E kore e hoki mai anō

Kua ū tō waka ki te whenua taurīkura

Ko te taurāhere waka ka taea te motu

Ekari kē ia, mō te taurā here tākata, e kore e taea te motu

Hoatū rā i te rakimarie

Waiho te taumahataka me te mamae i muri

Ka ora tonu koe i tō whānau me ō hoa maha

Me te au o te moana me te whatika o te tai

E te rakatira, e te kaihoe o Te Waka Pounamu, e te taoka o Te Waka o Aoraki, Dave,

Haere atu koe ki te taha o ōu tūpuna, kua wheturakitia koe. Moe mai rā, takoto mai rā koe i tō waka whakamutuka, hoea, hoea, hoea rā koe.

Ka mihi tino aroha ki a Fran, Dylan & Micah, rātou ko te whanau whānui Van de Geest hoki.

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui.

Āpiti hono, tātai hono, rātou ki a rātou

Āpiti hono, tātai hono, tātou ki a tātou

Nō reira, tēnā koutou

We have lost a true champion. An amazing person, fantastic teammate and a good friend. Our hearts ache, and our love goes out to Dave's family, especially his wife Fran, and children Dylan and Micah, and all of his friends, in this difficult time.

On New Years Eve, David Van de Geest, a valued club member, and team member of Aoraki Matatū and PanDolphins, passed away surrounded by his whanau.

Dave was a great human being, with an amazing attitude and willingness to work hard. He first joined Te Waka Pounamu about 2020, after initially paddling with Waitaha in 2018/19, and coming across from Dragonboating, where he paddled for NZ in the 2017 World Champs in China. These early days with the club were spent learning to paddle OC1 - where he slowly but surely got closer to the bunch on Saturday Mornings, until finally, he was surpassing many of his clubmates.

It was this attitude and work ethic that led to Aoraki Matatū asking him to join the team for the 2022 World Championships in London, when the crew unexpectedly needed a 6th paddler with less than 8 weeks to go to the event. And, what a decision it turned out to be. Dave, at his first ever sprint regatta became a double World Champion in the W12 500m nd W6 500m Master Men events - helping Te Waka Pounamu grab its first ever W6 world title.

Dave backed this up in 2024, claiming a National Gold with Aoraki Matatū in the Master Men W6 1000m, and a Bronze in the W12 500m at the World Championships in Hilo, Hawaii. In 2025, he showed that hard work pays off by winnng Silver in the Master Men OC1 16km race at LDNs, along with a Bronze in the W6 24km event with the Pansexual Dolphins.

Dave, may you go well on your journey and paddle strong, as you always have. We will miss you, and think of you fondly, especially on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings on Whakaraupō.

A memorial service to celebrate Dave's life on the 30th of January (times and venue to be confirmed). If you would like to give a koha, you can do so to the following account: 03-1355-0801178-03 (Account Name: Te Waka Pounamu Outrigger Canoe Club Charitable Trust - Please use your Surname as reference and DVG Koha as code).

The following page has been set up for any messages you would like to offer:

Ngā mihi mahana

Te Waka Pounamu