Epic Trip Down The Motu River

Two canoeists, Tony Scott, a former Gisborne press photographer, and present canoe instructor at Outward Bound School, and Allen Pearson, a Wellington and Wairoa carpenter and former Outward Bound instructor, recently made the first trip by canoe down the mighty Motu River.

In past years the river has been negotiated by several expeditions using rubber dinghies, and one using a wooden boat, but until now had never been attempted by canoeists.

The 60-mile, six-day trip took the men through scenery of awe-inspiring grandeur; towering bushclad cliffs, spectacular rushing rapids, and magnificent virgin bushland.

The pictures on these pages tell the story of their adventure, as seen through the lens of Tony Scott's camera (carried in water-proof case).

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Tony Scott

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Allen Pearson

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Using a paddle and rope, Allen lines down a section of Bullivant's Cascade, a notorious section of the upper gorge named after Kahu Bullivant, leader of the first rubber dinghy party to descend the river.

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An almost sheer 300ft waterfall drops into the river below the Mangotane Dam site.

With the dangers of the top gorge behind them, the canoeists paddle under towering cliffs into the sunshine and quieter waters ahead. This spot is the site of the proposed Mangotane hydro electric dam.

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