Julie and Denis Wright go on an "adventure" every summer with friends Steph and John Gourdie, and this year's excursion was in their back yard - a trip down the Whanganui River.
The Ohakune couple are among the thousands heading to Whanganui National Park this summer.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, however - the Wrights were busy drying off at Pipiriki when the Chronicle spoke to them after their canoe took a rapid side-on.
"It wasn't too cold," said Mrs Wright, after her spill into the water.
The river, sporting its usual muddy brown colour, was higher this year, according to Mrs Gourdie.
The two couples had started their trip Monday in Ohakune and cycled the Old Coach Rd to Ruatiti, staying overnight. They took a jet boat part-way along the river, then canoed to Pipiriki.
"From here we bike to Flying Fox Lodge," said Mrs Wright. "The last day we cycle into Wanganui," her husband chimed in.
Their trip was part of the Mountains to Sea Cycleway package run by Mountain Bike Station in Ohakune.
The co-owner of Whanganui River Adventures, Josephine Haworth, said business had been good for them, although recent rainy weather had affected all their river tours.
She and husband Ken Haworth owned the business, which had been in Mr Haworth's family since the '70s.
"Last year would have been one of our best summers," Mrs Haworth said.
This year "started off pretty good" but the rain had certainly put a dampener on things.
Daniel and Karin Sutr, tourists from Switzerland, were on a three-month bicycle trip around New Zealand and were cycling along the Whanganui River Rd on Wednesday.
Five weeks into their trip, they had already visited Auckland, Northland, Coromandel, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, National Park, Whakapapa, and Pipiriki.
"A ride like here is perfect," said Mr Sutr.
They were told New Zealand was "a cyclist's paradise"- but he said this was not the case in regard to motorists.
Mr Sutr said when it came to the way drivers acted towards cyclists, New Zealand was the worst country they had been to.
They have also biked across the US, and visited countries such as France, Germany and Austria.