SWIMMING: Bay of Islands to host leg of swim series

The Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series will include a Russell-to-Paihia event for the first time this summer.
Around 700 competitors, including some of New Zealand's elite swimmers, are expected to contest the Far North leg of the series - one leg of the six-venue schedule for the 2009-10 series.
The Russell-to-Paihia race has been scheduled for Saturday, December 12.
The new event joins those in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Mt Maunganui, and the King of the Bays race held on  Auckland's North Shore. The series is  in its fourth year and attracts swimmers of all ages and abilities.
To help encourage the series move to the North, the Bay of Islands event is being part-sponsored in its inaugural year by the Far North District Council.
Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series director Scott Rice said he  was delighted to  be taking the event to the Bay of Islands.
"We were attracted to the region not only for its great beauty but also for the iconic nature of the long-distance swim - 3.3km from Russell to Paihia," he said.
"It's not every day that people can swim in a safe environment from the country's first capital, Russell, to the beautiful shores of Paihia, and we're sure this event will become one of the highlights of the series."
The Russell-to-Paihia event follows the opening event of the series, the Sovereign Harbour Crossing swim in Auckland on November 21.
In addition to the 3.3-km Russell-to-Paihia swim, the Bay of Islands event offers a 750m offshore "beginner's distance", a fun 300m tag team relay with seven divisions - for corporate, family, male, female, mixed, intermediate and high school teams, and the Sovereign Ocean Kids series involving a pre-race coaching clinic and 200m swim in shallow water for children aged 10 years old and under.
Far North District Council economic development officer Gary Gabbitas said the event was bound to increase the exposure the area received in the media.
"This is an opportunity to attract television exposure for the Bay of Islands which, as a council, we would never have been able to afford if we had had to purchase the air time.
"It will not only provide an immediate injection for the local economy - it also has the potential to be an ongoing catalyst for the visitor industry," he said.
Entries for the Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series, including the Russell-to-Paihia event, are now open and more details can be found at www.oceanswim.co.nz.