Entries are building for first Northern Crossing event

Momentum is building towards Northland's first  coast to coast multisport event, the Northern Crossing, to be held in May.
Organisers have noticed an increase in inquiries on their internet site this week in particular, Kerikeri Rotary Club president Owen Smith said, which coincides with the end of the "earlybird" signing up period.
"It's definitely a hard message to get out there, we've done a little bit of marketing but mostly it's been through word of mouth through multisport clubs and other sports clubs and by sending out flyers to sports shops and so on - but the word does seem to be getting out there," he said.
Between 30-40 individuals and teams have already signed up which is about what organisers expected at this stage.
"We always expected the first year to be an establishment year, we're sure that people will enjoy the event itself and give us something good to build on after that," he said.
Competitors who sign up by April 15 for the first  Northern Crossing - a multisport event crossing Northland from the west coast to the east - will be in the running for five Fullers-sponsored earlybird prizes consisting of double passes on the Bay of Islands water tour operator.
The May 15 Northern Crossing combines a cross-country hill run, harbour kayak and road cycle, with a riverside run to finish the race. The course starts at South Hokianga Head and finishes at the historic Stone Store Basin in Kerikeri and Smith said they should be able to accommodate around 200 individuals or teams on the day without overloading the Rawene transition station.
A supporting duathlon, designed for those not yet ready for the full crossing, covers a similar route but excludes the kayak leg.
The race is organised by Kerikeri Rotary Club with backing from Northland businesses. It is hoped it will grow into a major event on the nation's multisport calendar, as well as an opportunity for community fundraising.
The first leg runners will start an 8km run from South Head, crossing John Klaricich's farm down to the beach and into Opononi for the first transition. From there the kayakers will paddle up the Hokianga harbour to Clendon House at Rawene, a distance of around 17km.
Transitioning from kayaks to bikes, the competitors then cycle 74km through Kaikohe and Ohaeawai and on to Waipapa for the final transition, running another 8km down the Rainbow Falls track to the finish at the Kerikeri Basin.
Registration forms are available at www.northerncrossing.co.nz, with entries open until May 1.