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The New Zealand Kayak School is run by Mick Hopkinson and Pam Weiss.  

Mick is originally from Britain where he raced kayak slalom for ten years before putting his energies into exploratory boating. Mick was a member of a small team that made first descents of the river Inn in Switzerland and Austria, the Blue Nile in Ethiopia and the Dudh Khosi in Nepal. He was also a member of the Karakorum Kayak expedition, The Karnali expedition and the "Taming the Lion" team which made the first descent of many of the huge rapids on the river Indus in Baltistan. More recently he has been getting his thrills in the backblocks of Wyoming and on the heli trips on the West coast of New Zealand including a fantastic day on the Waitaha, one of the West Coast's (and the world's) premier kayak runs.

In August 2008 he was inducted into the International White Water Hall of Fame in recognition  of his exploits.  But don't worry he was released in time for the start of the next season! 

Pam is a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and for many years was a member of the US Cross country and Biathlon ski team. When she retired from competition she took up kayaking and climbing as therapy and has paddled the Grand Canyon, much to her satisfaction. But a far greater challenge for both Pam and Mick has been the advent of Liam.  
 
Liam is the blond headed kid, now thirteen years old.  He is now bigger than his mum and has taken to the challenge of online school.  This summer he did two trips down the Main Salmon.  After a day rowing a fully laden raft he became an avowed kayaker and is happily getting down class 3.

The Instructors

New Zealand has a professional instructors association... The New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association. This governing body sets very high standards and all our staff hold NZOIA kayak instructor awards. Mick and Peter Kettering  have worked as national assessors for NZOIA. They also both commute to the USA each year - Mick to Wyoming, and Peter to California, where he works for Otterbar Lodge and Tarkio Kayak School out of Missoula, Montana. Both Mick and Peter are ACA (American Canoe Association) Qualified. Peter spends most of his time in Hokitika where he and Vikki are planting the ultimate garden but we occasionally get the pleasure of his company for short stints.

Zak Shaw is currently working his sixth season at the NZKS and is an NZOIA Kayak Two award holder. His 2010 whitewater expedition involved an alpine climb with kayaks over a 4600m pass in the Peruvian Andes to access a multi-day descent of the Paucartambo River.  Zak is also a prolific photographer.   His images support New Zealand's Wild Rivers Campaign.  Throw in his trips to Tibet, Bolivia, India and Africa and his role in the first circumnavigation of the Sub Antarctic island of South Georgia and voila- Zak is our expedition man!  And when he isn’t working for us he is sea kayak guiding based on cruise vessels in either the Arctic or Antarctic.  Hectic Life!

 Ben Jackson is no longer the team youth and Rodeo head. He is a Kayak Two and has a degree in Outdoor Education.  Living the trans-pacific lifestyle between NZ and the USA, he has also paddled in Uganda and the Indian Himalayas.   Recently he has begun to explore ‘other’ aspects of kayaking in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

Shannon Mast is our tokenAustralian.  He is in his fourth season here with us and has also taught kayaking in the USA in the off season. More recently he  was back home where he became an expert in dispatching trucks so he could earn more money to spend on kayaks in New Zealand.  He has also started dabbling in hunting and is our recreational hunter and gatherer.  Shannon holds the  NZOIA kayak 1 award.

Daan Jimmink is back for his second season at the kayakschool.  He has been spending his New Zealand winters in the Northern Hemisphere with Liquid Skills and Otterbar Kayak School.  Daan has justreturned from the Grand Canyon where he learnt the art of teaching rolling in water at ten degrees Celsius.  Heis looking forward to the Murchison pool and  working hard to get Kayak Two in December.

Jess Matheson, not the old Jess, but the new Jess on the scene…  Back for her second season at the Kayak School, Jess s   pends her time chasing summers.  She mixes paddling and teaching kayaking in Canada, the US and New Zealand.  She recently put her rescue skills to good use, bagging two people out of the same hole and sending them on their way again (in goodshape).  Jess’s background in Outdoor Education began at Aoraki Polytechnic and working at The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.  She has been paddling for nine years and holds  NZOIA Kayak One.

Sophia Mulder is relishing  the important role as operations manager, better known as ‘boat slave’.  She has just come off a season teaching kayaking in North Carolina and is waiting in the wings, quietly hoping that one of the other instructors doesn’t show up for work.  Sophia holds the  NZOIA kayak1 award and has a Degree in Outdoor Education.

MattColes has recently graduated from Tai Poutini Polytechnic where he has been studying outdoor recreation. He will also be boatslaving this season. Matt has been kayaking for three years and is working towards his NZOIA Kayak One.

Josh Burrell another “Kayak Two” is a teacher at Motueka High School and enjoys teaching so much that he is working for us during the school holidays.  Josh also designs boats and helmets in his “spare” time.

Trying to keep tabs on this motley crew is Janette Kear. Janette lives in Christchurch and takes all our mail and telephone bookings and provides the organization that makes it all happen!   Janette's experience on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho last year came in handy as she joined the big team on the the Mokihinui River recently.