Taxi Rapid / Weir
You will come across Taxi Rapid only 1km after low level bridge. It is a naturally formed weir that spans the entire river and at very high water levels, can generate a dangerous suck-back.
The approach to Taxi is "blind" meaning you will not be able to see below the drop until you are committed. You therefore need to know in advance where you have to shoot it. It also helps to know exactly where Taxi Rapid is so remember this: The first left bend the river takes after Low Level Bridge is an indication that you are in the approach to Taxi and about to take the plunge. This left bend is also preceded by a high pipeline bridge. (See map at end of article).
Upstream View of Taxi Rapid
Up until recently there was one fail-safe line at all levels and that is to keep extreme left over the drop. Unfortunately at medium to low levels the extreme left line is definitely not good, as your nose bottoms-out hard on the base rock below the drop and can even pin. Now you have to choose your line based on river levels.
Low to Medium Levels
Fortunately there is an easy line a couple of meters to the right of the left bank where you land in deep water and the hydraulics are relatively calm. To get your bearings look for what seems like the highest point on the left side of the pour over and aim for this "hump".
A second option is to go down the "slot" (see yellow marker), however the challenge with the slot is that it is not easy to see from the top. The other downside of this line is that the front paddler in a K2 tends to go quite deep, which is not ideal due to water quality on this section.
The paddler below is spot on the medium/low line (image Anthony Grote)
High Water Level
The image below shows the traditional extreme left line, which is still a good option in very high water as the other lines are very difficult to line up on from the top and a strong suck back does develop below the drop. "Very high" means much higher than a traditional Dusi release, when Musson's is washed out and can easily be shot against the right bank.
If you choose the extreme left bank line, your left paddle blade should be within touching distance of the bank in the approach, so hug the inside of the bend. If you find yourself off-line keep the boat straight and do not try to change your line at the last moment.
Videos
Medium level aerial view