Moehau Magic for Multisporters

Michael Jacques / 14.01.2013

More than a decade ago Coromandel’s Keith Stephenson came home from the Speight’s Coast to Coast wondering why there wasn’t anything like that in his neck of the woods. The surroundings are just as spectacular, the terrain just as challenging, and with the country’s biggest city close by Stephenson figured there would be support for a great race in his place. He was right.

Established in 2000, the Moehau Man is a scenic tour of the Coromandel Peninsula via kayak, mountain bike and road cycle. In more recent years an off road triathlon and mountain bike duathlon options have also been included to create a very real festival of multisport.

Centred around the fabled Moehau mountain on the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, the Moehau is much more than a great race. As well one of the country’s most spectacular and challenging events, Moehau mountain has history dating back to the first human inhabitancy of this region. One of the first canoes to bring Maori to New Zealand, the Arawa, settled in this region. This history is one of the attractions of the event.

In 2012 the feature multisport race is being extended to an epic 117k tour around the tip of the Peninsula. Scheduled for March 13, the new “Moehau Epic” will start with an 18k sea kayak from Long Bay near Coromandel Town to Otautu Bay. Then a 49k mountain bike to Big Sandy.  An 18k trail run to the intersection of Waikawau Road and Port Charles Road follows, then a final 32k road cycle to the finish line back at Coromandel Town.

The off road triathlon option does a 1.5k swim in Waitete Bay and then mountain bikes 20k to Waikawau Bay for a 12k trail run to Kennedy Bay, then a final 17k mountain bike to finish in Coromandel Town. A short course multisport event opens with a kayak from Long Bay to Waitete Bay, then follows the off road triathlon. The duathlon option starts in Waitete Bay and then follows the same course too.

The Moehau Man was the first event established by Adventure Racing Coromandel. Other popular events include the ARC Adventure Race (February 16-17, 2013), the Cranleigh K2 Cycle Classic (November 02, 2013) and the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run (Nov 23, 2013). Their events benefit the Spirit of Coromandel, a charitable Trust set up to support and encourage young people into outdoor activities.

For more details: Ph: 0274 921 348. Email: andy@arcevents.co.nz. Web: www.arcevents.co.nz