Godzone Adventure Race
Day 1; From the Coast into the Mountains
Rob Howard / 08.03.2014
Chapter 3 of Godzone Adventure has got off to a great start. Teams have been surprised and challenged, there has been dramatic scenery, wildlife encounters, navigational blunders, capsizes ... and that’s just day one.
When they were given the course teams were surprised to find they were starting in Kaikoura, as most had been expecting a transfer to a remote starting point. They were just as surprised to find the team had to split from the start line (not sure that has ever happened before), with two coasteering, running and swimming around the Kaikoura peninsula to South Bay, and the others kayaking round to meet them. The pairs then swapped and reversed each other’s routes.
The swim was to CP1 on a small island and in the choppy and cold conditions that was challenging. With some surf running there were also a few spills from the kayaks and some rudder damage. The organisers changed the return kayak route a little due to the conditions, but that was a small price to pay for such an exciting sea kayaking stage at the start of the race. (There is always the risk of these stages being affected by bad weather.) Fortunately they pulled it off and the route showcased the coastal scenery and wildlife of Kaikoura and was great for the local spectators.
The organisers have taken the same risk by having a sea paddle at the finish of the race too, so fingers crossed. (The race will finish with teams paddling around the peninsula from South Bay into Kaikoura again, having originally set off from Omihi Camp.)
It was no surprise that race favourites Seagate left the transition to start stage 3, the first cycling stage, in the lead. They were not first into transition however, arriving in 3rd place, but their speed in transition is legendary, and they left first, taking just 9 minutes to change out of kayaking gear, build their bikes and leave. The slowest team took over an hour! (Credit must go to Team Absolute Wilderness who out-transitioned Seagate, taking just 7 minutes.)
Stage 3 was a 53km ride to TA3 in Waiautoa through Puhi Puhi, with a steady climb to half way, then a steep climb over Middle Hill and a descent to the transition. This had been flagged up as the first big route choice of the race and so it proved, with teams finding 5 different routes to get to TA3. The tracking routes here are colourful and varied!
Seagate made good choices and opened up a lead on this stage arriving ahead of the organisers expected fastest time just before sunset at 19.13 with a 37 minute lead. (Sunset is around 20.00 and the majority of teams came into TA3 in the dark.)
It’s looking like the slower teams will spend all night on this ride and arrive in daylight on day 2 as the field is already widely spread.
Seagate continue to power ahead at the front of the race on Stage 4, and team Captain Nathan Fa’avae is reported to have said they planned to take it easy during daylight and then put the power down once it got dark to open up a lead!
This stage is the first and longest trek, 51km from Waiautoa to Mount Gladsone, across Tapuae-o-Uenuku, the summit of which is at 2,885 metres (9,465 ft). CP8 had been placed on the summit but recent heavy snowfalls forced the Race Directors to move it down for safety. This stage will take from 24 to 48 hours and will be cold and remote. Long treks are often the crux of an expedition race and although this one comes early in the race it could still be make or break.
You can follow the race and live tracking at http://live.godzoneadventure.com/
See All Event Posts
