Paddlers out in force
An O¯ taki waka ama club sent one of its largest contingents ever to the national competition at Lake Karapiro last weekend. The O¯ taki Waka Hoe club had 12 teams competing, who all travelled in convoy with a large band of supporters. As each team was made up of six paddlers, there were at least 72 athletes who all had support in one form or another from grandparents, mums, dads, aunties, uncles and siblings.
With accommodation in the ¯area scarce during the event, the Otaki teams all stayed at the Rawhitiroa Marae, near Kihikihi. They had stayed at the same marae for the nationals throughout the 10 years they had been entering competition.
As the marae had facilities to sleep 200, a large grass area was made available for tent spacing to ensure everyone on the support crews was accommodated. Club member Tracey Doyle said the support created a great atmosphere for the athletes and all involved, as teams came and went.
Doyle said it was all about whanaungatanga (kinship) and kotahitanga (togetherness).
“We had a massive crowd go up. We don’t cap numbers,” she said.
“It’s an amazing event.” Doyle said the week-long Karapiro competition was a chance for the teams to put on show all the hard work they had done in training near the O¯ taki River leading up to the event.
Watched over by coaches Ngahuia Henare-Taiapa and Pare Taiapa, crews practised each week using two club waka on the manmade lake near the river at the Winstone quarry, just south of O¯ taki, which had grown from 250m to 500m long in recent years.
It allowed teams to practise during the week on a settled stretch of water,
although all training had to be done after work hours once the quarry had been cleared of machinery.
Doyle said waka ama was for anyone of any age. They had three midget crews and the same number of masters crews competing.
“The event caters for paddlers aged
from 7 to 70-plus,” she said.
Many O¯ taki teams made finals and finished among the medals. They also teamed up with the Toa Waka Ama club, of Porirua. With each club providing three paddlers to the team they gelled quickly and won gold in the 500m and silver in the 1000m sprint.