Busy weekend coming up

Stan van Jaarsveld / 15.11.2007

This upcoming weekend offers a variety of sporting events for the adventure racer and endurance athlete spread all over the country.

Up in the North there is the Kauri Run, a 15 and 30 kilometre mountain run on the Coromandel Peninsula on Saturday. Starting at Waikawau Beach on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, participants run across the spine of Coromandel Peninsula to finish in Coromandel Township. Their very presence will make a positive impact because for every person who lines up at the Waikawau Beach start line organisers will plant a new Kauri tree.

Friday midnight is the start of the challenging 24 Hours of Southern Traverse. "The course this year is fantastic!”, says Event Director Geoff Hunt. ”During late winter I did one of the trekking stages with skis (on and off my back) and it has amazing views. Though the night could make it different”. The final recognisance was completed a week ago and this mountain bike section will be a highlight, with just under 3000 metres of descending and only 600 metres of ascent.

The South Island Orienteering Champs are being held at Canaan Downs in the Abel Tasman National Park on the Saturday as well. The area on top on top of kaka hill near Harwoods Hole, a mixture of native beech forest and farmland covered with numerous rock features and sinkholes, has only been used once before for an orienteering event, during the National Champs in 2006.

The other event taking place in the North part of the South Island is the Adventure Marlborough 24 hours race. It involves mixed teams of four navigating while mountain biking, kayaking, trekking and using rope skills. Besides this competitors will be boogie boarding during the race, something that you don’t find in many adventure races.

All together a busy weekend with lots of events to choose from.