Conversations with Rafting Guides: Paulie and Johnny

Teva speaks with rafting guides Paulie and Johnny, from Raging Thunder, who share their tips, and greatest experiences from their combined 44 years on the river.

Paulie: Hey! My name is Paulie and I’m a rafting guide at Raging Thunder. I’ve been rafting for 18 years and have worked in all sorts of cool places like Queenstown on the Shotover River, Canada in the Rocky Mountains on the Kicking Horse River, in Africa and Uganda on the White Nile River. I’ve also led expedition rafting trips in places like Tasmania and done a lot of recreational paddling in countries like Japan and Fiji, just to name a few.

Johnny: Hey! I’m Johnny and I’m also a rafting guide at Raging Thunder. I was born in New Zealand so I started rafting in 1998 in Queenstown on the Shotover River and the Kawarau River, I worked there for around 4 years rafting in the summer and as a ski groomer and instructor in the winter. Wow, I can’t believe I’ve been rafting for 26 years now!

Paulie, let’s give them a taste of what being a rafting guide is like.

Paulie: Oh, it’s a fantastic job because it gives you the ability to show people a great time. Most people associate raging rivers with danger. So when you’re able to take people out, get them working together to navigate river rapids safely and have a bunch of fun along the way, and then they tell you at the end of the day it’s the best thing they’ve ever done, you have that shared sense of accomplishment from working with a team and it’s really satisfying.

What I love most about being a rafting guide is the time spent in nature, the fact it’s a physical activity, and the chance to engage and meet new people. It also gives you the chance to travel. There’s plenty of rivers around the world and if you have the skill set you need to keep people safe and give them a good time, then the world’s your oyster! It’s been a great way for me to work and see the world.

Johnny, what are your favourite parts about the job?

Johnny: What I like the most is definitely the travel side of it which I love, and also seeing people happy at the end of the day is really fulfilling. As I’m getting a bit older I’m not getting to do as much traveling as I used to so this is where recreational trips come into play.

We’re currently planning the next big trip for the end of this year which is likely going to be in Mexico, I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s on offer there!

Any tips on rafting?

Paulie: From the perspective of anyone interested in becoming a river guide, my three main tips are you need to keep people safe, you need to show people a good time and you need to work together as a team – this is the holy trinity!

When it comes to gear, I’m a stickler for having top quality gear that I’d personally wear - you can’t buy a cheap helmet, you can’t buy a cheap PFD and you can’t have cheap footwear! The things that go on your body and protect you the most are the things you should never skimp on, and Teva has long been recognised as the best footwear.

Johnny: I couldn’t agree more. The ability to put people at ease comes in handy as you’ve often got people in your boat that are out of their comfort zone and nervous. I always get to know my crew before we start getting into the bigger rapids, once you build up some rapport with them and they see you’re comfortable and in control, they start focusing on the fun and not the nerves.

Your gear is also super important, it needs to be really good quality as you’re relying on it constantly. I remember Teva being the go-to footwear from back when I started and nothing’s changed.

Remember that trip down the Grand Canyon?

Paulie: How could I forget! Johnny and I did a 23-day trip down the Grand Canyon through the USA, it’s the longest expedition that I’ve ever done and while the white water was exciting, being immersed in one of the 7 natural wonders of the world for such a long time was the highlight. Packing and preparing for such a long trip and having to factor in things like fuel, food, equipment, gas, water etc, was really a great experience seeing how you can be away for so long without access to anything or anywhere, and doing this while going through such an iconic place made for one of the best rafting trips I’ve been on.

Johnny: We did have an epic time down the Grand Canyon and then we went to the Alsek River which flows from Yukon into Northern British Columbia and then Alaska – I thought the Grand Canyon was going to be hard to beat but the Alsek was right up there with it!

I remember at one point on the Alsek, we’d finished paddling for the day and were sitting up the front of the boat having a few beers and we could count 14 different glaciers around us, which I was thought was absolutely amazing!