The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Local Focus: A day in the life of a female woodchopping champion

Jaden McLeod
By Jaden McLeod
VideoJournalist Bay of Plenty, NZH Local Focus·NZ Herald·
9 Aug, 2018 09:55 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Darcell Apelu is a top female woodchopper. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

It's a sporting code that requires strength and discipline, and Darcell Apelu is one of the best.

Despite being one of the oldest heritage sports in New Zealand, less than 15 per cent of our current professional woodchoppers were women.

Mount Maunganui-based Apelu is one of the few female axemen - she has been woodchopping for years.

"I've probably been competing for half of my lifetime. I started when I was 14 and I will be 28 at the end of the year."

Apelu has been a member of the New Zealand Women's Team for much of that time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Her greatest moment was winning at the annual Sydney Royal Woodchop, the biggest competition in the world.

"I won it in 2011, but since then I've been coming second. I think I have come second five times in a row. I'm glad I'm consistent, but I am always determined to get that first prize ribbon."

Apelu has also taken part in open events - where women and men compete alongside each other.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I have come close to winning a couple of races. It is good to get that stuff under my belt. It is probably more beneficial for me though, rather than trying to make them look bad. I'm just trying to do my best."

Apelu has been taking a break from the sport after suffering a back injury earlier this year.

But she's been using her time off productively, helping the New Zealand Men's Team prepare for their next competition.

"If you're not going to let the gear run properly then you are just fighting it. It's all about technique, getting everything placed right. There is a science to it, then you can load on power or strength after you get those basics right."

Discover more

Employment

Seasonal orchard work: The gardens of good or evil?

27 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand

History seen through the trees

02 Aug 10:00 PM

Made with funding from

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

09 Jun 05:03 AM
The Country

Sam Carter wins Hawke's Bay Young Grower title

09 Jun 04:17 AM
The Country

Rebecca Fisher wins lifetime achievement award for horticulture leadership

09 Jun 03:28 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

09 Jun 05:03 AM

'Fieldays is our home for four days each year. A space for connection and celebration.'

Sam Carter wins Hawke's Bay Young Grower title

Sam Carter wins Hawke's Bay Young Grower title

09 Jun 04:17 AM
Rebecca Fisher wins lifetime achievement award for horticulture leadership

Rebecca Fisher wins lifetime achievement award for horticulture leadership

09 Jun 03:28 AM
'It means a lot': Hunting contest's crucial role in rural rescue

'It means a lot': Hunting contest's crucial role in rural rescue

09 Jun 03:00 AM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP