I made an overnight trip on part of the Whanganui River in New Zealand. Arriving at the Poukaria camp site, I encountered around a fire a group of perhaps a dozen rough-looking young people. Extreme hair styles, body piercings, lots of tattoos, lots of leather (no nylon) and rough sounding Kiwi accents was what made them rough looking to me. Of course, it's wrong to judge a book by the cover, but these folks were certainly not the type you normally meet in a backcountry camp. The next day, the group and I hopscotched each other as we paddled downriver.
I stopped to admire the scenery at the confluence of the Ohura River. The rough lot pulled their canoes in soon after. This was when I met the group's trip leaders, Ray and Mike. Ray was in his fifties, and he told me he works for the New Zealand government, and was guiding this group of "hardcore unemployed" on a five-day river trip. He allowed that he was lucky to be getting paid for doing what he loves. A minister by the name of Mike was the other guide, and there were a couple European women along, decidedly not rough looking, who were on some sort of internship.
Meeting Ray was a stroke of luck for me. He explained much history at the confluence of the Ohura, where there was a Maori totem pole carved from Tatora wood, unique to New Zealand, that is extremely rot resistant. My lessons continued as we paddled together below the Ohura, along with stories of groups Mike previously guided on the river. He told me about Maori traditions and legends, the history of steamboat travel on the Whanganui, local paddling groups and how the river conditions changed with various water levels.
The Government of New Zealand was paying Ray to guide this group down the river. The "kids" were troubled, unemployed youths who applied and were selected to go on this trip. The goals of the trip were to expose the kids to the wealth of New Zealand's natural attractions, teach self-reliance, teach team work and boost their confidence. Ray was perhaps biased, but told me, "it works."
Ray and Mike were two gregarious guys going about their business of trying to make life better for the trip participants. I think they appreciated me as an attentive audience eager to absorb the knowledge they shared. I wasn't happy to be sharing the river with the rough lot, but in the end, I really appreciated what the two leaders had to share, and meeting this group became a highlight of an already great trip.