"Oarsome" waka ama racing

The monthly meeting of Golden Bay Community Board took place on Monday afternoon at TDC’s Tākaka Service Centre.

While the format was the same, there were a few absences, substitutions and additions to the attending personnel including, for Tasman District Council (TDC): regulatory manager Adrian Humphries (standing in for Kim Drummond); group manager finance Mike Drummond; and senior climate change policy advisor Barbara Lewando. Chairing the meeting in Abbie Langford’s absence was Grant Knowles.

Public Forum

Paul Sangster had a number of issues on his mind, but before airing them to the board, stated that he was not seeking election. He began with the appearance and subsequent disappearance of bollards around the ablution block at Tata Beach which, he said, were put in only to be pulled out “weeks later”.

Moving on to discuss Tarakohe, Paul observed that a large crane was “sitting there” idle for most of the time.

He then addressed the controversial Pōhara cycleway, pointing out that the debate over the relative safety of various routes appeared to ignore the bigger issue of the roadway past Tarakohe. “It is many time more dangerous to cycle to Ligar Bay.”

Waka ama crews from across Te Tauihu o Te Waka (the Top of the South) enjoyed an “oarsome” time at Tata Beach last Sunday morning, for the second round of the Interclub Winter Series competition.

Hosts Onetahua Waka Ama Club (OWAC) were joined by Motueka Waka Ama Club, two Nelson-based clubs – Maitahi and Te Tai o Aorere (TToA), plus a sole paddler from Picton’s Waikawa Waka Ama Whānau.

By 8.30am, a large fleet of outrigger canoes (OCs) was lined up on the sandy beach, ready for action. The brightly coloured boats, which combine modern materials with traditional design, included single-seaters (OC1), doubles (OC2), and six-person (OC6) craft.

Following a karakia and briefing, racing got underway with Men’s and Women’s OC1s and OC2s paddling the 5km course, which took them out to and around Tata Islands, across Ligar Bay towards Abel Tasman Memorial, before rounding a marker buoy and heading back to the beach. Setting off at around the same time, the OC6 rangatahi crews tackled a shorter 2.5km route.

The smooth sea and lack of wind created perfect conditions for waka racing and the streamline hulls cut through the silky water at quite a rate of knots.

Keeping a close eye on proceedings from the beach, OWAC vice president Erica van Sint Annaland was pleased with the turnout. “I think we have more paddlers than last year – more young people – lots in the singles, which is awesome.”

Membership numbers at OWAC are also looking healthy. “The club is doing well – we have around 60, but we are always looking for new members,” said Erica, who suggests anyone interested should join the weekly Sunday social paddle. “They can come and try it out for $5.”

As she was speaking, two established members, Selwyn Farr and Lou Rooney, paddled home in first place in the OC2 class.

“They are our medal hopes,” said Erica.

Meanwhile, out on the water, Mark Sparks from Pōhara Boat Club piloted the chase boat around the course, making sure that everyone got back to the beach safely.

In the OC1 race, Motueka club president Callum O’Leary paddled his Tahitian V1 rudderless craft to a convincing victory, over what he indicated was a more of a sprint than a marathon. “Five K [kilometres] is always a bit shorter and a bit harder.” Callum was one of more than 30 paddlers from his club who had travelled over the Hill along with two OC6s and seven V1s.

All subsequent races – men/women, mixed gender, and mixed club – featured OC6 vessels and followed the same 5km course.

As the races were completed, clubs accumulated points towards the day’s total. In the first three races, 1000, 500, and 250 points were awarded to the boat that finished first, second and third respectively, while in the mixed club race, all paddlers in the same boat received 200, 100 and 50 points for first, second and third placings.

After the last crew had finished their final race, each club’s points were tallied.

Winter Waka Challenge race series. Tata Beach, Sunday 9 July. Total points: Motueka 10,150; Maitahi 4,200; Onetahua 2,450; TTOA 650; Waikawa 550. The next round of races is at Picton on Sunday 13 August.

More photos on page 10

Sticking with theme of road safety, Paul criticised the narrowing of Meihana Street which he said is the main thoroughfare for milk tankers and stock trucks. “It doesn’t seem to be practical.” He highlighted the pinch-points created by new kerbing: “There will be accidents there”.

Chair’s Report

Items from June Public Forum:

Suggestions made regarding the design of the recreational boat ramp have been forwarded to TDC’s enterprise team for consideration under the Port Tarakohe redevelopment plan.

The request for improved maintenance of Anatoki Track Road has been passed on to the roading contractor by TDC transportation personnel.

Correspondence:

An item of correspondence received from a member of the public regarding the new fees for boat launching and barrier arm access at Port Tarakohe was directed to the port manager who advised the customer that the boat ramp at Tata Beach was a low cost alternative.

An email received regarding the recent... Continued on page 3

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