Start Location for Destination Unknown: Expedition New Zealand Announced

Stan van Jaarsveld / 11.11.2007

The organising team for 'Destination Unknown: Expedition New Zealand' has confirmed that Turangi will be the start location for the race, which is a new addition for the October 2008 international race calendar.

Situated at the southern end of Lake Taupo in New Zealand’s North Island, Turangi is the heart of New Zealand’s North Island trout fishing and is a gateway to the ski fields of the central plateau. According to Shane Ross, part of the event organising team, “Turangi provides an ideal start place for Destination Unknown: Expedition New Zealand. It is known for its access to adventurous pastimes and is a good place for teams to prepare themselves for eight days of expedition racing.”

As well as confirming the start location, the organising team have provided information on the likely disciplines for the event. Competitors are being told to prepare for 190 kilometres of trekking, 300 kilometres of mountain biking and 65 kilometres of kayaking and rafting over the course of the eight days. Scattered amongst this will be some abseiling. Given the high altitude of the area, crampons and ice axes have been added to the mandatory gear list.

SleepMonsters will be reporting regularly on the lead up to the start of Destination Unknown: Expedition New Zealand and will carry updates of the teams progress during the race.

The first newsletter for the event has just been published and is available from the web site www.expeditionnz.com.
For more information please contact Shane Ross at shane.ross@equinox.co.nz.