It was the second day of racing and the first day of the W6 heats at the Vaka Eiva Waka Ama competition in Rarotonga. The masters and senior masters took to the water first. Among the teams were paddlers from New Zealand.
Ipukarea is a Wellington-based team who battled the swells of Rarotonga.
As teams were arriving home, it was a New Zealand face in a Cook Island team that stood out. Sharon Hawke and her team finished in the top three, the NZ paddler winning a medal with her Cook Island team.
In the junior section, Tū Tangi Ora have three teams in the competition including their U19 girl’s team who competed. They did well in their 6km race, a good test for a team that have only paddled together once before in this event. In the end, the girls managed to cross the line in third place winning a medal in their first major race as a team.
The juniors will continue to paddle tomorrow. The open mixed teams will paddle in the afternoon of day three of the competition.