More than 1000 paddlers from across New Zealand are descending on Whitianga this week for the Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals 2023.

Te Puku o Te Ika Region, Whitianga Waka Ama, Hauraki Waka Ama, Te Āputa Tira Hoe and Te Whānau Waka Ama o Whangamata, in association with Waka Ama New Zealand, are proud to host this year's event on the waters of Te Whanganui-a-Hei (Mercury Bay) on April 21 and 22.

The event will officially open with a pōwhiri at 3pm Thursday April 20 at Buffalo Beach Reserve, Whitianga, where paddlers and our waka ama whānau will be welcomed by haukāinga.

The racing will kick off on Friday and Saturday and will bring together 1,045 paddlers, representing 56 different clubs, from all across New Zealand.

Paddlers will take to the waters and compete on a circuit race course completing distances of 8km, 16km, or 24km depending on their respective divisions.

The event includes paddlers from J16 up to Master 75, inclusive of adaptive paddlers.

Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals team from 2022. Photo: Supplied.

Friday will see the adult divisions compete in their W1 & W2 events, and the junior and adaptive paddlers compete in their W6 events.

Saturday will follow a similar format with the adult divisions competing in their W6 races and the junior and adaptive paddlers competing in their W1 & W2 races.

'We are looking forward to bringing this event to Whitianga and having our waka ama whānau join us at this amazing location," says Waka Ama NZ CEO, Lara Collins.

"Waka Ama NZ would like to thank the event organisers and hosts Te Puku o Te Ika, Whitianga Waka Ama, Hauraki Waka Ama, Te Āputa Tira Hoe, and Te Whānau Waka Ama o Whangamata for bringing this event together."

From the outset, the event has had strong support from the Thames Coromandel District Council and the Whitianga Community. Local businesses have jumped on board to tautoko the event and accommodation providers are set to welcome the waka ama paddlers and their whānau over the next few days. The event site will be buzzing with a number of vendors on site for the local community to enjoy.

This national event is also a qualifying event for the upcoming 2023 International Va'a Federation World Distance Championship to be held in Samoa from August 10 -18.

The World Distance Championship returns after a four-year hiatus due to covid restrictions. The competition will be fierce out on the water as hopeful paddlers compete in their respective divisions and events to secure a spot in the New Zealand team.

'This year's event has an extra incentive for paddlers competing for spots for the 2023 World Distance Champs taking place in Samoa in August. There will be some exciting and competitive racing that will take place over the two days of racing. We are looking forward to seeing the skills of these paddlers take to the water after many hours of hard training," says Lara.

The Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals is a free event for all whānau to come down to watch. Make sure to come check out the kai, coffee, and goods for sale from our vendors, watch some competitive racing, and enjoy the waka ama atmosphere here in Whitianga.

Statistics:

Clubs: 56
Paddlers: 1045
Races: 6
Race days: 2

Key links:

2023 LDNs - Event Information, Race Schedule, Results

2023 LDNs - Event Statistics

Waka Ama NZ website: wakaama.co.nz

Waka Ama NZ Facebook: wakaama

Waka Ama NZ Instagram: wakaamanz