The packraft trip came to fruition! Mac and I floated a Class II section of the Rangitikei River, which I thought would be a fun and easy first trip because it's described as a "family float" and apparently done by canoeists. However, it was a bit more exciting than I thought it would be (but not too much). I am having trouble understanding how this can be a viable canoe trip because of the few sections where the river channels down and creates a series of high pressure waves that would swamp a canoe, and there's no way around them. Plus, the narrow canyons created some serious back-eddies that could easily swing you around and tip you over in a canoe. Maybe a whitewater canoe would be okay? It was great for rafts, though! Fun boulder-dodging and some fast splashy sections made for just the right amount of excitement. Mac biked back to the put-in to get the car (we take turns on who gets to bike back & who gets to hang back and take care of the gear). In the canyon we saw feral sheep and feral goats, waterfowl, and many birds of prey, but I'm not familiar with NZ birds yet so I couldn't tell you what they were.
P.S. We did not intentionally buy matching gear, it just happened that way.
P.S. We did not intentionally buy matching gear, it just happened that way.