Waka Ama: Paddling towards their overseas goals

Six of the 25-strong Whanganui team gather before flying out to the Alo Paopao Waka Ama Regatta in Samoa on Saturday. Gerald Patea (left), Chaana Morgan, Seletar Filo, Betty-Jo Wiari, Te Wai Edmonds and Josh Ranginui. PHOTO/SUPPLIED WHANGANUI-WAKA-AMA

A 25-strong Whanganui waka ama team heads to Samoa this weekend with a dual purpose in mind.

The main focus is to compete in the week-long Alo Paopao Waka Ama Regatta, while the second is to find a way to help refloat a large Samoan seagoing waka that is in need of repair.

Head coaches Ian and Seletar Filo have been training hard on the Whanganui River to prepare a mix of young, inexperienced and older paddlers for the third running of the Alo Paopao Regatta.

The husband-and-wife coaching team have strong links with Samoa and were keen to help build on an already successful regatta in their homeland.

"The Alo Paopao is a Pacific regatta in its third year, although this will be the first time Whanganui crews have taken part," Seletar Filo said yesterday.

"Our aim is to support the Samoan waka community with waka ama and waka Hauroa.

"We are keen to help grow it and while there is sure to be some strong crews competing our aim is to give our best. We fly out on Saturday and compete from Monday to Friday next week.

"Our youngest paddler is Te Kopae Filo at 14 [who] attends Manukura School in Palmerston North and is also racing at the Gubbi Gubbi Youth Regatta on the Sunshine Coast on September 26-30.

"We are also keen to find ways we can help get get the big Samoan sailing waka 'Gaualofa' back on the water. It's in need of a bit of TLC, so we'll discuss ways we can help while we're there. In fact, a Hawaiian team is sailing to the regatta in Samoa in two big sailing waka as we speak," Filo said.

"When we return we are looking at fundraising to purchase w6 and w1 waka to encourage young people to train and represent Whanganui locally, nationally and internationally."