Kau mau te wehi mo te ahuatanga o te ra i kitea i Rotoma e hoa ma. Miharo pai te kite atu te maha o nga waka e whakataetae ngatahi ana i te wa kotahi. Me te ahua hoki o te Le Mans hei timatanga kia kite atu ko wai ka wehe tuatahi. Ko te tuatahi tenei o nga whakataetae e toru mo tenei wahanga o te tau, ko nga reihi e rua whakamutunga ka tiakina mo te mutunga o te tau.

He waimarie no te hunga i tae atu te ahuatanga o te tomairangi i kakahungia i ta matou roto i te awatea, na wai ra ka hikina te kohu, a, ka whiti mai ko Tamanui ki te ra. Nga mihi nui ki te hunga tautoko me nga kaimahi katoa. Ko te tuarua o tenei kahui reihi ka tu ki Hinehopu (Lake Rotoiti) hei te 21 o Poutu te Rangi (Maehe), ko te tuatoru ka tu ki Tarawera hei te 18 o Paengawhawha (Apereira)! Nau mai, haere mai!

What a great sight at Rotoma on Saturday 7 March to see so many waka racing at one time for the first of this year's Rotohoe Series. The Le Mans style race start adds another dimension to see who gets away first and the excitement is intense as crews sort themselves out over the 6km, 10km or 15km courses. Three regatta will be held over the coming weeks, with the final two regatta of the five-race series due to be held during October and November of 2009.

Paddlers were graced with a cloak of mist at the start of the day, but it soon cleared to be a beautiful day - we even got some sun! Our eternal thanks to our supporters and volunteers. The second in the Rotohoe series will be held Saturday March 21 at Hinehopu, Lake Rotoiti and the third at Lake Tarawera on Saturday 18 April. We look forward to seeing you all there.