Lee Hart | S2o Design - Camphill Surf Park was made possible through unprecedented levels of cooperation between one of New Zelands’s largest utility companies, Contact Energy, the Central Otago Whitewater Association (COWA), regional & local town councils, government agencies & landowners.

“The finished park has exceeded our club's expectations,” said Gordon Raynor, COWA Chairman of the S2o Designed whitewater Park. “Never has surfing a wave been so sweet as my first ride on the second thumping wave at 120 cumecs and experiencing the real dimensions of something which to that point had only existed in our imaginations.”

S2o created a park that includes two features that are designed to accommodate paddlers of all abilities. The top hole is wide and steady with a two foot high foam pile that was designed to provide stable side surfing, spins, loops and other basic freestyle practice at all flows. This lower feature is characterized by a fast jet of water used for slalom training and basic maneuvers at lower flows but which grows into an international-standard competitive freestyle feature as the water levels rise.

An avid kayaker who tirelessly shares his love for the sport with family and friends of all ages, Raynor listed the many reasons he believes Camphill is a win-win for all parties. “It is practical mitigation for kayakers for whitewater lost to hydro projects, it creates recreational and economic opportunities for our community, it showcases what a partnership between kayakers and big business can achieve, it has a beneficial ecological impact and it shows other regions in New Zealand what a recreational river enhancement project looks like.”

You can watch more photos here.