Swim Rotorua's David Boles, 16, is aiming to make a splash in the Hinemoa Swim event. PHOTO/ STEPHEN PARKER
Swim Rotorua's David Boles, 16, is aiming to make a splash in the Hinemoa Swim event. PHOTO/ STEPHEN PARKER
The legend of Hinemoa swimming to meet her lover Tutanekai is colourfully stitched into Rotorua's tapestry of history.
Hinemoa's swim was believed to be about 3km from the eastern side of Lake Rotorua to Mokoia Island as stated in Te Arawa legend.
Tomorrow, swimmers will emulate her epic journey in the iconic Hinemoa Swim event. But it's a different interpretation to the original route with competitors swimming 2km across Tikitapu (Blue Lake).
The prize for first woman swimming without a wetsuit is the intricately carved Hinemoa trophy while men will battle it out for the smaller but just as sought after Tutanekai trophy.
The Hinemoa Swim Trophy, pictured last year with then Blue Lake Multisport Festival director Nicola Muggeridge, is up for grabs. PHOTO/ FILE
Swim Rotorua's David Boles, 16, will be one to watch, after finishing runner-up last year.
"The story to the swim is incredibly special because of the history behind it and what that original swim meant to Hinemoa," David said. "It's such a tradition for Rotorua and there is always a great atmosphere.
"The Tutanekai trophy may not be as big but it means just as much for the men. I am aiming to win and if there are good conditions I will try to go out and lead from the front."
David, competing for the third year, goes into the lake full of confidence after his recent success at the New Zealand Open Water Championships in Taupo - winning the men's 5km race and finishing fourth over the 10km distance.
The John Paul College student also won the Round the Mount 4km swim in Tauranga last weekend.
"Training and recent results have gone really well," said David. "I've been building up a lot longer swims in the pool to make the switch to open water. I will have the slight advantage because it's local but that doesn't mean much because I'm not used to lake conditions."
The Hinemoa Swim is part of this weekend's Economist Blue Lake Multisport Festival's 2km open water swim and has been since 1994 after undergoing some big changes over the last 50 years or so.
The Hinemoa Swim is expected to get off to a hectic start this weekend. PHOTO/FILE
The swim was originally designed to follow a similar path to the one taken by Hinemoa and while there are differing reports on when the first Hinemoa Swim was staged, the Hinemoa Swim Trophy (also known as the Mt Cook Airline Trophy) was donated in 1970.
That suggests the event could have started even earlier, perhaps in the 1960s.
The route started on Mokoia Island and headed back to Hannah's Bay area, a reverse of the original course until a weather-disrupted Hinemoa Swim event in the late 1980s saw Coastguard having to step in and pull swimmers out of Lake Rotorua.
That spelled the end of the swim on Rotorua's largest lake according to local Ray Lichtwark who competed in that race.
Lichtwark explained in the early 1990s the Rotorua Association of Triathletes and Multisport (RATs), of which Lichtwark was a past president, asked the council for permission to use the Hinemoa Swim Trophy for its cross-the-lake event.
This year roughly 70 swimmers will compete with the women's field wide open due to the absence of last year's winner Charlotte Webby from New Plymouth.
Lat year's runner-up Rotorua's Emily Spear, 13, is a favourite after recent strong results including racing to national gold in the 13-15 age group and finishing sixth overall in the New Zealand Open Water Championships 10km women's field.
Over the past decade Swim Rotorua has dominated in the men's field with Kane Radford taking the title four times since 2005.
Swim Rotorua assistant coach and Radford's mum Bronwen said the club viewed the event as one of the "most memorable" on the swimming calendar.
"This is iconic and something that we have always supported," she said. "This year is exciting because there is a chance of taking out both Hinemoa Swim trophies - I can't remember when that last happened. It would be especially cool if Emily did get the big one because we haven't had any local female winners for a long time."
The Hinemoa Swim
When: 4pm tomorrow
Where: Start - Green Lake lookout beach / Finish - Blue Lake (beach to the right of Ski Club building when facing the water from carpark near children's playground)
