CORNER BROOK, N.L. — It may have been shorter than he initially thought, but Rob Hutchings is still pumped about accomplishing his goal of swimming the longest river in New Zealand.
The 44-year-old native of Corner Brook, who now lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, successfully swam 256 kilometres of the Clutha River, from the outlet of Lake Wanaka to the Pacific Ocean in four and a half days from Feb. 20-24.
He originally thought he had to swim 338 kilometres as that is the total length of the river given by various sources. But he has since learned that number includes the Makarora River and Lake Wanaka, which feeds into the Clutha.
Hutchings wasn’t worried about the modified distance.
“My intention was to swim from Lake Wanaka to the Pacific, which is what I did,” he told The Western Star. “I didn’t care about the distance, I cared that I had beautiful, magical swim in a thrilling environment.”
He said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his wife, Tansy and the two kayakers, Laura Thomson and Sam Blumers who accompanied him. His wife drove the support van, staying in radio contact with the kayakers and looking after Hutchings and the kayakers whenever they came ashore.
Thomson and Blumers guided him through the river, keeping him away from rocks or any other obstacles.
“It’s a testament to their absolute skill and professionalism that they guided me down New Zealand’s most powerful river without a single scary incident,” he said. “There was never an incident where we felt worried or concerned for my safety.”
One of the many lasting impressions Hutchings will have from this endeavour is the hospitality of New Zealanders, which he compares to that of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. For example, people offered accommodations to them without expecting anything in return or helped them travel over land along the way.
Challenges
While the swim mostly went off without a hitch, there were some minor moments of doubt along the way.
On Day 2, Hutchings didn’t think he’d finish the swim in five days as he had miscalculated the amount of still water he would encounter that day.
The 17 kilometres of the Cromwell Gorge, which he expected to have a fairly strong current, was actually still water.
He expected it to take him about two to three hours with the current; instead, it took him over five.
But he made up for it, swimming 27 kilometres in two hours and reached Alexandra, as planned, by the end of the day.
On Day 3, Hutchings faced unexpected still water for three hours in the Roxburgh Gorge; this time compounded by a brutal head wind.
“In terms of the actual swimming, that was the hardest part,” he said.
Even so, he enjoyed the challenge.
“I actually really like swimming in rough water,” said Hutchings.
It was only a 30-minute duration near the end of Day 4 — the longest day of swimming during the marathon — where Hutchings felt he wasn’t enjoying himself. Hutchings spent nine hours in the water, swimming 84 kilometres propelled by the strong current and rapids.
With about 1.5 hours left, he started to experience fatigue.
“I was just like, ‘oh my god what am I doing? This is silly, I’m exhausted. I can’t do this,’” he recalled.
But he pressed on. Thomson, who was carrying his food, provided him an espresso energy gel which reinvigorated him.
He finished the day back on schedule, staying overnight at Balclutha, the nearest village to the mouth of the Clutha River.
The following day, despite a few delays, he finished the swim a few hours ahead of schedule.
For Hutchings, it was never about completing the swim in a certain length of time.
The important thing was just getting to experience the joy of swimming in the Clutha River in all its beauty and glory.
“I was just absolutely thrilled, stoked, amazed that I had the opportunity to swim in this incredibly beautiful, pristine river,” he said.
The message he wants to convey to anyone who wants to try something like this is to ignore the naysayers and just enjoy the journey.
“Don’t get too attached to the outcome of the dream,” advised Hutchings. “Enjoy the pursuit of it and enjoy the moments while it’s going on.”
