Mangaore
I first visited the Mangahao slalom course in 2013. The course is an inspiring place, with continuous class III rapids lined with native bush. Five minutes drive downstream is the Manawatū town of Shannon. Conversely, Shannon is not an inspiring place, the sort of fading rural town where the buildings quietly ignore the passing of the last half century. The course is situated on the Mangaore Stream but the water comes from the Mangahao River. This occurs because a system of dams in the Managahao River divert the water through a power station which, while generating, releases into the top of the course. Consequently, the Mangaore Stream frequently receives about twenty times it’s natural flow. The slalom course spans around 200m of the stream length and, like any slalom course, the normal mode for paddlers is to yo-yo up and down. Stretch the spraydeck over the cockpit, dance with the water, pop the spraydeck off, contemplate or commiserate on the walk back. Every time a slight...