Grade 2 Certificate Course
Suitable for complete beginners and paddlers with limited whitewater experience, this 4-day course will provide you with everything you need to gain your grade 2 kayak certificate for the Coast to Coast Race.
- Grade 2 certification guaranteed
- Kayak hire included free of charge
- Officially recommended by Kathmandu Coast to Coast
- Only 2 left available!
Want to do the Coast to Coast, but don't have a grade 2 kayak certificate?
- Are you entered in the race, on the waitlist, or plan to enter in the next 2 years?
- Are you just getting started, or have very little kayaking experience?
- Do you not feel confident in your current paddling ability?
On Canterbury Kayaking's 4-day Grade 2 Kayak Course, you’ll gain the skills and certification you need through a safe and structured step-by-step process. Once you've developed your paddling ability and achieved your grade 2 certificate, you'll be able to train towards the Coast to Coast with confidence and achieve a race result you can be proud of.
Without certification, your Coast to Coast goals are simply not possible.
Many athletes aspire to kayak in the Coast to Coast but lack the skills and qualifications to actually make it happen. Without solid paddling skills and an official grade II certificate, your Coast to Coast ambitions can feel like a far-away dream.
In this course, you’ll learn how to read the river, handle rapids, and keep yourself safe. You'll also earn your grade 2 certificate, serving as evidence that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to race.
Once you've become a certified paddler, you'll feel confident on the river, your training will gain momentum, and you'll feel ready to kayak in the Coast to Coast race.
How to Book
- Select your dates and complete your booking at the top of this page ↑
- Download your information pack, learn to kayak over 4 days, and gain your certification.
- Email your signed certificate to the Coast to Coast, securing your race entry.
Meet Your Coach
Sam Milne is the most experienced kayak instructor on the Waimakariri River and is officially endorsed by Coast to Coast. After helping over 1,000 athletes complete the race, he understands that for many, gaining a Grade 2 certificate is the biggest hurdle between them and the start line.
When Sam looked at how other providers were running their courses, a pattern emerged: beginners were pressured into buying a kayak, told to get experience on their own before the course, and then blamed for not practising enough when they failed the assessment. Worse, they were charged again just to re-sit. That didn’t sit right with him.
That’s why Sam started Canterbury Kayaking and designed his own Grade 2 Course specifically for beginner paddlers. You don’t need your own kayak, and you don’t need any prior experience. Our structured training is so effective, we guarantee you’ll pass in just four days — and if you don’t, we’ll invite you back at no extra cost.
After completing the course, you’ll have the certification you need to race — and the confidence that comes from learning in a supportive environment, with expert coaching designed to help you succeed.
What do I get with the course?
- 4 days of professional skills coaching with Sam Milne.
- Official certification for the Kathmandu Coast to Coast.
- Free second course if you do not pass by the final day.
- Free use of a boat, paddle, and spray skirt for the entire program.
- Personalised advice on which models of multisport kayaks are right for you.
- 2 nights cabin accomodation away from Christchurch (for the nights of day 2 and 3).
- Invitation to dine with your coach and crew during the 2 nights away.
- Exclusive discount on products from our gear shop.
- The only provider to guarantee you will pass: We're committed to helping you pass — we don’t profit from failure or charge you extra for re-sits.
- Use our kayaks and paddles free of charge: There’s no pressure to buy your own boat before the course, or expensive rental fees.
- Get more time on real grade 2 rapids: Our course includes significantly more practice on the kind of whitewater you'll actually face in the Waimakariri Gorge on race day, not just the easy braided sections of the river.
- Get the best skills coaching available: Every single course is led by Sam himself — not outsourced to less experienced contractors.
- Feel fully supported: Sam’s reputation comes not from race wins or Olympic medals, but from the satisfaction of the paddlers he coaches — including multiple Coast to Coast champions and thousands of successful novices.
Our program is widely regarded as the best in the country, and every year, around half of our students travel to us from the North Island.
Many of them tell us the same thing: when comparing options, it simply makes more sense to fly to Christchurch for 4 days than to spend more time (and money) driving around the North Island for lower-quality training.
Here’s how it works:
- Fly to Christchurch the day before your course begins, and book your return flight for the evening of the final day (or the following day, if you prefer).
