Lee Merrion (15), of Nelson, leads the way during a race at the New Zealand Power Boat Racing Championships. Photo / Ben Fraser
Lee Merrion (15), of Nelson, leads the way during a race at the New Zealand Power Boat Racing Championships. Photo / Ben Fraser
Rotorua lake-goers were treated to the rare spectacle of power boats flying around Blue Lake (Tikitapu) at the weekend.
For the first time in the past 15 years the Lakeland Power Boat Club hosted the New Zealand Power Boat Racing Championships, in which some of New Zealand's fastest boats competefor a range of national titles.
The event included junior races at speeds of about 72km/h to the high-powered GP Hydroplane class with racing speeds of up to 280km/h.
Lakeland Power Boat Club commodore and event organiser Dennis Dustin said it was great to have the country's best racers in Rotorua and there was keen interest from all competitors in returning to the venue.
"It took a lot of energy to get this back on the lake here, we worked in well with the council. Last year we made some inquiries and they seemed very keen. The lake is still very high, about two weeks ago we were thinking very seriously about cancelling, but we managed to make it work.
"We had 73 entries and it's been a good weekend. It's a beautiful lake, good to race on and good for spectators up on the bank as well," Dustin said.
Race controller Peter Moughan said there were a good number of juniors racing which was promising for the future of the sport.
"We've got about 20 of them and it's a very affordable class for them to start in. [The best thing about power boat racing] is the camaraderie. You meet a lot of friends for life with this, we all get on.
"It's a good venue, we've had brilliant feedback from the people here. One of the biggest things is it keeps the crowd happy and there are a lot of volunteers making it happen," Moughan said.
New Zealand Power Boat Racing Championship results will be available in the next two days at www.nzpba.com.
