2-day Coast to Coast River Preparation Course

Book now pay later? Use the code TSKBOOKNOW to secure your space with a 30% no-refundable deposit. We will be in touch to organise final payment or payments at a later date.

Overview: If you are travelling from overseas or another part of New Zealand and new to the Waimakariri River then this course is the best option for you.

This two-day course is the perfect couple of days to familiarise yourself with the river and the famous Coast to Coast race course. Let our instructor’s help you fine tune your river paddling skills with a full day of instruction on the Woodstock section of the river on day one and then paddle the famous Gorge section of the river on day two. If you are anxious about the paddling section of the race then these two days will go a long way to easing your nerves. We cannot recommend this course enough. For many of our previous competitors this has been the difference between finishing the race and not.

Download everything you need to know here!

Please think carefully before booking. If you are very new to kayaking, you must do the full 4-day course.

Course Details Return transport from Christchurch is provided each day.

Day One

Welcome to the Waimakariri River. For some of you this may be your first opportunity to paddle a long style multisport kayak on a braided river. Today will be all about familiarising yourself with your kayak and our river. We will be paddling at the Gorge Bridge, which is the finish of the Coast to Coast paddle section. Our instructors will be focused on teaching you the basic skills you need to navigate the river safely. We will be helping you to improve your forward paddling, boat placement and river reading skills. We will be teaching you how to set your boat up for bluffs, wave trains and helping you to gain further control of your boat on the river. We will be taking you through a series of drills and techniques to help improve these areas. You can expect to see some whiteboard theory and some video analysis too if we have time.

Day Two

Day two is a trip down the Waimakariri Gorge to Woodstock. This is a 55km paddle and will be approximately 5 to 6 hours of paddling. By the end
of today you will have paddled the full 69km paddle section of the Coast to Coast over the two days and gain some invaluable skills and confidence along the way. This section today includes the famous Rock Gardens and the Gorge. Our instructors know this river better than anyone and will be guiding you safely down the river. They will help you identify effective lines for race lines and important landmarks and features along the way.

What's the Topsport difference?

- Weather permitted this course covers the full Coast to Coast 70km river section split into multiple days
- Complete the course in your own multisport kayak or hire one of ours if you are travelling
- Our team are unrivalled when it comes to Coast to Coast experience, instructing, racing and success!
- NZOIA qualified and experienced instructors

This 2-day Grade II Express Course has got everything you want and nothing you don’t. These 2 days are ideally suited to two types of paddlers, those looking to refresh their skills and regain their Grade II Certificate or those few paddlers who have a sound kayaking background with good paddling skills and just want to get straight into the fun stuff on the river. The first session of this course is a moving water session at the Gorge Bridge on the Waimakariri so it is a must that anyone wanting to get on the Waimakariri Express has previous paddling experience and confident in their multisport boat.

We will cover the following skills throughout the program:

- Boat & Paddle setup
- Gear & Equipment
- Sweep Strokes
- Edging
- Ferry Glides
- Rapid and Bluff Running
- Picking Braids
- Identifying River Features and Hazards
- Swimming Skills
- Self Rescues & Throw-bagging
- Interpreting Weather & River Flow Data Kayak Hire

Hiring a boat is a great way to try a good multi-sport kayak without the investment just yet.

to hire a kayak for your course. Travelling Athlete Info

If you are travelling from outside of Christchurch to spend some time with us on the river or over the mountain here is some information to help plan you trip.

Download the info here. Requirements

These requirements are in place for your safety and to ensure we can fit you in one of our boats (if required)

- You MUST be able to swim
- Weigh less than 110kg
- Be shorter than 6'4.
- Reasonable fitness/strength to paddle throughout the c