Gisborne waka ama paddling coach Vesna Radonich picked up four gold medals at the annual Vaka Eiva festival in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands last month.
It put the seal on a busy year for international paddling coach Radonich, who travelled to Hong Kong, Australia, Canada and Rarotonga for workshopsand coaching.
A highlight was the time she spent as a spectator at the IVF Va’a World Sprint Championships in Hawaii in August. She witnessed the success of paddlers from Canada, where she had run workshops and coached sprint-specific techniques for two months in the lead-up to the champs.
Last month she attended a five-day wānanga as part of the Whakatipu Wahine Toa programme to develop leadership capabilties in Maori women.
Three days after the conference she travelled to Hong Kong for the 25km outrigger canoe Dragon Run. She got sick and, 5km into the race, threw up. She carried on paddling and passed five paddlers on the downwind leg, finishing seventh.
Medical advice was she needed to give her body a break, so she took two weeks’ rest before flying to Rarotonga to compete in Vaka Eiva and do some coaching.
She was pleasantly surprised by her results – first in the V1 (one-person) 12km master women’s race (third V1 overall); first in the V6 (six-place) 12km master women’s race (fastest time in the women’s divisions); first in the V6 36km mixed changeover race; and first in the V6 36km open women’s changeover race (as part of a New Zealand team).
Radonich is preparing for the Waka Ama New Zealand national sprint championships on Lake Karapiro next month when she will paddle with her Taupō Waka Ama team in the master women’s division.
Gisborne paddler Vesna Radonich reaches a buoy in a V1 race at the Vaka Eiva festival in the Cook Islands. Photo / Vaka Eiva
Also in this team are paddlers from the crew who won the premier women’s 26km at the long-distance nationals held in Gisborne in October.
In February, Radonich will host a six-day waka ama paddle camp. Paddlers from Hong Kong, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Cook Islands, Australia and New Zealand will attend.
Fifteen of those attending the Gisborne camp have entered the Takapuna Beach Cup races.
After that, Radonich’s plans include travel to Australia, Canada and Hawaii for workshops and coaching opportunities.
Competitively, she is looking ahead to the world sprint championships in Singapore in 2026, when she will be in the 50-year age division. She wants to take a strong team and include people she has been paddling with for more than 10 years.
“I joined waka ama for the people, the ocean, freedom and healing,” Radonich said.
“Waka ama has been my saving grace for so many challenges in my life. It has helped me not just heal, but let go of all the things in my head that prevent me from being happy.
“Waka ama isn’t just a sport, it is a lifestyle.”
Radonich thanked her family – son Rawera, daughter Tepiu and partner John Marks – for their patience, and her sponsors and the global waka ama community for their support.
Treasure trove: The medals Vesna Radonich won for each first placing she achieved as a team member or individual during the Vaka Eiva paddling festival. The two trophies were awarded to the winning teams in the Round Raro mixed open and the Round Raro open women's race.
