“Put yourself out there on the edge of a waterfall, take a calming breath… then, you can either abseil, slide, zipline or just jump off it!”
OUR MISSION
With more than 30 years guiding and instructional experience world wide, you’re in safe hands!
Waterfalls and white water, the love of sharing our special world. We have the ability to not only guide but teach the fundamentals of canyoning on every tour. We love to help our guests push personal comfort zones while having a fantastic and fun time!
YOUR GUIDES
The Big Rock guide team is seriously stacked. Our current guide team are all Guide 2s — the highest canyon guiding qualification available.
These guides are at the top of their game, bringing a huge amount of skill, experience and good judgement into the canyon. So while you’re out there having an epic adventure, we can rest easy knowing you’re in very good hands.
KORYN Gould. Canyoning Guide 2 Qual. | MANAGING DIRECTOR Koryn has pretty much made a career out of having adventures. He started guiding back in 1991, after earning a scholarship with his local rafting company during his final year of high school. Since then, his career has taken him around the world — commercially guiding in more than 20 countries, leading multi-day expeditions and being part of exploratory first descents through Eurasia and Africa. Along the way he represented New Zealand in freestyle kayaking, became a national raft racing champion, and picked up bungy and canyoning qualifications while living and guiding in the Swiss Alps. It was there that canyoning really became part of the picture. Today, Koryn holds both NZOIA Canyoning Guide 2 and Swiss Canyoning Guide 2 qualifications. But canyoning was the one that really stuck. Koryn loved that it wasn't just about watching someone else do something epic. You're the one standing at the top of the waterfall. You're the one who has to take that breath, trust yourself and decide to step over the edge. That feeling — watching someone arrive a little unsure and leave absolutely fizzing about what they just did — is a big part of why Big Rock exists. These days, Koryn is our Managing Director and Lead Guide, but you'll still find him exactly where he wants to be: in the canyon, sharing some pretty special places with the people who come adventuring with us. As Koryn puts it: “Stand at the edge of a waterfall, take a breath… then abseil it, slide it, zipline it or just jump off the bloody thing.” Pretty awesome way to spend a day, really.
LUKE Cunningham Canyoning Guide 2 Qual. | THE ALL-ROUNDER Luke first crossed paths with Big Rock while studying outdoor education at polytech, where Koryn was one of his instructors. He later joined us as a trainee guide — and has been part of the Big Rock family ever since. These days, Luke is a NZOIA Level 2 Canyoning Guide, Grade 4/5 Raft Guide and qualified in Rope Access, so he seriously knows his stuff. But what makes Luke such a great guide isn't just what he can do on a rope. He is genuinely brilliant with people. He’s funny, relaxed, incredibly client-focused and has a knack for knowing when you need a bit of encouragement, a good laugh or someone firmly in your corner. He wants you to have an awesome day — and our customers absolutely love him for it. When he’s not in a canyon or on the river, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find him out on his mountain bike. Luke came to Big Rock as a trainee and has grown into one hell of a guide. We love having him on the team. He’s well and truly part of the Big Rock Fam.
RICH Abraham Canyoning Guide 2 Qual. | PART-TIME SUPER MAN By day, Rich is an Advanced Paramedic. By night… we're fairly certain he's Superman. Rich holds Level 2 Swiss Canyoning qualifications, is a Senior Grade 4/5 Raft Guide and a qualified Bungy Jump Master. He's spent years guiding and adventuring around the world, including Africa, Iceland and Switzerland. And because apparently that wasn't enough adventure for one person, Rich also spent time on the White Nile in Africa, where he ran his own video production company capturing some pretty epic whitewater action. He seriously knows his stuff — but you'd never know it from talking to him. Rich is calm, easy-going, has an awesome sense of humour and is completely there for you when you need him. If you're standing at the top of something wondering what on earth you've signed yourself up for, he's exactly the sort of bloke you want standing beside you. He'll keep things calm, probably make you laugh, and give you the confidence to give it a go. Highly qualified, hugely experienced and an all-round great human. We're pretty lucky to have this particular superhero in the Big Rock fam.
GRANT Prattley Canyoning Guide 2 Qual. | RESCUE EXPERT With more than 30 years working in rescue, ropes and the outdoors, he brings a pretty incredible amount of experience into the canyon. His career started with ski patrol before he went on to lead the Aoraki / Mt Cook Alpine Rescue Team for 14 years. He was also one of the founders of Search and Rescue Institute New Zealand (SARINZ) and spent ten years as its Rescue Programme Manager. Grant is a qualified NZOIA Level 2 Canyoning Guide and a member of the NZ Canyoning Association Executive, helping keep recreational canyoning thriving here in New Zealand. He’s also literally written the book on canyoning. Grant is the author of the Canyoning Technical Manual, as well as Alpine Rescue Techniques and the Rope Rescue and Rigging Field Guide. Through Over the Edge Rescue, Grant now trains and consults around New Zealand, Australia and further afield, sharing his experience across alpine, rope, cave and canyon environments. Despite that rather impressive list, Grant has a real knack for making complicated technical stuff simple. He’s calm, hugely knowledgeable and loves sharing what he knows. And when he’s not off teaching rescue somewhere around the world, you’ll still find him pulling on a wetsuit and guiding with us here at Big Rock. Pretty cool bloke to have showing you around a canyon.
DARRYN Hawes Canyoning Guide 2 Qual. | SOLID AS A BIG ROCK If there's one word we'd use to describe Darryn, it's solid. Darryn holds Level 2 Swiss Canyoning qualifications, is a Senior Grade 4/5 Raft Guide, a qualified Bungy Jump Master and, when he's not off adventuring, an electrician. He also has a seriously impressive amount of river experience behind him. After years spent guiding expedition rivers, he'd have to be up there as one of the most experienced expedition river guides in New Zealand. But for us, it's the person behind all that experience that makes Darryn such a great guide. He's incredibly calm, dependable and just genuinely there for you. Nothing seems to rattle him. He wants you to have the best day out — and he'll do everything he can to make sure you do. Darryn is usually spending time with his family, out on his bike or getting back on the river with family and mates. A seriously experienced guide, a family man and an all-round great guy. Darryn is about as solid as they come — and we're bloody lucky to have him in the Big Rock fam.
