This is a BOLD frontier flagship event – a unique endeavour – designed and delivered by the innovative Social Nature Movement team.

This is a true journey of discovery, travelling on turquoise waters through settler history and gold mining gorges. An all-inclusive mountains to ocean multi-activity experience by raft, dragon boat and bike.

Stories will be told for decades, tales will be stretched as long as the river, and friendships will grow as high as the mountains that surround us.

Some say it takes three days to feel for a place and settle with a sense of belonging. This expedition commits to twice that duration having you transcend levels of emotional intelligence, social cohesion, nature’s natural therapeutic purity and insights only life coaches dream of cultivating.

Step into this self-discovery through New Zealand’s most remote and beautiful landscape. Engross yourself in backcountry wilderness, waking with the sun and exploring all Otago has to offer.

Embody the essence of the past’s great adventurers. Go places only accessible by river and discover spaces only watercraft can allow. Atmospheres, environments and landscapes are all better surveyed from various angles and transport types.

Travelling by raft, dragon boat and bike, you will have the finest vantage points anywhere and everywhere.

Beyond one’s limits of physical and mental expectations, internal journeys of growth will unmask more than you know. Discover what comes to you and what you explore of yourself, of others and otherworldly central Otago odysseys.

Be in the experience and own your identity from firsthand experiences. Embrace local, environmental and community events rather than superficially scratching the surfaces. Drink wine from nearby vineyards, eat fine food from local farmers, pan for gold in the gorges and stargaze some of the world’s clearest and darkest skies.

Group bonding and personal development through dragon boating is internationally celebrated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Dragon Boating strengthens connections within friends and family, proving a harmonious bond between humanity and nature. It also encourages imagination and creativity, contributing to a lively sense of cultural identity.

Gain skills, knowledge and experiences by disconnecting from the urban world and immersing yourself in the natural world. Life becomes focused on simple pleasures like the sounds and fragrance of the landscape filling our senses.

Embarking on a Quest down the Clutha / Mata-Au river involves many lessons learnt, words of wisdom and pieces of advice.

Figures of speech trace back to historic figures like Australian Gabriel Read, who during the 1861 Otago Gold rush discovered gold at Gabriel’s Gully, peaking at 18,000 prospectors, ending in 1969. Some 240 tons of alluvial gold surfaced during that gold rush.

Takeaway Clutha Quest treasures:

Wealth:

• Physical Wealth (health)
  • Feel amazing.

• Social Wealth (status)
  • Leave with an incredible story to share.

Science:

• Motivation chemical (dopamine)
  • Self-care, gratitude, better memory, more focus.

• Endorphins (adrenaline)
  • Laughter, reduce stress, boost self-esteem, weight loss.

• Contentment hormone (oxytocin)
  • Healthy relationships, lower anxiety, build trust.

• Mood stabilizer (serotonin)
  • Reduce depression, regulate anxiety, decrease nausea.