Wellsford youngster faces his fears by kayaking down Kaituna River's Tutea Falls

March 4, 2019

Seven Sharp’s Claire Robbie was with Gage Laughton as he achieved the feat. (Source: Other)

New Zealand is famous for its whitewater rivers and rapids, and for a youngster from Wellsford, north of Auckland, the higher and faster the better.

Gage Laughton, 12, is becoming an expert at facing his fears, thanks to the tutelage of his dad who got him paddling at age seven.

Tutea Falls, near Rotorua is the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall.

Gage was determined to conquer it in a kayak with his dad behind him and four-time World Whitewater Kayak champion Sam Sutton by his side.

"Safety comes first, and that's another reason why it's so great having Sam here. I've got one of the best paddlers in the world taking my son down one of the most famous rivers in the world," Gage's dad Lee told TVNZ1's Seven Sharp.

Watch the youngster's heroic effort to conquer the falls in the video above.

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