The Cover Shot - Wild #195

“We’re going to have to drag the kayaks another two kilometres,” Pascoe says, looking at the map. Ahead of us, snow hides from the sun on the southern aspects of the endless golden ridges, and as it melts, the river comes to life. It’s hard to say which of these gullies is the true source of the river, and how many need to come together to float a kayak. These are the headwaters of New Zealand’s fourth-longest river, the Taiari.

Looking over Max’s shoulder, I think how unexpected it is to find a whitewater kayaker here, and how this will make a perfect photo to highlight the absurdity of this source-to-sea expedition. After checking the photo in the viewfinder, I start to feel the excitement and the draw to be deeper in this remote part of the waterway. The weight of everyday concerns slip away; it’s just the five of us left standing with an entire river catchment to explore. Even now, looking at this photo, my mind drifts away to the essence of a river journey—the beautiful simplicity of getting from A to B. I hope yours does too.

You can read more about Blake’s source-to-sea kayaking trip down the Tairari in the accompanying feature story ‘Source of Discovery’ starting on p102 in Wild 195, out now.

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