Waka ama: Pair's paddles pull in gold

WAKA AMA: Kaipo Brown, a Rotorua Boys' High School paddler, won the under-16 boys' W1 250m title on Tikitapu this week. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Rotorua's Kaipo Brown and Whakatane's Joshua Walters have picked up gold medals at the ActivePost Waka Ama Secondary Schools Championships in Rotorua.

Local schools will have a chance to claim more medals during the final day of racing today, when the W6 finals are staged on Tikitapu (Blue Lake).

Rotorua Boys' High School paddler Brown won gold earlier in the week in the under-16 boys' W1 250m final, with Western Heights High School paddler Ryan Te Moana finishing behind him in second.

Meanwhile, Trident High School paddler Walters won gold in the under-19 boys' W1 250m final, with fellow Trident student Ashley Roozendaal finishing in third.

The four-day secondary school champs have attracted more than 1500 paddlers from schools across the country this week.

Racing has been conducted in various boat classes in the under-19 and under-16 divisions.