The second annual Takapuna Beach Cup starts at Takapuna Beach on Saturday 16 February at 11.30am.
Top New Zealand crew 'Team Goodyear' from Rotorua are defending their title however the 'Herberts on Tour' crew from Pawarenga (Northland) will be taking heart from their recent 15th place at last year's Molokai Challenge in Hawaii - long regarded as the World Championship of distance outrigger paddling.
With $25,000 in prize money the Takapuna Beach Cup has attracted over 100 crews from throughout New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti and San Diego.
The masters mens race (over 40year olds) should be a keen contest between Wellington crew Mana Menz and North Shore teams Taniwha Grizzlies and Team Phoenix (last year's winners) with former All Black Frano Botica in the crew.
Day one of the Takapuna Beach Cup is the 42km course from Takapuna Beach around Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands finishing back at Takapuna Beach. Crews compete in a six person outrigger canoe (waka) with three substitute crew on a support boat. At each changeover (approx every 15 minutes) the 3 substitutes position themselves ahead of the waka in the water and as the waka approaches 3 paddlers jump out of the waka whilst still at speed and the 3 substitute paddlers climb in from between the outrigger (ama) and hull – this can be some of the most exciting, spectacular and precarious moments of the race. Most boats will make a minimum of 18 crew changes on the fly at average speeds of 14km/h.
Day two on Sunday 16th has competitors racing single outriggers off Takapuna Beach close to shore in the 24Km 2-person relay sprint races – each team member paddling the 4km leg three times. This format has crews changing over close to shore in a spectator-friendly frenzy of activity.
Rivalry between the top women will be rekindled here as Hawaii's Lauren Bartlett won last years solo Molokai Challenge 52km World Championship with Waitakere's Bernie Murch 4th while Manukau's Leanne Haronga won gold and Bernie silver at the recent 2008 NZ Sprint Championships.
At the 2006 Sprint World Champs Lauren, Bernie and Leanne were 2nd, 3rd and 6th respectively. Adding to the mix are the Tahitian women's pair Kinu Lucas and Marie-Rose Bohl.
www.takapunabeachcup.com
Contact:
Kingi Gilbert
[email protected]
+64 (0)21 89 39 17
