We traveled thousands of miles to New Zealand to go riverboarding! Be a part of this epic journey with us...

From Trip Leader Kevin Yount (Warrior Poet)
The purpose of this site is to document a team of riverboarders as we take a trip to New Zealand to ride whitewater rivers there. Some would wonder why we would venture to call this trip an expedition, since it isn't a multi-day trip down a long stretch of a remote river, but rather day trips in succession.

All of the rapids and rivers have been kayaked, and many of them riverboarded. However, there isn't a lot of information on riverboarding in New Zealand available online.

Thanks to riverboarding being featured on the Amazing Race, (click to see the video) many people know about the 21 foot waterfall on north island and there are a few outfitters that offer riverboard trips on south island, but that is all that is generally known since there isn't a large kiwi presence on any of the riverboarding message boards.

It's not like we are coming to show anyone how it's done, since the people of New Zealand have been riverboarding since we were kids or before we were born, but rather we are coming to show the rest of the riverboard world what is hiding in New Zealand. We still believe that this trip could be a big part of the history of the sport. (continued below)

New Zealand Riverboarder Blogs
	Kevin Yount (Warrior Poet) blog - TRIP LEADER - He's a global traveler who has riverboarded some of the craziest whitewater in West Virginia and lived to tell about it. Not only that, but he gamely took on the mighty Kaituna river in New Zealand at flood stage and won. He's even got the battle scars to prove it. What did YOU do with your weekend, huh? Read the Warrior Poet blog here
	IceMan Riverboarder blog There might be an "I" in Ice, but there's definitely no "I" in fun! (At least not in English - there is in Splork.) That's the motivation behind bringing you the jovial extreme adventures of ~IceMan~ Riverboarder - so you can share in the fun! Because there's a "U" in fun, get it? He's definitely the blonde one of the group though (anyone remember last years "Is that cotton" gaffe?), which in itself should be entertainment enough. Read the IceMan blog here
	Docta P blog As a groupie once stated so eloquently: "He's buff, he put his face on money, and his rims spin - what more could any girl possibly want?!" Well said, Paris, well said. Ok, so just kidding on the Paris part, but seriously, this guy has it, flaunts it, and isn't ashamed of it. It's not that he's cocky; it's just that he KNOWS he's, um, something he knows he is. Whatever, dude - we still remember that 1992 haircut. Read the Docta P blog here
	Regan Darcy blog Now here's an adventurous guy - he'd never riverboarded, but he excitedly went to New Zealand to tackle some of the gnarliest whitewater on the planet. Exactly 13 minutes into his first run, he went off a large waterfall. That he didn't know existed. Apparently while underwater he had a vision of someone named Bob, and the rest, as they say, will be written later. Read the Regan Darcy blog here

(continued from above)
If we get to run the one or two rapids that have yet to be done, it will be a great accomplishment. Whether we do those rapids or not, the fact that we could unite boarders from different locations, who also ride different types of boards, to converge and run rivers together will be a big step for the sport in terms of organization.

Riverboarding is called sledging or hydrospeed in Europe and is very organized. Riders in Europe have meetings many times per year and dozens of boarders from different countries get together to ride. 

Some of us will be meeting each other in person for the first time at the beginning of this expedition; knowing each other only through our trip reports and ideas and opinions about riverboarding. 

We hope that by showing what is possible when we share a common bond and goals, that more riders in the United States will seek this type of unity and organization.  After our experiences in New Zealand have become photographs and memories, it would be nice to see other riders collaborating on trips across the country and around the world. 

This trip began in July and August, as Kevin began researching rivers in New Zealand and making plans to come out.  As summer gave way to fall, riders expressed interest, and it was a matter of waiting for riders to commit to the trip. 

As of January 10th, the group of Kevin Yount (Warrior Poet), Docta P, IceMan, & Regan Darcy has been assembled. (If you'd like to join us for all or part of the trip, contact Kevin as soon as possible!)

The goals for the trip are:
- Fun and the bonds of fellowship and camaraderie that comes from tackling difficult whitewater together
- To scout and hopefully run a few rapids that, to the best of our knowledge, have not been run on a riverboard
- And lastly to document the experience in photos and video so others can enjoy our experience and see what New Zealand has to offer.

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