Master and apprentice

Picture by Garrick Cameron

WAKA AMA - MARIANNE Gillingham started paddling waka ama at the age of 63 and now, a couple of months shy of her 67th birthday, she’s a national champion.

Competing in the Waka Ama New Zealand Long Distance Nationals at Picton, she won the golden master women’s W1 (rudderless) 10-kilometre race in a time of one hour, nine minutes and 15 seconds.

She was in a field of four in her division (60 and over at December 31, 2021) but did not know she had won until she’d finished. A total of 67 paddlers in single-seat waka, as well as 18 two-man waka, were on the course at the same time in Race 2 of the six-race programme spread over two days.

She found out later she had beaten second-placegetter Ngahieki Stewart, of Whakatane, by 1 minute 22 seconds.

Gillingham’s Horouta clubmates, Katrina Wooldridge (1:16:13) and Vicki Flavell (1:22:56), finished third and fourth.

It was Gillingham’s first long-distance race although she had done plenty of long training paddles with Vesna Radonich, who won the master women’s W1 (rudderless) race over 16km.

“I can’t keep up with Vesna,” Gillingham said. “But it’s good to paddle with someone you have to chase all the time.”

Gillingham had shown the benefit of her time on the water — and her training with Radonich’s group — when she finished third in a strong field in the golden master women’s 500-metre final at the sprint nationals on Lake Karapiro in January.

Since then she had done a lot of team paddling in the Horouta golden master women’s crew Hineteuru.

That team (Mihi Aston, Cynthia Sidney, Gerry Smith, Arihia Waihi, Kerry N-Garrett and Gillingham) finished second in the golden master women’s W6 race over 16km on the second day of the nationals.

Gillingham said she enjoyed both races but conditions for the W6 race were much calmer than for the W1 race the day before.

“It was a lot rougher for the W1 than I thought it would be,” she said.

“I’d been on the ferry three times in the past few years and it was calm every time. I thought I’d love to paddle in the Marlborough Sounds.

“But the conditions were rougher than I’d ever been in. The wind came up and the sea chopped up. There was a bit of swell and quite a strong current.

“Three ferries went past during the race and every time a one-metre wave went through.

“I really enjoyed it. We were quite close to the shore . . . I’m not that used to paddling at sea.

“I made sure I wouldn’t capsize but I did work hard to keep Gordon Aston in sight. It was comforting to know there was someone out there I knew if I did capsize.”

Conditions were such that she had to spend long periods paddling on one side only.

Aston was completing his second race of the day, the golden master men’s W1 (ruddered) 10km race in which he finished fifth, having already finished second in the mixed W2 10km race that day.

Gillingham said she had always wanted to give waka ama a go but when she was working fulltime — she succeeded John Jones as chief reporter at The Gisborne Herald — she didn’t have the time.

“After I’d finished at The Herald I went along to social paddling with Katrina Hughes on Sunday afternoons in the summer.

“I loved it. I loved the water. I’d never done a team sport and I really enjoyed it, but I think the one-man is my forte.

“I had a go on Vicki Flavell’s waka and tipped out a few times, but once I got the hang of it I wanted to give it a serious shot.

“Mihi Aston was selling her share in a waka so I bought that and eventually bought it outright.”

In the lead-up to competition she trains up to five days a week.

“I’ve been on holiday and haven’t paddled since last week, and I’m missing it,” she said. “I’m still learning. That’s why I go to Vesna’s training. I scrounge for lessons and tips.

“I’ve damaged my knee so I can’t run but I can maintain total fitness with paddling.

“It’s the only thing that has ever made me stop smoking permanently, nearly three years ago.

“I just really enjoyed fitness and getting faster. Sometimes I feel like I’m flying.”

Gillingham is renovating a house and she and husband Roger do “a fair bit of travelling”.

She had a job with the Eastland Institute of Technology until she retired at the end of last year.

“It was interfering with my paddling.”

Results with Gisborne connections from the long-distance waka ama nationals at Picton —

Race 1 — Junior 19 men W1 (rudderless) 10 kilometres: Jarrod Hill (Nga Hoe Horo) 54 minutes 10 seconds, 2nd

Master men W1 (rudderless) 16km: Grant Donaldson (Horouta) 1.23:50, 7; David Joll (Mareikura) 1:37:16, 18th

Golden master women W1 (ruddered) 10km: Vicki Flavell (Horouta) 1:16:28, 4th

Golden master mixed W2, 10km: Gordon Aston and Anita Thompson (Waitaha) 1:00:07, 2nd

Race 2 — Golden master men W1 (ruddered) 10km: Gordon Aston (Waitaha) 1:08:22, 5th

Open women W1 (rudderless) 16km: Hamiona Pomana (Mareikura) 1:55:49, 3rd; Sieda Tureia (Horouta) 2:03:06, 4th.

Master women W1 (rudderless) 16km: Vesna Radonich (Ruamata) 1:42:33, 1st; Kiwi Campbell (Horouta) 1.48.55, 3rd; Kara Te Whata-Maynard (Mareikura) 1:56:56, 5th.

Golden master women W1 (rudderless) 10km: Marianne Gillingham (Horouta) 1:09:15, 1st; Katrina Wooldridge (Horouta) 1:16:13, 3rd; Vicki Flavell (Horouta) 1:22:56, 4th.

J19 men W2, 10km: Lawn Mowers (Horouta) 56:42, 3rd.

Race 3 — Short-course open mixed W6 (non-medal event) 10km: Tapuwaekura (Horouta) 57:18, 1st.

Race 4 — Junior 16 women W1 (rudderless) 10km: Cheidan Moetara (YMP) 1:14:33, 14th.

Senior master women W6, 24km: Wai Wahine Whalers (Horouta) 2:15:00, 4th.

Golden master women W6, 16km: Hineteuru (Horouta) 1:36:59, 2nd.

Race 5 — Junior 16 men W1 (rudderless), 10km: Jarrod Hill (Nga Hoe Horo) 54:10, 1st; Maia Campbell (Horouta) 1:04:38, 9th.

Race 6 — Junior 19 men W6, 16km: Nga Rauru a Maui (Mareikura) 1:20:23, 2nd.

Master men W6, 24km: Paikea Masters (Horouta) 2:12:29, 8th.