Ellorine Carle
Kia ora! I’m Ellorine!
Instagram: @ellorine
A lover of human-powered transport in all forms, whether by paddle, bike, skis, or legs! I am originally from California, but fell in love with Aotearoa while on exchange and then came back a couple years later and didn’t leave! I am constantly in awe of the country’s natural wonders, big and small, and have a real passion for conserving its wild places and native biodiversity. I’m currently finishing up my MSc (Master of Science) at Otago where I have been studying how the Fox Glacier catchment is being shaped by glacier retreat due to climate change.
I started whitewater kayaking in my first year of university back in the States because I thought the weird people sitting at clubs day in their plastic boats looked cool. Since then, the sport has introduced me to my closest friends, taken me to incredible places, and taught me some important life-shaping lessons. While you won’t find me hucking it off huge waterfalls or sending the absolute gnar, I love paddling for the access it enables to untrodden nooks and crannies of the world and the lifelong bonds it forges amongst friends.
A couple years ago, my friend Blake and I co-founded “Friends of the Waipori River” and started organising releases and a race on the Waipori Gorge, a somewhat neglected stretch of whitewater in Dunedin’s backyard. When we first paddled the river, it was overgrown with trees and weeds, but a dedicated team of locals have since tidied up the vegetation and uncovered a truly classic section of fun grade 4 boating. At the most recent release, we had over 50 paddlers in attendance from across the South Island and we are already looking forward to the 3rd edition of the Waip Out Race, Release, and Party coming soon!
This spring, four friends and I completed a source-to-sea descent of the Taieri, a 288 km river flowing through the heart of Otago. The 8-day trip took us from the tussocky, alpine tops of the Lammerlaw Range, through epic gorges, and many kilometres of winding scroll plains! We are currently working on a film about the trip, as well as exploring the question of what the river means to its diverse group of users and stakeholders.
My goals for kayaking at the moment are to improve my freestyle game, bombproof my shoulders, and come up with another silly place I can carry my plastic boat to. I am super humbled to be supported by Further Faster and admire their commitment to the community, environment, and high-quality gear. I hope to encourage and support other female kayakers in getting after it, whether it's paddling grade 2 for the first time or taking part in a mega stout charging expedition somewhere.
See ya on the river 😊
See ya on the river 😊
