry to river left! (Fortunatly Vaugun got my signals and did NOT follow my line!!!). I therefore had a pretty gnarely line down rapid two and three. All i could think was "poo". On the bank Doni was frantically making gestures and mouthing that i should "paddle my ass off" and hope for the best. The line was pretty much just white. I had to punch about three/four holes in quick succession - instead of running a cruisy channel of wavetrains.... so, as you can imagine, i saw more of the river bed than the surface! -fortunatly the gods were with me, I made it through two holes, flipped on the next, but after three or four rolls i was luckily flushed through.

Great fun, everyone left happy - even Rickie was in high spirits on the way home ... it was about time he had a shower anyway.

We also ran the upper section of the Kavaroa River that day - the grade 3, "Dog Leg" - not really worth commenting on to be honest - pretty dull stuff, alot of flat water with tonnes of kayakers clogging up the eddies on every playwave.