Paddlers at the ready for the Great Waka Ama race

Fri Mar 17 2017 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Paddlers at the ready for the Great Waka Ama race

17 March 2017

World champions and those new to the sport of Waka Ama will make up the mix of crews paddling on the Waitemata Harbour this weekend for the annual University of Auckland Great Waka Ama race.

Up for grabs will be the ultimate prize in the Waka Ama community, an all-expenses paid trip to Hawai’i to compete in the world’s largest long-distance outrigger canoe competition, the Queen Lili’uokalani Memorial race.

The University of Auckland is the current world title-holder of the main open mixed category of the Queen Lili’uokalani Memorial race.

A crew from the Faculty of Engineering beat 10 international teams to win the 30km open-water event in Kona, Hawai’i in 2016.

Competing to represent the University of Auckland in 2017 will be seven mixed men’s and women’s teams, each made up from six crew members who are current students at the University of Auckland.

The winning 2017 crew will go on to complete months of gruelling winter training on the Waitemata Harbour before travelling to Hawai’i in September.

Crews will start and finish at Takapuna Beach, paddling five kilometres from Takapuna to Rangitoto Island, run a return eight kilometres to the summit and then paddle back to Takapuna Beach.

The start of the University of Auckland Great Waka Ama race takes place on Saturday 18 March at 10am (weather dependent).

Media contact:

Danelle ClaytonCommunications, Vice-Chancellor's OfficeThe University of AucklandEmail: d.clayton@auckland.ac.nz