Blazing Adventures

Highly recommend Blazing Paddles over other companies if you are considering doing the Whanganui River Journey. They are a well oiled machine and know their gear and what works best. They lit the fire for us in the free cottage accomodation the night prior. They provided clear route and safety directions and detailed maps. Their barrels were definitely the best - if you capsized the lids wouldnt fall off and your gear would stay in the canoe when you flipped it back upright. Their canoes were a good size and there was PLENTY of storage space in the barrels for tents, equipment, food, clothes etc. Great value, best equipment and great service. Thanks guys!
Apr 13th, 2023

Had a great time canoeing down the river, Luke and Mary were super friendly and helpful. It was great that they could be flexible with the start time. Highly recommend!
Mar 15th, 2023

Highly recommend going with these guys if youre looking to canoe down the Whanganui river! My partner and I had such a great experience! First off, they are so well organised. They provide accomodation the night before, we had a private room to ourselves in a shared house. Clean comfy beds, nice warm house and hot shower available. They prepared all the barrels and dry bag at the house for you to pack the night before. Next up, they really prioritise having a personal touch and your experience so they keep their groups small and use better equipment (wooden paddles instead of plastic ones, better barrels), they even provide the map & set of instructions in a waterproof pack to clip in your canoe. On the drive to the starting point of the canoe trip, our host, Luke, gave us so many great tips on the canoe journey, tackling the rapids, safety tips if we capsized (which we did on the last day). Before we set off, Luke even did a karakia (prayer) for us, which was a beautiful. Lastly, because they keep the group small, on the last day of our canoe journey, we could just get picked up straight away and head back without having to wait around for everyone else to finish up. Overall a really positive experience and definitely recommend them!
Apr 8th, 2023

This couple hired Blazing Adventures for 3 day-2 night "Waka Whakahoro" with guide. Great decision. We brought our personal gear, Blazing handled the rest. River Rock Cottage launch pad, canoes, PFDs, tents, sleeping bags and underpads, barrels to keep stuff dry, the lot. Top notch kit. Riverside campsites sorted no fuss, including memorable overnight on the grounds of a marae! Our guide prepared excellent bush tucker: no instant noodles for us! Like home cooking, breakfast, lunch and dinner. In part it was home cooked!: shout out to Luke for venison burgers and saussies, and to Maree for pineapple cake and biccies! It's not just navigating a tricky river with tricky rapids that made our guide invaluable. We learned so much about the history and peoples of this river at the epicentre of NZ culture to enhance our journey. And in the end, we just plain enjoyed paddling the mighty Whanganui. Warm thanks to Glen, Maree, Kevin and esp Luke, you were great. Go with Blazing, you wont regret it.
Mar 28th, 2023

We had a truly incredible experience on the Whanganui River Journey with Blazing Adventures. Maree was so thorough in organising everything; picking us up from the train station and taking us to the wonderful accommodation the night before the canoe adventure and arranging canoes, paddles, a tent and cooking apparatus for a magical three day adventure on the river. Luke, who drove us to the launch point on day 1 and picked us up from Pipiriki on day 3, was also so friendly and brilliant, telling fascinating stories of the rivers significance in Maori culture. I would highly recommend Blazing Adventures to anyone. Thanks again for all of your help Maree and Luke!
Mar 6th, 2023