'Do-able' events give options

HARD YARDS: Auckland's Rob Dallimore takes an early lead in the 2012 Northern Crossing.PHOTO /PETER DE GRAAF

The Northern Crossing multisport challenge is returning in April with new run/walk and paddleboard events aimed at the not-so-fit and not-so-young.

The event started in 2010 as a run/kayak/cycle race from South Hokianga to Kerikeri Basin for serious athletes but has evolved since then to cater for a wider range of abilities.

In the 2013 event organisers added a mid-distance race called the Missionary Trail incorporating a 13km mountain bike leg along the Twin Coast Cycle Trail.

The April 2014 Northern Crossing will retain the coast-to-coast race and the Missionary Trail, but adds the Settler's Run/Walk and a competitive paddleboard event called the Waka Welcome. The 8km Settler's Run/Walk follows the Kerikeri River trail from Waipapa to the Stone Store, passing Rainbow Falls, while the 6km Waka Welcome follows a sheltered yet challenging route on Kerikeri Inlet.

Organising team leader Owen Smith, of Kerikeri Rotary Club, said participants could take the two new events as seriously or as light-heartedly as they liked.

"They're both totally do-able and designed to give everyone a taste of achievement and an opportunity to be part of the day of fun and challenge."

Both the Northern Crossing and the Missionary Trail offer multisport and duathlon options for individuals and teams. The full coast-to-coast course follows ancestral pathways from Kupe's first landing place almost 800 years ago at the mouth of the Hokianga Harbour across the island to Kerikeri.

Registration is now open at www.northerncrossing.co.nz.