Orion Health Godzone Adventure Race

Course For 6 Day Godzone Adventure Released

Margo Berryman (Godzone) / 09.03.2013

New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook in the Mt Cook National Park has been announced as the official start location for Chapter Two of the Orion Health GODZone Adventure race, which starts tomorrow morning.

One hundred and forty competitors, in teams of four, will head off on the epic six-day adventure race tomorrow morning from outside The Hermitage base building at 6am.
 
Race directors Adam Fairmaid and Warren Bates say the start location is a stunning location that will inspire, excite and potentially frighten the adventure racing teams.
 
“ How do you cap off last years Milford Sound startline? That was the question we kept asking ourselves and the sheer magnitude of Mt Cook and the surrounding alpine environment was the answer. This area is magnificent with awe inspiring views and spectacular terrain and we expect the teams will be quite intimidated by it at the start line tomorrow morning,” says Adam.
 
The Second Chapter of the Orion Health GODZone 514km course is expected to take the lead teams three to four days and the last teams six days. The teams received the their maps on route to Mt Cook this afternoon at Omarama and quickly set about planning their routes over the week long course.
 
Mr Fairmaid says it will be very challenging at times traveling through serious backcountry.
 
“Stage one starts with some alpine mountaineering. The teams head up from The Hermitage to Annette Plateau on Mt Cook where they will traverse over glaciers on fixed ropes using ice axes and crampons before heading to the Mueller Hut and back down to Lake Tasman.
 
They paddle amongst icebergs on the moraine lake then head down challenging white water on the Tasman River to Lake Pukaki and on to Braemar Station where they will transfer to their bikes. By night fall some of the lead teams will be on a night trek over into the Dingle Burn mountain range in the Ahuriri Valley.”
 
The course then heads to Passburn on the south side of the Lindis Pass where competitors transition to bikes and cycle over Mt Grand then onward to Albert Town near Wanaka with a kayak leg on the Clutha River and Lake Dunstan to Lowburn near Cromwell.
 
Teams will then enter the final stages of the race over the Pisa Mountain range to the Snowpark Lodge where they will transition to their bikes for a fast leg down to Arrowtown.
 
The final leg will take in the spectacular Queenstown Bike Trails through to the Shotover Canyon Swing where teams will have the choice to swing or take a 2 hour penalty.
 
“ This is a great twist to the race at the end of the journey and we expect some individuals will be pretty scared and maybe won’t want to take the swing option. It’s going to be really interesting watching team dynamics if one team member is reluctant.”
 
The finish line is at Pinewood Lodge in Queenstown where the Race HQ will be throughout the week.
 
Mr Fairmaid says the race is a massive logistics exercise and there has been considerable support with a pulling together of private landowners and DOC, agencies to allow access.

“ We are very proud of what has been achieved for Chapter Two of the Orion Health GODZone and this will be world class racing with some of the worlds best teams experiencing a true part of New Zealand’s beauty.

The Orion Health GODZone Adventure race website will go live at 1pm today with regular updates, images, race stories and rankings. See http://live.godzoneadventure.com