Rotorua crews perform well at national champs

A Te Au Rere Waka Ama Club crew competing in the boys under-11, W6 500m Heat 2, (from front) Nga Kakano Kahurangi, Awhiowhenua Tepania, Nathaneil Ohlson Pirika, Tumakoha Tepania, Tureiti Apo and Whakaahua Pirika-Petelo. Photo / Garrick Cameron

Rotorua's waka ama clubs were well represented on the podium at the 26th ActivePost National Waka Ama Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro.

Local club Ruamata won six medals during the nationals, last week, with most of them coming on the final day on Saturday.

The Te Au Rere Waka Ama Club also collected six medals and the Hei Matau Paddlers club won one medal.

The only crew to win a gold medal at the nationals this year was Ruamata's Up and Go Energise team which finished first in the J19 (under-19) men's W6 1000 event.

During the competition a casting crew from Zoomslide television production company dropped in searching for talent for a new prime-time show for Maori Television, Pacific Voyagers Aotearoa.

The programme will be filmed over two months around the North Island and rangatahi will be sailing in the waka moana Haunui and working alongside voyaging expert and kaitiaki of Haunui, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr.

According to their casting brief they are searching for three Maori young people aged 18-26, with no sailing experience needed.

They must be available several times throughout the year for filming which includes up to three weeks to sail to the Cook Islands.

For further information contact Terii Pittman of Zoomslide on 021 027 45764 or terri@zoomslide.com.