The first-ever Kahawai event took place on 8 May 2021 in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland at the Wakatere Boating Club.
Current stars of NZ paddling turned out to support the next generation as they tested the new format and new class of boats in challenging conditions.
Paddlers started close to the beach and raced in heats of 3-6 around a rectangular course, finishing back at the beach. The wind was strong, and a tough onshore chop made it tricky to reach the first turning mark. The effort was rewarded with awesome surfing runs on the way in!
Our awesome event photographers, Georgia Schofield and James West, spent the day snapping awesome shots of the event. Feel free to download these pics and share on social!
Please copy/paste our hashtags into your insta captions, and tag the six accounts below to help us promote Kahawai and run lots more of these events in the future!
@paddler.nz @canoeracingnz @georgiasphoto @_west_media @sportnewzealand @nelokayaks
We'll be setting up a Kahawai hub on Paddler soon with all the info on the format, boats as well as upcoming events and a toolkit for event organisers. Until then, we'll keep whetting your appetite with pics and videos to make you dream of paddling.
Kia kaha i te wai – be strong in the water!
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