Heli-Rafting the Karamea River ~ Grade 5!

Experience the thrill and exhilaration of heli-rafting on the mighty Karamea & Buller Rivers. With Grade 4 & 5 rapids in many parts, the Karamea River Rated by Outdoor Magazine as one of the Top 10 multi-rafting rivers in the world. You'll be assured of an action-packed rafting trip courtesy of Heli Charters, Sweet As Adventures & Ultimate Descents.

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Sweet As Heli-Rafting Packages

You'll love these trips. They give you a huge insight into NZ culture, history and the environment we travel through. Our tours are kept small with huge emphasis on a good length of time spent out there in the wilderness.

See the Sweet As Adventures & Eco Rafting website for more details.

5 Day Rafting Adventure ~ An Adrenaline Pumping Journey

Day 1 & 2 ~ This trip starts with a 2 day hike into the Karamea National park via the Tasman wilderness area. Staying overnight in huts.

Day 3 ~ The Karamea River is well known all over the world for its great trout fishing and big volume rapids. There are no roads leading into this river so the only access is by helicopter or via the incredible Leslie track. The trip starts with half a day of grade III pool drop style rafting leading into grade IV in the afternoon.

Day 4 ~ starts with a roar as we navigate the roaring lion section. All the sections of this rapid have been rafted but the entire section has never been run at the same time on any commercial rafting trip. Nine hundred metres of solid class V rapids!

Day 5 ~ we load up the rafts for the final leg, the rapids get back up to the grade V mark with names like Scare Case, Holy Shit, and Growler to name a few.

3 Day Heli-Rafting Adventure ~ White Water At It's Best

A shorter version of the 5 Day trip. Nothing but pure white water rafting & thrills! We fly into the headwaters of the mighty Karamea River and spend the next 3 days rafting back out. We spend the evenings by the campfire having some wine or beer, or catching some giants in this world class fishing river.

1 Day Heli-Rafting Trip ~ Jammed Packed River Action

We fly into the lower section of the Karamea and spend 5 hours rafting through this exciting terrain, back to the coast. The waters on this trip are amazing and recognized by Outdoor magazine as an all-time classic. Duration: 8 Hours.

Ultimate Descents Heli-Rafting Packages

An abundance of pristine, uncrowded wilderness makes the North West of the South Island, from the West Coast to Nelson the white water adventurerŒs dream destination.

See the Ultimate Descents website for more details.

3-5 Day Karamea Heli-Journey

The Karamea is a 3 day river expedition that can be accessed either by helicopter flight (Karamea Heli-Journey) or by an extra two days hiking from the eastern side of Kahurangi National Park.

Days 1 & 2 ~ At first the Karamea is a small river, with long boulder garden type rapids up to Class 4 and a series of tranquil earthquake lakes caused by rock-falls in the great earthquake of 1929. Spectacular vistas unfold around every corner on our way down to the confluence of the Beautiful and Roaring Lion rivers and our campsite at the infamous ‘Roaring Lion‘ rapid.

Day 3 ~ starts off easy and gradually gets harder as we enter the granite rack walls of the Karamea Gorge. The river is now at full volume, powerful and chaotic as it plummets down the steep boulder strewn riverbed, the raft buckling and twisting in the foaming roller-coaster ride back to Karamea.

This can be turned into a 5 day trip by including the 2 day hike at the beginning of the journey..

1 Day Karamea Heli-Rafting Trip

Heli rafting the Karamea Rivers' lower gorge with 4 rapids pushing grade 5 at medium to high flows. This trip is a one day heli rafting trip, that many do not forget. With a short 10 min helicopter flight to get the heart pumping, you are dropped off on the rivers edge with the rafts and guides.

Six hours of remote untouched wilderness and sometimes hair raising rafting will unfold with a roller coaster ride out to the opening of the hills to end a great journey.

Mokihinui 2 Day Heli-Journey

Only available October-December with high river flows

One of the longest helicopter flights in to a rafting put in through some absolutely stunning scenery Tumbling from the mountains in the northern reaches of the West Coast, the Mokihinui River carves though impressive bedrock canyons and sub-tropical rain forest as it rushes to the Tasman Sea.