Paddle Board Business Launches New Product In Ōtautahi Christchurch

“Sit, kneel or stand with us in the city.”

A former adventure racer is taking the slow lane with a business offering inflatable paddle board hire in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s central city.

Airborn Paddling officially launches its new product on Friday, October 9, 2020 after founder Joe Jagusch received permission from the Christchurch City Council to offer board hire in three different locations along Te Papa Otakaro / Avon River Precinct.

Joe has been offering inflatable paddle board hire near the wharf in Te Waipapa / Diamond Harbour since January 1, 2020 and is thrilled to be able to now offer board hire in the city.

“It provides an opportunity for people to have a wild experience in a built environment and in a safe, protected water.”

Airborn Paddling will operate in the CBD on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, in three locations along Otakaro / Avon River:

• The new Avon Loop boat ramp off Kilmore St, across the road from Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn, between 8am and 10am;
• Manchester St near the band rotunda on Cambridge Tce, just up from Margaret Mahy Family Playground, from 11am till 1pm; and
• Christchurch Botanic Gardens near The Arts Centre / Te Matatiki Toi Ora, beside the Curator’s House, from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Joe says floating along the river on a paddle board is a great way to appreciate “the richness of what we have” in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s central city.

“Cities are always changing, but the river is a constant. It has a gravity about it.”

It’s also a good way for Ōtautahi Christchurch residents to make use of the new landing ramps built along Te Papa Otakaro / Avon River Precinct.

Pricing is $40 per hour for adults, $30 for children and under 10s are free when accompanied by an adult.

A spring special is also currently available, with 20-minute sessions priced at $10 per person (for those aged 10 and above).

Joe plans to offer a ‘Paddle to the Pub’ option from the gardens or Manchester St in future, in collaboration with Pomeroy’s, with groups able to book meals, brewery tours or beer tastings at the legendary tavern.

For now Joe is getting a buzz out of watching people try something for the first time, aboard beginner paddle boards, experiencing the city from a fresh perspective.

“We know the health of our rivers is imperfect, yet disconnecting or fearing to touch our water poses a bigger problem, which I believe can be resolved with a simple activity like paddling boarding,” he says.

“Our equipment displays design relevant to our Pacific Island roots, as each paddling experience connects customers with the sea which brought early people here.”

Joe himself is no stranger to water sports, having completed the Coast to Coast (The Longest Day), GODZone Adventure Race, rafting the Grand Canyon and canoeing the Yukon River.

He once journeyed to his former office job in the CBD by paddling from his home in Te Waipapa / Diamond Harbour, across Whakaraupō / Lyttelton Harbour in an inflatable pack-raft, with a folding bicycle on board.

He unfolded the bicycle and rode over the Sign of the Kiwi, with the deflated pack-raft in his panier bags.

Joe first tried paddle boarding a decade ago and says it was quite different to what he had been doing from an athletic perspective, having been involved in adventure sports at an elite level.

“Initially it didn’t grab me… then I started to appreciate slow travel,” he says.

“When you are standing on a paddle board, as opposed to sitting in a kayak, the concern for self-preservation is heightened. It focuses the mind to apply body balance, all while observing your surroundings. There is a buzz which comes with that vulnerability.”

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