Blazing Paddles Canoe Adventures business and lifestyle block in Piriaka is for sale.

Blazing Paddles canoe adventures business near Taumarunui and private home is for sale.

Situated at Piriaka a short distance away from Taumarunui the owners of this company have set up a wonderful business catering for the adventurer wanting to canoe the Whanganui river.  A whole range of programs are set up for clients who look forward to the challenges of the river during the summer months here in New Zealand.

The business is for sale along with a very nice four bedroom family home set on 5 acres of lifestyle block land. The land is used for sheep grazing, strawberries and other fruit trees and gardens with lawn space leading to the rivers edge.
 

About the Blazing Paddles business. 

There's a wealth of reminders of pre-European history to be explored on the Whanganui River, as well as poignant examples of the European's vain attempts to tame the river.

There's still the magnificent scenery that had the Whanganui River journey being described at one stage as the "Eighth Great Wonder of the World". And there's a rare chance to really get away from it all for a few days in perfect safety - something that is almost unique in this troubled world of today. No telephones...no televisions. Just you and nature.

For many visitors, one of the highlights is being able to stay at the Tieke Marae. Formerly a Department of Conservation hut, Tieke gives visitors and opportunity to share a living culture in its very simplest form.A Whanganui River canoe trip is perfect for people of all ages and all experience levels.

Trips can range from one day on both the Ongarue and Whanganui Rivers up to the five day expedition from Taumarunui to Pipiriki.Others take a two day paddle to Whakahoro to make the most of the exciting rapids on the upper reaches, while some put in at Whakahoro for the most popular three day trip through the river gorges.

 

The normal canoeing season is from Labour Weekend (the third weekend in October) through to Easter (March/April) with the busiest time being over the Christmas holiday period.

There are only campsites on the Taumarunui to Whakahoro section, with the John Coull Hut (24 bunks) and Bridge to Nowhere Lodge being supplemented by campsites between Whakahoro and Pipiriki. Tieke Marae was rebuilt over the winter of 2002 and now offers 20 bunks as well as a campsite. The Whakahoro Hut has 12 bunks, but cooking now has to be done outside under one of the shelters. The others have gas cooking.

For those with limited time, a great day's canoeing can be had by launching at Cherry Grove, in Taumarunui, and exiting at Ohinepane, with nearly 50 of the 249 named rapids on this section.

Two other one day options are available from 2004 - from Ohinepane to Kirikau (about three hours) and Ohinepane to Whakahoro (about six hours). In normal flows the Whanganui is an extremely safe river to canoe. There are only a few graded rapids on the river, with the most exciting, the Ngaporo and Autapu, on the last day going into Pipiriki.If it's real white water adventure you want, then you have to go elsewhere.

Many of the rapids on the upper reaches allow you to sneak by down the side, but half the fun on hot summer days is in falling out and picking yourself up again at the bottom of the rapid. Vehicles can be looked after in a secure areas and we can arrange to have your car relocated to your exit point for an extra charge if you want to make your own way home from there.

 
The Ultimate “Good Life” - The owners perspective

Talk about self sufficiency – the only things you need to buy from the supermarket are salt and pepper, coffee and tea, sugar and flour (and any other spices you are addicted to) – you already have available or can grow just about everything else you need.
 
Literally a “Garden of Eden”, producing delicious organic fruit for at least six months of the year, starting with Christmas plums in December and finishing with fantastic feijoas and autumn raspberries in May-June.

In between, enjoy the apples (18 different kinds including some heirloom varieties) plums (5), nectarines, figs (2), apricots (2), cherries (2), pears (2), oranges (2), mandarins, lemons, grapefruit, quince (2), peaches (4), grapes (6), strawberries, blueberries, gooseberry, brambleberries, thornless blackberries, plus hazelnuts (2) walnuts and chestnuts. Press your own oil from your five olive trees and make your own feijoa liqueur, plum brandy, apple cider, perry or red wine.

A large vegetable garden is currently or has produced tomatoes, sweet corn, potatoes, leeks, peas, beans, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, broad beans and asparagus this season with room to grow lots more, ensuring fresh vegetables all year round.

There’s a glasshouse to grow early season tomatoes, beans, courgettes, cucumbers and bell peppers; and a herb garden with rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme, dill, bay trees, mint and basil.

The henhouse and run is ready for half a dozen Rhode Island Reds; the pig pen is awaiting two healthy weaners and if you buy a house cow with calf at foot that takes care of the milk and beef.

Meantime a dozen sheep provide valuable lawn mowing services and provide a continued source of lamb and mutton for the barbecue and dinner table.
Fresh fish (trout) can be seen rising in the river below (but we don’t recommend you eat them – much better tasting fish are only 10 minutes away upstream in the Whakapapa River at Kakahi)
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It’s easy to make the most of all this largesse with a Miele Combiset kitchen with halogen and gas rings, deep fryer and grill and a double wall oven with multi functions top and bottom.
The bench tops are Corian and the large double sink makes food preparation and handling the dishes really easy. A large walk in pantry provides plenty of space to store all of the home bottling, pickles and other goodies you create from the surplus fruit and vegetables from the property.

When it comes to basic services, the mail man calls six days a week; the property is on town water supply and there is a reliable ADSL1 broadband service that is wirelessly carried throughout the house and to the canoe shed beyond. 

Brokers Comments

Blazing Paddles is a great business that will keep you running off your feet during the summer months with other seasons being time to relax and to absorb the wonderful bush and river scenery that surrounds the house and 5 acres of land. Making hay while the sun shines is I suppose a close description to the activity at Blazing Paddles in Piriaka.

There is an option for a professional fisherman to take on this property and do fishing guide work maybe outside the months of when the Paddles business has closed down and using the accommodation facility for guests.

There is an option of buying the Land & Buildings and having the business run separately with a lease holder utilizing the facilities at the base.
 

Website : http://www.blazingpaddles.co.nz/
 

Contact the Broker  below

 
Ross M. Larsen C.H.A.

Ross Larsen, the Tourism & Hospitality Business Broker that is acting as the agent for the owner of this property is happy to discuss this property's details with you at any time - refer to the contact details on this page.

The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.

For many years it was known in some records as the Wanganui River, however the river's name officially reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island. The city at the river's mouth was called Wanganui until December 2009, when the government decided that while either spelling was acceptable, Crown agencies would use the Whanganui spelling.

With a length of 290 km, the Whanganui is the country's third-longest river. Much of the land to either side of the river's upper reaches is part of the Whanganui National Park, though the river itself is not part of the park.

The river rises on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, one of the three active volcanoes of the central plateau, and close to Lake Rotoaira. It flows to the north-west before turning south-west at Taumarunui. From here it runs through the rough, bush-clad hill country of the King Country before turning south-east and flowing past the small settlements of Pipiriki and Jerusalem, before reaching the coast at Whanganui. It is the country's longest navigable river.

In the 1970s a minor eruption from Mount Ruapehu spilled some of the contents from the Ruapehu Crater Lake (the same root cause of the Tangiwai disaster). This toxic water entered the Whanganui River and had the effect of killing much of the fish life downstream. In the aftermath of the poisoning eels as large as 8.2 kg and trout as large as 2.3 kg were washed up dead along the banks of the river.

The Whanganui River basin contains a variety of flora species, much of which can be characterised as a Broadleaf and Podocarp forest;understory species include Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor, and a variety of other ferns and shrubs.