The early days
The University of Canterbury Canoe Club was founded in 1967, splitting off from tramping and climbing clubs, who would occasionally use kayaks for route access. The early days of the club were hallmarked by experimentation, in runs, technique, and boat design. Rivers in the area were often unknown, and “scouting party” tramps took place to determine if a new river was runnable. Boats were often homemade from canvas (the creation of which became something of a club social event), or occasionally secondhand fiberglass boats were bought, especially into the late 1970s. Membership grew from an initial 68 members at the clubs founding to around 350 in 1984.
Nineties to noughties
Through the 1990’s, UCCC developed into something more like the club as it’s known today: a drinking club with a kayaking problem. Pub crawls, parties, and the legendary Brunner trip made sure that members received their fair share of liquids.
This period also brought more structure to the club, with regular beginners courses, as well as the “leader and second” structure. Relationships were formed with kayaking businesses, allowing both the club and its members to get gear cheap, especially with much more commercially produced equipment.
This period also brought many technological advances (beyond better kayaks). UCCC went online with its own website in 1998, succeeded by an updated domain in 2008.
the club as we know it
insert current shitchat here