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More than 1000 kaihoe will be on the waters of the Waitematā Harbour this weekend for the Ports of Auckland Long Distance Waka Ama Nationals.
Tomorrow there will be single paddler races of 12 and 16 kilometres, and on Saturday the six-person teams turn out for races of 24 kilometres for adults, 12 and 16 kilometres for juniors and 12 kilometres for para or adaptive racing.
Lara Collins from Waka Ama New Zealand says it’s a step up from the sprints which challenges kaihoe both physically and mentally as they paddle for up to three hours.
The races start at Ōkahu Bay and do two laps of a course which passes by Brown’s Island and Rangitoto.
The regatta is a qualifying event for the IVF Va’a World Distance Championships in August in Mooloolaba, Australia.
There will be a pōwhiri for the paddlers at Ōrākei Marae this evening.
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