Frequent users of the Warren Cole Walkway may have noticed a significant increase in waka ama activity on the river leading up to this week with a record delegation of more than 100 paddlers from Whakatāne in training for the Waka Ama National Sprint Championships.

The championships are on now at Lake Karapiro with several local paddlers and crews hoping the competition will provide a stepping stone to the world championships in Singapore later this year.

Three teams from Whakatāne have already expressed intent to participate at the world event in August: Te Wairere from Waka Ama O Whakatāne, and Tarawera Six Pack and Autaikura both from the Tarawera Outrigger Canoe Club.

Te Wairere, a golden masters women team (age over 60) with many decades of combined experience is leading the Whakatāne charge to World Cup glory.

The team engaged the coaching services of Hemi Wahapango, a former New Zealand and world champion, to have a serious go at qualifying for the world’s event and are confident they will succeed.

Other waka ama forces to be reckoned with from Whakatane are the Tarawera SixPack, a senior master men’s team (age over 50) and Autaikura, a premier women’s team built around Tui Puke Puke.

Both teams are top of their division and are seen as serious contenders for national titles this week, earning them the right to represent New Zealand in Singapore.

Tarawera Sixpack team captain Greg Patterson said the team had experienced a fair amount of upheaval over the past two years, and it had been a goal of his to keep and grow the team.

“Last year was very disappointing to not have the original team still together, hence we were unable to field a team to defend our titles for last year’s sprint championships.

“Onto the current refreshed version of Tarawera SixPack, we have regrouped with some core members still remaining including myself, Max Holder, Mark Pilcher and Daryll Hyne and new members, Whakatāne man Dale Jones and Tauranga paddlers, Jeff Robb and Tinikai Rolleston.”

Unfortunately, Pilcher is not available for this week’s national sprint championships.

Patterson said their goal was to podium this week and qualify for the world sprint champs.

The Eastern Bay also has a premier women’s team from Tarawera, Paewhiti, competing this week with the ambition of reaching the semi-finals – at minimum.

Several individual paddlers are also competing, hoping to qualify for the worlds.

Serious contenders include Puke Puke in the masters women’s class and Holder in the senior masters men’s division.

Awa and Kaedyn Thrupp are representing the Whakatāne J16 and J19 youth paddlers, and Wayne Winiata is paddling in the 75+ age division.

Success on the water for youth paddlers

Supporting the Whakatāne charge for glory at the Waka Ama National Sprint Championships are more than 60 youth paddlers.

They have begun well this week with teams already bringing in medals and ribbons.

From Tarawera Outrigger Canoe Club, there are an intermediate girls (10-12 years) team called Turehu and a J19 girls’ team named Tarawera Waka Princesses, which have been training regularly at the Whakatāne boat ramp.

Further down the river at the Eivers Road boat ramp, Mataatua Sports’ Hemi Wahapango and Kaedyn Thrupp haven been busy training/coaching 11 youth teams from the taitamariki age group, (7-9 years), several intermediate teams and two J16 teams.

That effort has already paid off at Lake Karapiro with Mataatua Sports’ Wairaka team winning a bronze medal in the W6 250metre class of the taitamahine (girls 7-9 years) division and the Muriwai team winning a silver ribbon over the same distance.

The two teams combined in a double canoe – W12 – to win a silver medal for Whakatāne, pictured above.

The Wairaka team members are Haylee Wahapango; Summer Merito; Amaia Hobson; Amaia Reign-Turpie and Sailor Stewart-Rangihika. The Muriwai team members are Te Atahaea Bennet-Hetet; Malia Grace; Micaiiah Kinghazel; Rochelle Rapana and Maden Merito.