February 18, 2019
Headwind adds excitement to long distance paddle
We've had the waka ama sprints, and now the kai hoe have had the chance to show what they can do over long distances.
More than 1300 paddlers were on hand at Takapuna Beach over the weekend, including teams from Tahiti, Hawaii, Singapore, Vancouver Island in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Waka Ama New Zealand chief executive Lara Collins says on Saturday there were 96 waka on the water racing either 18, 35 or 42 kilometre courses.
"The 42 kilometre race leaves Takapuna, goes around Rangitoto and Rakino and then back to Takapuna and paddlers change in the water so it is quite exciting and the conditions made it interesting with a big headwind for paddlers coming home so there were some great war stories and adventures and everyone was buzzing when they got off the water," she says.
The men's open race was won for the seventh time in 13 years by Tauranga's Butty Boys, whike Kiwi Campbell led a rejuvenated team from Horouta to victory in the open women's division.
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