Flood-hit kayakers waiting for river to drop

Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Journalism

More than 100 teenage kayakers are playing a waiting game in the aftermath of Eastern Bay of Plenty's flooding this week.

The New Zealand secondary school whitewater championships is due to begin on Monday but today's practice day was cancelled because of high river levels on the Tarawera River in Kawerau.

The river was running as high as 85 cubic metres a second, had dropped to 65 today but organisers were hoping it would get down to normal levels of around 30 by Monday.

"We've got eight competitors from Australia, as well as a large contingent from the South Island, who were all on their way when the flooding hit during the week and were understandably a bit apprehensive," race director Liz Fowler said.

"Everyone's relaxed about missing the practice day today though - we're all very aware we're just here for fun, while just down the road in Edgecumbe, people have lost their homes and most of their possessions."

There's a record field of 101 paddlers taking part, with strong showings from Auckland, Hawke's Bay and Taranaki bolstering the traditional strongholds of Bay of Plenty and Central Otago.

The secondary school titles will be followed by the New Zealand canoe slalom championships at the same venue over Easter, with officials nervously eyeing long-range forecasts of another sub-tropical depression hitting New Zealand.