Waka Ama: Cairns captures two golds

Members of Haeata Ocean Sports Waka Ama open women's and masters women's crews which won medals at the weekend's national long distance champs in Napier. Photo/Warren Buckland

Take a bow Hawke's Bay Olympian Anne Cairns!

Within four days of returning from her sixth world whitewater rafting championships in Japan last week, Cairns, who represented Samoa in kayaking at the Rio Olympics, won two gold medals at the national long distance waka ama championships which ended in Napier on Saturday.

On Friday Havelock North-based firefighter Cairns won the open women's ruddered singles 16km title and on Saturday Cairns was a member of a new-look Haeata Ocean Sports Manuz and Jemimaz crew which retained their open women's six-strong crew which retained their 28km title with a five-minute victory over the Gisborne-based second placegetters in a time of 2hrs21m21s.

"I flew in from Japan on Wednesday night. I had a training paddle on Thursday as well as a good feed before doing plenty of stretching so I would be right for the weekend," Cairns explained.

"The fact we hadn't trained together because Kelly [Wood] and I were busy with our rafting commitments made today's win more significant," Cairns said on Saturday.

Wood and Cairns were joined by Amy Renall, Geni Walters, Dale Thomas and Hiria Rolleston. Cairns and Renall were the only members of last year's title-winning team.

"We knew the Gisborne girls would be tough because they have a couple of national junior under-19 paddlers in their crew. But we all worked well together ... although we hadn't trained together most of us have paddled with one another in various crews over the years and were familiar with each other's strengths," Cairns said.

Like most of the 800 paddlers from 53 clubs throughout the country in the Te Wananga o Aotearoa-sponsored championships, Cairns and co found the side-on winds testing.

"We were in ocean-like conditions which were good. Had it been flat it would have been a bit boring," Cairns, who was a member of the second placed Kiwi open women's team in Japan, said.

"It was the first time these nationals have been held here in the Bay and for most of our crew who are mothers it was awesome for them to paddle in front of family and win gold on home water," Cairns added.

Fellow world champion rafter Roni Nuku, who was a member of the Kiwi masters women's team which won gold in Japan, paddled for the Haeata masters women's crew which won silver behind a Bay of Plenty-based crew on Saturday. Other paddlers in this crew were Kaye Ross, Tui McCaull, former New Zealand squash representative Lynora Hati, Vesna Radonich and Penny Scragg.

"Although we put our team together six months ago we didn't have any training because of other commitments. We didn't have a good start so we did well to finish second to the Bay of Plenty team which has been together for a long time and were the defending champions," Nuku explained.

"It was great to have these nationals in Napier for the first time. Normally they are held in Gisborne but we had the better proposal this time. This has been an awesome weekend with ideal weather conditions and a tremendous carnival-type atmosphere ... hopefully we get the champs back here again next year.

"I was hoping for a swell to make things more challenging but had we got one races might have had to be postponed and we didn't want that," Nuku added.

The Haeata open men's crew finished seventh, the Haeata senior masters men were sixth and the Maraenui senior masters men were 10th.