What a weekend we had in Dunedin for the Icebreaker 2013 Waka Ama Competition. Our first race was on Saturday, with Justine Bishop and I paddling the 10km race. Conditions, according to Fire and Ice (the club running the competition), were unlike any other Icebreaker competition – fine and warm. We managed to gain a second in our category, however, there were only three in it. We also managed to shave 20 minutes off our personal best time, which we were both really pleased with. Our Ngā Waka o Murihiku whānau also completed their 10km, W6 races on the Saturday with our Men’s W6 named “Blackballs” taking out first place. My husband Brett was in this crew.
Sunday saw the weather change drastically but not until we were on the water. We paddled our 18km race and were very fortunate to have a huge amount of support from the rest of the Ngā Waka o Murihiku whānau, who had stayed the extra day to support us. They positioned themselves all over the harbour and screamed and yelled in support. During the last 3km of the race, the weather changed dramatically and we wondered if we would finish the race. The wind and water were slamming us, but when we heard a haka from our supporters on the wharf, it gave us the push we needed to keep going. We finished our race in 1 hr 55 mins, and although we didn’t break any records or get a placing, we felt immensely proud of our efforts.
The waka ama crew paddling hard.