Grade 2 Kayak Course
Suitable for complete beginners and paddlers with limited whitewater experience, this 4-day course will provide you with the skills coaching, river-time, and certification you need to kayak in the Coast to Coast race.
- Learn all essential river skills
- Achieve your grade 2 kayak certificate
- Enter the Kathmandu Coast to Coast
- Only 4 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 It Works
- Book your dates at the top of this page.
- Learn to kayak and gain your certification
- Email your certificate to the Coast to Coast
Meet Your Coach
Sam Milne is the most experienced kayak instructor on the Waimakariri River and the founder of Canterbury Kayaking. Through helping over 1,000 athletes prepare for the Coast to Coast, Sam has learned that every competitor needs strong paddling skills in order to be successful.
As Sam was completing his instructor training, he found that most Coast to Coast coaches didn't spend enough time teaching the skills that really matter. If he followed the norm, he knew his clients would be underprepared, nervous, and fall out during the race.
That’s why Sam started Canterbury Kayaking and created his own skills training framework. In this course, you’ll learn to kayak based on 4 whitewater principles that will help you pass your certificate quickly and stay in your kayak down the river.
After you complete Canterbury Kayaking's Grade 2 Kayak Course, you’ll have the certification you need to enter the Coast to Coast and the paddling skills to race with confidence.
What do I get with the course?
- Free use of a boat, paddle, spray skirt, PFD, and helmet for the entire program.
- 4 days of professional skills coaching with Sam Milne, the Waimakariri River's most experienced kayak instructor.
- Up to 5x more experience on real rapids compared to other providers.
- Exclusive discount on products from our gear shop.
- Personalized advice on which models of multisport kayaks are right for you.
- Official certification for the Kathmandu Coast to Coast.
- Free second course if you do not pass by the final day.
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.
No. This program is suitable for complete beginners as well as paddlers who have done a few days on a river before. We do, however, recommend that all participants do some flat water paddling before attending.
We will provide you with a boat, paddle, spray skirt, PFD (lifejacket), and helmet to use for the entire course FREE of charge.
You will need to have ALL of the following items (* = hire available):
- Booties
- Neoprene shorts
- Thermal tops and bottoms
- 20L dry bag
- Semi-dry or full-dry long-sleeved paddle jacket*
All required gear is availble to purchase through us at a discounted rate and can be collected at the course.
The Waimakariri Gorge, the most challenging part of the Coast to Coast route, is not suitable for beginners. Therefore, no kayaking companies take beginners through the Waimakariri Gorge as part of their grade 2 certification.
In the past, we’ve run courses on the lower stretches of the Waimakariri River, but we found that these grade 1 sections didn’t adequately prepare paddlers for the unique challenges of the Gorge—where many athletes struggle during the race.
From years of experience helping hundreds of beginners, we know the best strategy is to guide you through the Gorge only after you’ve completed your grade 2 certificate.
To prepare you for the Gorge, we’ll paddle various other rivers during your course, such as the Buller, Mangles, and Matakitaki Rivers. These rivers are safer, and quicker to access—giving you more paddling time—and offer better grade 2 features for developing your skills.
These rivers also provide reliable paddling options in all weather and flow conditions, ensuring your course and assessment will proceed as planned, even if the Waimakariri River is in flood.
You will need to arrange your own accommodation in Christchurch for the night before, and the night of day 1. For the nights of day 2 and 3, we will provide you with accommodation in Murchison (included in your course fee).
If you are travelling from out of town, the North Island or overseas, plan to arrive in Christchurch the day before.
We suggest renting a car, however, a combination of taxi/Uber and ride-sharing with others in your group is often possible.
Book accommodation in Christchurch for the night before the course and the night of day 1.
We will provide you with accommodation for the nights of day 2 and 3.
We suggest booking some accommodation in Christchurch for the night of day 4 before travelling home.
This program runs over 4 consecutive days to maximise your water time and learning outcomes.
Day 1: Meet at 6:30 a.m. Wharenui Pool in Riccarton. After your pool session, the remainder of the day is based at Lake Rua in Harewood and finishes at around 4:00 p.m.
Day 2: We will depart Christchurch at 7:00 a.m. for Murchison. You will paddle on the rivers around Murchison from 12:00 midday until around 5:00 p.m. then meet for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3: We meet at Riverside Holiday Park at 8:00 a.m. for a theory lesson, then go paddling on the river until around 12:00 midday. After a lunch break, we will meet for another theory lesson, before spending the rest of the day on the river until around 5:00 p.m. We will meet for dinner again at a local restaurant.
Day 4: We meet at Riverside Holiday Park at 8:00 a.m. for pre-assessment feedback from your coach(es) before going on your fourth and final river trip of the program. The program concludes with receiving your assessment outcome, plus personalised advice from your coach(es) on which models of multisport kayaks and/or sea kayaks would be best for you.
We aim to finish in Murchison around 2:00 p.m.
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.
This is not normally a problem. Unlike most other course providers, our program will run in virtually all weather and flow conditions. By basing ourselves in Murchison for the days of 2, 3, and 4, we can access multiple river sections, providing different options at various flow scenarios without a reduction in course quality.
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).
Yes. If you are unable to pay in full at the time of booking, please enter the discount code DEPOSIT during checkout to reserve your spot with just a 25% deposit. We will invoice you for the balance, which will be due 21 days before your course.
