Jason Eruera.
Four Northland waka ama paddlers will represent New Zealand against the best at the World Distance Championships in Tahiti later this year.
Jason Eruera and Greg Jones, of Mitamitaga Canoe Club and Richard Pehi, from the Parihaka Waka Ama Club, were named in the seven-strong master men squad to compete at the inaugural international event in June.
Tupu King, a paddler with Nga Hoe Horo Club, cemented his spot in the open men's team after a win in a tough 33km race in the Bay of Plenty and squad training session over Waitangi weekend.
For 44-year-old Eruera making the team has been the result of months of focused training, combined with a change in diet to shed some kilos.
It will be the first time he will wear the silver fern in the sport he has competed in for nearly 20 years.
"Last October I started getting myself mentally and physically ready for this. This is a dream come true for me and another thing I can tick off the bucket list."
Winning the master division of the Bhutty Moore Memorial Race on Saturday proved Eruera is as fit as he has ever been.
Paddling against the Tahitians on their own water will be a challenge but one Eruera is ready for.
"I liken the Tahitians to the All Blacks. To be paddling against them is such an opportunity to show the rest of the world how strong New Zealand paddlers are."
Having two other Northlanders in the team, including club member and training partner Jones, is a bonus.
He reckons training alongside Jones nearly every session was almost a race and was excellent motivation.
To compete in the inaugural event was also an enticing factor.
For Jones, who has skipped across the ditch and enjoyed Northland waters for 14 years, he is as equally excited about competing against the best in the sport.
"It's a big mountain us taking on the Tahitians but we will be up there," the 47-year-old said.
As owner of Ideal Buildings company he has been able to fit in early morning training sessions. He finished second in the national long distance championships last year and has continued to build on that fitness.
The other Whangarei-based paddler Pehi is topping off a stellar 12 months of paddling. He was in the New Zealand premier men's sprint team that claimed gold at the worlds in Australia last year.
He also took out the senior master men sprint title in January. Pehi was also part of a New Zealand team that competed in Tahiti last year at an invitational long distance race of 120km race between two islands.
The team completed the marathon two-day race between Tahiti and Tetiaroa atoll, once a vacation spot for Tahitian royalty and known for having been bought by Marlon Brando. His experience will be invaluable in the waka.
Fellow Parihaka paddler Matt Kensington made it into the final nine squad in the selection process but just missed the cut and the final seven. No doubt he will keep training in case of injuries.
For Tupu King, originally from the Far North, it will be another chance to represent his country in a sport he has dominated for several years. King has shown equal ability over sprints and long distance in the open men's grade in New Zealand.
He is no stranger to competitions based out of Tahiti so his open men's teammates will be looking to him for some tips on getting the best of the ocean water.
The teams are:
Elite Open Men's Distance Team: Tupu King, Shon Siemonek, Carl Peri, Ash Roozendaal, Jörn Scherzer, Paul Chong and Paul Roozendaal.
NZ Elite Master Men's Distance Team: Jason Eruera, Michael Rogerson, Tonga White, Richard Pehi, Paddy Rimene, Greg Jones and Paora McGrath.