Waka Racing

Our club has a number of paddlers who compete in sprint and long distance race events as individuals or as part of race crews.

Sprint races are fast and furious, with paddlers going flat out for distances of 250m to 2500m. Sometimes tight turns need to be made on the race course as well – a manoeuvre which requires great skill.

Long distance races are generally around 10km to 30km and test paddlers’ stamina. There are also longer races, called ``changeover’’ races, where a crew will change paddlers every 20 minutes or so. They’re also very challenging, as there’s a special knack to changing paddlers while the canoe is moving.

Every year our club holds a race regatta, Tuna e Hoe Ana (which means paddling with eels), at Lake Rotoiti, in the Nelson Lakes National Park. This is a popular event and features a series of races from 10km to 20km. To find out more go to the Tuna e Hoe Ana event page.

To find out more about other race events in New Zealand check out the race calendar on www.wakaaama.co.nz