Wacky Waka and Gizzy Hard midget girls’ teams, coached by Joelene Takai, joined forces to win gold in the W12 250m.
The Wacky Waka team also won the W6 250m event, an awesome achievement by the nine-year-old girls.
Midget girls Mareikura Waikanae made the 250m championship final.
New intermediate boys’ teams Pikaru Boys and Te Pae Mahutonga spread their wings for the first time on the national scene, with new coaches James Brown, Tyrone Bird and Jordan Tuhura.
Intermediate girls Mareikura Taniwha, coached by Raipoia Brightwell, and Mareikura Taruheru, coached by Rob Nuku, paddled together, making the finals in the W12 race.
The club’s new intermediate boys’ team Mareikura-Hiro — Maui Kururangi, Jarrod Hill, Eugene Paul, Zion Birch, Allies Rangihuna and Kingi Rakuraku — took top honours.
Coached by Waka Ama Aotearoa founder Matahi Brightwell and managed by Amy Kururangi, Hiro convincingly won gold in the W12 500m race paired with intermediate boys’ team YMP Rukupo, then went on to win gold in the W6 500m turns race. Hiro took silver in the 500m straight race, battling it out to the finish line with Otaki (coached by Pare Taiapa). Otaki won by 0.9 of a second.
Intermediate boys’ team member Jarrod Hill reigned supreme in his W1 500m race. He won in style, even putting in another kick in the last 50m. His time of 2 minutes 35.79 seconds was a record.
Reremoana Aupouri, a newcomer in the W1 field, made the W1 intermediate girls’ final. Coached by Rob Nuku, Aupouri shows promise.
The J16 boys’ squad of Nga Tama Taniwha (Mareikura Nga Tama Toa and Mareikura Taniwha teams) — coached by Matahi Brightwell — won the gold in style in the W12 final. They raced neck and neck to the finish line with an invitation team from the island of Raiatea (Tahiti). The two Mareikura teams made the final of the 500m.
Coached by Orohena Brightwell, the girls’ team Akaaz did well as first-year J16 competitors. Teaming up with clubmates Mareikura Nga Kohine, they reached the final of the W12 500m.
Mareikura Akaaz also made the finals of the W6 1000m.
“Over the past four years, these girls have been lucky enough to have been coached by four different members of the Brightwell whanau,” one of their managers, Irene Wynyard, said.
New girls on the block Mareikura Giz Int J16 girls competed well and they are expected to continue to impress.
Hinewaipounamu Rangihuna-Winikerei made the final of the J16 girls’ W1 500m in her first appearance at this level. She shows great promise as a single waka paddler.
J19 girls teams Hei Tiare (coached by Orohena Brightwell) and Rongomaiawhia (coached by Rob Nuku) joined as Manawatahi to make the final of the W12 race. Both teams also made the final of the W6 1000m turns race.
Rob Nuku’s J19 boys Mareikura Da Cuzzies made the final of the 1000m race.
An increase in the number of paddlers in the master men’s age group (turning 40 to 49, or older, in the year of competition) led to the club entering two teams in that division — Mareikura Tairawhiti and Mareikura Ururoa.
They paddled together to take fourth place in the W12 master men’s final. Ururoa also made the finals of the W6 500m and 1000m races.
Competing for outside clubs this year, Mareikura members Denise Tapp and Raipoia Brightwell won gold with Ruamata teams in the master women’s W12 500m and senior master (50 to 59 or older) women’s W6 500m and 1000m races.
Tony Tapp competed for Horouta in the senior master men’s division. They were sixth in the W6 1000m and seventh in the W6 500m.
Kara Te Whata-Maynard, paddling for Horouta’s master women, won silver in the W12 and W6 1000m races and bronze in the 500m race.
The club thanks coaches, managers and whanau for their support, and congratulates paddlers on their achievements.
“Nga mihi nui.”
See also this story.