- Book just 2 nights’ accommodation in Christchurch — the night before your course starts, and the night of Day 1. We provide accommodation for the remaining two nights.
- Pack light. You only need one checked bag with your personal paddling gear. We’ll supply your kayak, paddle, spray skirt. Helmet, and PFD hire is also available.
- Don't worry about food. There are plenty of opportunities to buy what you need throughout the four days.
- On the first morning, take a short taxi or Uber ride from your accommodation to the pool. From there, you'll be able to grab a ride with another participant for the rest of the course — we're happy to help coordinate this.
- On the final day, you'll be finished in time to reach Christchurch Airport by around 6:00 p.m.
Our program is widely regarded as the best in New Zealand, and every year, a significant number of athletes travel to us from Australia for their Coast to Coast training.
Many of them tell us the same thing: when comparing options, it simply makes more sense to fly to Christchurch for 4 days than to spend more time (and money) driving around Australia for lower-quality training.
Here’s how it works:
- Fly to Christchurch the day before your course begins, and book your return flight for the evening of the final day (or the following day, if you prefer).
- Book just 2 nights’ accommodation in Christchurch — the night before your course starts, and the night of Day 1. We provide accommodation for the remaining two nights.
- Pack light. You only need one checked bag with your personal paddling gear. We’ll supply your kayak, paddle, spray skirt. Helmet, and PFD hire is also available.
- Don't worry about food. There are plenty of opportunities to buy what you need throughout the four days.
- On the first morning, take a short taxi or Uber ride from your accommodation to the pool. From there, you'll be able to grab a ride with another participant for the rest of the course — we're happy to help coordinate this.
- There are plenty of opportunities to buy food throughout the four days.
- On the final day, you'll be finished in time to reach Christchurch Airport by around 6:00 p.m.
The Coast to Coast race director says...
“If you miss out on the first round of entries you will be put on our waitlist. There will be 3 opportunities throughout the year where you may be offered an entry, and if you are offered a position, you must either have your grade 2 certificate or be able to prove that you're in the process of achieving it, so you should have started that process already. If you want to do the race you can't just sit on the waitlist and have not made a move on your grade 2, you should have actually started that process already. So when waitlist offers come out, you should either already have your grade 2, or be in the process of working towards a grade 2. My advice is to start working on that skill set now. I always get concerned when I hear of people doing their grade 2 certificates in December before the event, that's far too late, now’s the time to start”. – Glen Currie, 4/01/2024
Grade 2 certificates are valid for 2 years. If you remain on the waitlist and do not get offered a race entry in your first year, you will prioritised for the following year’s race.
Don't worry. Canterbury Kayaking is the only Coast to Coast grade 2 certificate provider in New Zealand to guarantee you will pass. If you do not meet the requirements by the fourth day, we will invite you to another course completely free (conditions apply).
No. This program is suitable for complete beginners as well as paddlers who have done a few days on a river before. It is helpful to do some flat water paddling before attending – but not essential.
We will provide you with a boat, paddle, and spray skirt, to use for the entire course FREE of charge.
You will need to have the following items:
- Booties
- Neoprene shorts
- Thermal tops and bottoms
- 20L dry bag
- Helmet (hire available)
- PFD (hire available)
- Semi-dry paddle jacket (hire available)
All required gear is availble to purchase through us at a discounted rate and can be ordered online or collected at the course.
Your safety is our absolute top priority. While it's impossible to guarantee nothing bad will ever happen, incidents are extremely unlikely. We gradually increase the difficulty (and associated risk) throughout the program as your skills develop. You will progress from a swimming pool to a lake, then to a gentle river, and finally, to whitewater rapids. We will never put you in a situation we don't think you can handle, and you do not have to do anything you are not comfortable with. All our coaches are fully trained in river rescue techniques and our safety systems have been independently audited by AdventureMark and registered with WorkSafe.
Yes. Only a 25% deposit is required to secure your spot now. We will invoice you for the balance (due 21 days before your course). You can pay this balance via NZ bank transfer which you are welcome to split this over a couple of payments, or pay in full with a credit card (credit card processing fee applies).
