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Armed Offenders Squad (SWAT)
can attest to that ferocity, having a
new scar on his chin comprised of
five stitches. Surprisingly, his was
the only injury of the afternoon.
As the teams entered the home
straight they were gasping for air,
the muscles were burning but these
guys dug deep as they could hear
the crowd cheering them on. You
could see the pride on the faces
of Tauranga team as they dropped
over the last drop to the roar of
the crowd in first place, then moments
later they all collapsed as
they had given it their all.
Due to the high turnout of 24 teams
from all across the North Island,
the race was split into separate
elimination heats and a final. Each
round consisted of 6 rafts, two
safety kayakers and a spectator
raft. This is one of the best things
about the Kaituna River, the run is
only 1.8km, and the road access is
sweet; so it’s very easy to squeeze
in multiple runs in a short amount
of time.
The boys in blue were in safe hands
as Kaituna Cascades had been
commissioned to handle logistics,
safety and the guides to make the
event happen. Kaituna Cascades
was the first company to commercially
operate on the Kaituna. So,
while most of us would have liked
to give these cops a good thrashing
on our own turf, the guides showed
restraint and performed with the
highest sense of decency but Mother
Nature on the other hand had
rafts going upside down, people
falling out, and some of them had
to hold their breath for a worrisome
17 seconds on a trip to the green
room.
The Kaituna River is one of a few
rivers in the world that is easily accessed
by spectators. If next year’s
event is anywhere as great to watch
at this one was (which promises to
expand into kayaking and “riversurfing”
races), it will truly be one
of the best shows of the summer.
After the final, the cops headed
500m meters down the road to the
Okere Falls Beer Garden to have a
few Croucher beers (a great New
Zealand beer), trade stories and of
course the prizegiving. This year’s
major race sponsor was TEVA who
put up some great prizes including
sandals and clothing. The stories
of the day continued well into the
warm New Zealand summer night
with many keen to return next year
to see what the river would bring.
Adventure World
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