A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Horouta Waka Hoe paddlers are dominating the club competition at the Va'a World Sprint Championships at Dorney Lake, Windsor, near London.
Waka ama crews representing Self Storage Gisborne Horouta Waka Hoe have won many of the feature races in the club section of the championships.
This goes with the strong showing of Aotearoa-New Zealand paddlers in the elite section of the championships, and in individual races.
The club's flagship crews — Kaiarahi Toa in the open and master 40 women's races, and Woolley Kumara in the open men's — won their double-hull V12 500-metre races. The women also have the fastest heat times for the turns races — 1000m for the master 40 women and 1500m for the open women.
The junior 16 men's Horouta crew Hianga won the V12 500m in 1 minute 58.98 seconds, the junior 19 men's Horouta crew Tornado Sirens won the V12 500 in 2:00.88, and the junior 19 women's Horouta crew Manawahine won the V12 500 in 2:15.27 and the V6 1000m with turns in 5:30.52.
In individual races, Akayshia Williams — who has raced and trained with both Mareikura and Horouta clubs — won the open women's V1 500m final in a time of 2:27.72, nearly 3.5 seconds ahead of the American runner-up.
New Zealand paddlers Kacey Ngataki (2:14.58) and Tupu King (2:15.33) were first and second respectively in the open men's race.
Horouta paddler Maia Campbell won the junior 16 men's V1 500 final in 2:23.38.
It was a New Zealand trifecta, with Elite Reti second in 2:24.31 and Kane Soto (Horouta) third in 2:26.52. Marlin Toloa (Horouta) was sixth in the final.
The first five finishers, plus the seventh, in the junior 16 women's V1 500m final were New Zealand paddlers.
Taylynn Morete won in 2:39.79, Waitangi Piripi was second in 2:39.86, Hinekahukura Brooking was third in 2:43.12, Chelsea Reti was fourth less than half a second back, Eternity Williams-Harris was fifth and Marnie Toloa was seventh.
Six out of eight finalists in the junior 19 women's V1 500 were from New Zealand. The Australian runner-up and the eighth placegetter from Hawaii were the only non-Kiwi finalists.
Ngatuire Hapi won the race in 2:37.57 and Ada Nebauer was second, 1.39s back. Te Rangihuia Silbery-Henare was third in 2:39.20, Hinewaipounamu Rangihuna-Winikerei was fourth in 2:39.42, Reneeah Ngawaka was fifth in 2:40.73, Teagan Ngataki was sixth and Jessica Cameron was seventh.
Hunter Hewson (2:27.4) was fourth in the junior 19 men's V1 500
New Zealander Jason Reti won the master 40 men's V1 500 in 2:20.94. Horouta paddler Grant Donaldson was sixth in the final, in 2:25.45.
Kiwi Campbell, coach of the women's elite junior and senior national teams, showed she is still a force in the waka, finishing third in the master 40 women's V1 500m. Her time of 2:41.18 was less than a second slower than that of the Samoan runner-up and less than four seconds behind the Canadian winner.
Other standout performances since the start of the club section include a third placing for Horouta crew Te Moana in the master 50 men's V12 500, a third placing for Horouta crew Tokomaru in the master 60 men's V12 500, and a fifth placing for Horouta crew Hinewaiariki in the master 60 women's V12 500.
The absence of Tahitian paddlers — acknowledged as masters of waka ama technique and performance — has heightened the Horouta club's dominance.
But Tahitian paddlers were out in force when Horouta won the club points competition when the sprint world championships were last held — in Tahiti in 2018.
This time around Horouta teams have been helped by paddlers from Mareikura Waka Ama Club — not attending these champs after a long run of attendance — and other New Zealand paddlers at the champs for individual races.
Some crew members of qualifying Horouta teams felt unable to risk being caught out by possible changes in the Covid situation, so their places were taken by paddlers already at the champs, or recruited specially for the races.