The morning was cool and enveloped in mist rising from the river. That soon burned off as the sun came up. Had breakfast with the Irishman I’d met at National Park and his daughter. Went down to the river and waited for Taumaranui Canoes to arrive. It was very hectic when vans and canoes arrived. There was around 50 people starting that morning. It took ages to sort out barrels containing food and our pack contents. We finally got away around 11 but we weren’t going too far. Only to Ōhauora campsite at 25km where as most were going to John Coull campsite at 37km. I was canoeing with Max from the Netherlands. We soon got the hang of it and enjoyed the leisurely pace. We were first to the small campsite and had the pick of the spots.
