Cunning plans.

The plans arrived today, I am very excited. 

This isn't them, and this isn't our postman.

What a tool.

I asked if there was anything else I would need to build this boat, I got this from Robert in Australia. Does anyone know what a "spokeshave" is ? Answers on a postcard.



The Waikato

The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, then flows northwest, through the Waikato Plains. It empties into the Tasman Sea south of Auckland at Port Waikato. It gives its name to the Waikato region that surrounds the Waikato Plains.

The name Waikato means 'flowing water'.

Nine hydroelectric power stations at eight dams extract energy from the river between Taupo and Karapiro. All the lakes in this stretch of the river (apart from Lake Taupo) are artificial.

Above Lake Taupo, the river is not properly navigable (perhaps it could be done in a slalom canoe – see next year’s expedition), so we are proposing to start our journey at Turangi, close to where the river flows into Lake Taupo. This means our first day will be spent crossing the Lake itself.

The journey from Turangi to Port Waikato is approximately 380 kilometres. For now, we are estimating about 5 days for the trip, but this may be revised as we gain better knowledge of the river flow and further revised once we can actually try out our boat.

The first major obstacle will be the Huka Falls and, while many wellwishers are keen to see us ‘shoot’ the Falls, discretion and the need to keep our sandwiches dry dictates that we need to lift the boat out and transport it by road to a suitable place from which to resume our journey. The same will apply to the other dams along the way. We are unaware of any existing record for this journey and it isn't really a major concern, but we shall try to identify clear points for embarkation and disembarkation, so that we can feel we have done as much of the trip under our own power as is reasonable, given these obstacles.

A Thames Camping Skiff

Buying a Badger.

I am about to spend a lot of money on a boat kit and plans, we haven't really decided where to build it, but it's going to arrive on my driveway in a couple of weeks.

The boat is the nearest thing to a Thames Wherry (pronounced Ferry, like "Whangamata") that we can find. The plans, planks and instructions are being shipped over from Australia, so fingers crossed the instructions are in English.

Have a look at the Nisboats website at http://www.nisboats.com/

Of Course I know what I am doing.

Just in case you think I don't know what I am doing, I thought I'd better mention that I have had a lesson with "Hobbs" at the Dittons Skiff and Punting Club. Hobbs reassured me that he's the best instructor at the club, and he also reassured me I was the best novice he'd ever taught. I think Hobbs might be a liar.

My first and last 'skiffing' lesson on the Thames.

A bit of background

The boat I had in mind for this trip was a Thames camping skiff. This type of boat would be familiar to readers of Jerome K. Jerome (so good they named him twice). Ratty and Mole also messed about in something of the type in “The Wind in the Willows” It is a heavy boat by the standards of modern boat building, being “clinker” built, using overlapping planks of solid wood.

This type of skiff is rowed “fixed seat” – so without the sliding seat that racing rowing boats use. This, plus the considerable weight of the boat, means that it is a relatively slow way of getting from one place to another. However, at the same time, it is quite efficient and it is possible to row for long periods without using up too much energy. Think Hare and Tortoise…

The other reason for choosing this kind of boat is that the Waikato is quite fast flowing and has many currents and eddies, which means we need a craft that will remain stable in such conditions.

The camping skiff was designed so that a canvas awning, supported by wire hoops, could be put up over the entire boat, making a kind of floating tent. We don’t intend to sleep on the boat, nice though it might have been, but will probably take a tent and camp out on the river bank. It would be great to be completely self sufficient for the trip, but we are going to need some help in the form of a vehicle and trailer to circumvent the various dams anyway, so we might get some other comforts, like the odd B&B, on the way.

" Do you know, I've never been in a boat before in all my life"

" What?" cried the Rat, open-mouthed: " Never been in a - you never - well, I - what have you been doing, then?"

" Is it so nice is all that?" asked the Mole shyly, though he was quite prepared to believe it as he leaned back in his seat and surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.

" Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. " Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats..." 

A silly idea.

This first post is intended to give you an idea of a rather silly venture that my friend Chris has persuaded me join him in.


I am not sure why he wants to do it, but Chris wants to row down the Waikato river in a  skiff. I can only think he asked me along because I have a garage almost long enough to build the boat in. Oh, did I mention we have to build the skiff, not having found one suitable in New Zealand.

So, the conversation goes something like this

"Do you fancy rowing down the Waikato river in a camping skiff", says Chris.
"Sure", says I..

A few days pass, and another conversation...

"I'd like to do it in a camping skiff", says Chris..
"Sure" says I.

A few days pass..

"How big's your garage ?" says Chris.. And on it goes..  I think the latest conversation involved me buying the kit...