Nga Hoe Horo dominate junior division
Far North paddlers have come home from the Waka Ama NZ Long Distance Nationals held at Waitangi October 7-9 with more than their fair share of medals. The junior division was dominated by 2022 World Sprint Champions from local club Nga Hoe Horo.
Team Tiare took out gold and silver in the J16 Women’s 8km race, while teammates Chelsea Reti Marnie Toloa and Waitangi Piripi earned gold, silver and bronze respectively in the J16 Women’s W1 rudderless 8km before heading straight back out for the J16 8km W2 race.
Waitangi and Chelsea won that division and Marnie placed third. Also from Team Tiare, Waiora Heta and Taylynn Morete won silver and bronze in the J16 women’s 8km W1 ruddered event, A¯ ria Heta won the
J19 women’s W1 ruddered 8km and Jess Cameron won bronze in the 8km J19 Women’s W1 rudderless.
Coach Chev Reti noted that a successful Worlds campaign has made these young women hard, plus their team culture requires them to race each other in every individual event so that they are accountable to each other for doing their bit within the team.
The Black Broncos won gold for the second year in a row in the J16 men’s team 8km event in nailbiting fashion against the Pineula Bullets.
Broncos steerer, Elite Reti also won silver in both the J19 and J16 men’s w1 rudderless 8km events.
The J19 Men’s W2 event was by far the closest event contested by six of the Black Broncos representing their different home clubs.
Only 12 seconds separated the gold and bronze medals, the silver won by Ngā Hoe Horo duo, Drezel Williams and Elite Reti.
The rest of the World Champion J19 team decided to bypass their division and have a go against the Premiere Men, taking a respectable fourth place in the 24km event with their coach Jason Reti.
Manawa Irwin earned silver in the Under 23 w1 rudderless 16km with
team Tipi Haere, made up of Teina Piripi and Iona Wikaira winning silver in the Senior Master Women’s W2 event.
2021 Long Distance Champions Herberts On Tour “HOT” took out the Premiere Men’s 24km.
The crew was made up of five of the team that clean swept the Premiere Men’s division at the World Sprints in London in August; Tupuria King, Rutene Gabel, Stephen Roulston and brothers Sean and Conan Herbert with the addition this weekend of their uncle Aaron Herbert.
The win didn’t come easy however with an early lead taken by Taurangabased Bhutty Boys followed by a 20km tussle between HOT and
Auckland-based Team Pineula vying for front position as they took different lines of the course trying to make the most of the surf, headwind and sidewind with HOT eventually coming out victorious.
Rutene, as a spokesperson for
HOT, made special mention of their family members who support them to succeed at the sport they love.
HOT paddlers also dominated the 16km Premiere Men’s W1 (one-person waka) rudderless division with Tupuria King battling it out on the water to eventually get the win over World Sprint W1 Champion, Kacey Ngā taki.
Tupu and Steve also took out silver and bronze medals respectively in the Premiere Men’s W1 ruddered race.
In the Master Women’s division, Kahurangi won silver in the 24km team race with Team Tiare coach Chev Reti managing a silver in the W1 rudderless 16km event.
Ngā ti Rehia made a strong showing in the Senior and Golden Master events with Ali Robinson and David King taking gold and bronze respectively in the Golden Master Men’s w1 rudderless 8km race, while their team “Team Manuwai” won gold in the 16km event.
Kura Heke won bronze in the W1 rudderless Golden Master Women 8km race and her team “Te Tai Tokerau Golden Master Women” won silver in the 16km. Karearea W2 team made up of Maria Collier and James Sadler won gold in the Golden Master
Mix 16km race while Bill Halkyard and Richard Waldegrave earned bronze in the 16km Golden Master Men W2.
In the Master 70 (70 years and older) events, Waka Toa from Waitangi-based Tirohanga club took silver in the team 16km race with Rob Gabel also winning silver in the 8km W1 rudderless event, with teammates Tony Clutterbuck (silver) and John Harawene (bronze) doing well in the 8km w1 ruddered races.
The event was hosted by Tai Tokerau Polynesian Canoe Association and one of their newest clubs, Tai Kotuku, in association with Waka Ama New Zealand.
Tai Kotuku Club president Jacqui Apiata thanked everyone who had made the event so successful.
Special mention was given to the ringawera (catering) crew, led by Tana Apiata, who was still there long after everyone had gone home making sure the wharekai was left in perfect condition.
The quality of kai was second to none and despite the wind also featuring throughout most of the races, the wairua of Waitangi left a special imprint on everybody who attended.
Waka Ama NZ chief executive
Lara Collins said: “It has been great to have our waka ama whā nau together again and our paddlers out on the water competing here in Te
Tai Tokerau.”