"I'm enjoying the surf lifesaving because it's fun. There is a good family environment and everyone becomes quite close," Akuhata said.
Akuhata captured three golds and a silver medal at the Hawke's Bay champs. He won the under-16 beach flags title and finished second to Lee in the beach sprint for the same age group.
Like Lowe, Akuhata, played Ross Shield rugby. In 2014 he scored eight tries in one game for Napier in Wairoa and finished the week with 13 tries to equal the tournament record, set by Napier's Shae Tucker in 2008.
The previous year he scored six tries in one game for Napier in Waipukurau. Last year Akuhata played D grade and under-15 rugby for his school with centre his main position.
This year the 2015 Hawke's Bay under-14 representative has made the training squad for his school's 1st XV and is hoping to get game time on the wing for this team as well as the 2nd XV. Lowe still alternates between the wing and centre positions.
"I'm eyeing a career as a professional rugby player. If I can't make the Hurricanes or another Super team I will try and crack the All Black Sevens team. I'm happy to do beach sprinting every summer to help me achieve that goal," Akuhata said.
Long-time OBK beach sprint coach Greg Larsen ranked Henderson, Lee, Akeripa and Akuhata, who train on the beach three nights each week and do fitness on a fourth, as good as any under-16 team he has had.
"We're going down to Christchurch to make the final and get on the podium. We're good enough for a top three finish although I haven't seen the Papamoa team in action as it was disqualified at the Eastern Regionals."
Akeripa finished third behind Akuhata and winner Lee in the under-16 beach sprint at the Hawke's Bay champs and Henderson was fifth. This quartet was prominent as OBK did the best of the Hawke's Bay clubs at the Eastern Regional champs with a 14th placing.
Larsen's beach sprint team, most of whom are first-year lifeguards like Akuhata, returned to the Bay with two golds, four silver and two bronze medals. While Lee, Akuhata, Akeripa and Henderson were convincing winners of their relay Lee used his explosive speed out of the blocks to pip Akuhata for the under-16 beach sprint title.
Akuhata completed 16 rounds on his way to a second place in the under-16 beach flags. Fellow team member Ben Lewis, who has also represented Hawke's Bay in age group rugby, produced a powerful second placing in the under-19 boys beach sprint.
Lee, Akuhata, Akeripa and Lewis finished third in the under-19 beach relay. On the last leg Lewis took the team from fifth to third with power sprinting and a perfect dip on the line.
Lewis continued this form at the Hawke's Bay champs when he won the open men's title ahead of Devan Flanders, a member of the Hastings Boys High School 1st XV rugby team which finished second in last year's national top four comp.
OBK's under-16 girls team of Laura Johnson, Sarah Winnie, Lucy McKenzie and Manaia Winiata finished second at the Eastern Regional chanps and won the Hawke's Bay title. Smooth baton changes and some smart running saw the OBK under-19 girls team of Laura Johnson, Sophia Peterson, Amira Bates and Emma Johnson finish third at the Mount and first in the Hawke's Bay champs.
Winiata, McKenzie and Bates formed an OBK trifecta in the under-16 beach sprint at the Hawke's Bay champs and Bates, Josie Minor and Emma Johnson formed an OBK trifecta in the under-19 beach sprint to help OBK finish second to Westshore who won the Hawke's Bay champs for the 14th consecutive year.
