Another great day out on the water at Lake Tikitapu for the 2023 Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals. Paddlers competed in W6 250m straights and 500m turns semi-final races today in their respective divisions ahead of finals day tomorrow. The conditions at Lake Tikitapu were chilly again, with a bit of wind in the morning, which was challenging for the kaihoe, but they warmed up fairly quickly as they paddled down the race course.

Despite the cold conditions, rangatahi have been getting amongst the atmosphere both on and off the water, creating an awesome whanaungatanga vibe here at the event. It has been a challenging time of recent for secondary school sport, and after a year off Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals due to covid restrictions, it’s great to have so many teachers and waka ama whānau supporting rangatahi to be here at the event.

“All the behind the scenes mahi from teachers, coaches, managers and all waka ama whānau ensures our rangatahi are able to be involved in this event. We acknowledge all these people that enable and support our rangatahi to participate in waka ama. The rangatahi look like they’re having lots of fun!”, says Lara Collins, Waka Ama NZ CEO.

Tomorrow we head into our final day of racing with a half day of finals for all ages and divisions in the W6 racing. This week has showcased not only the excitement on the water but the whanaungatanga off the water. After a two year hiatus, the event has come back to Tikitapu more vibrant than ever!

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