Wind blows out crossing's kayak leg

Powerful winds dashed the hopes of kayak specialists and turned the inaugural Northern Crossing into a duathlon, but organisers are still hailing the new multisport event a success.
Around 240 contestants, competing as individuals or part of teams, took part in Saturday's coast-to-coast race from South Head, overlooking the Hokianga Harbour, to the Stone Store in the Bay of Islands.
The event was organised by the Kerikeri Rotary Club and inspired by the South Island's gruelling Coast to Coast, but designed to be a lot more accessible.
An 8km dawn run across farmland and along the beach to Opononi was to have been followed by a 17km kayak to Rawene, but that was cancelled on Friday after advice from the Hokianga harbourmaster.
Instead all competitors followed the course of what was to have been the supporting duathlon, pedalling 84km on SH12 from Opononi to Kaikohe, then via minor roads to Waipapa.
The final leg was an 8km run on a bush track to the Stone Store.
The same fierce, gusty winds that forced the cancellation of the kayak leg hammered the cyclists, challenging even the most experienced competitors.
The best individual time went to 25-year-old Sam Goodall of Paremoremo, north of Auckland, who clocked 3h 55m 51s.
The four-time Coast to Coast competitor was disappointed the kayak leg had been cancelled, but was keen to come back next year to compete on the full course.
It was his first time in the Hokianga and the starting run, with its views across the harbour mouth, made for a "cool-looking course".
Proud dad Malcolm Goodall said his son was a kayak specialist, so he did well to win by a healthy margin.
First across the line at Kerikeri just after 11am was Tracey Brick of Milford, 45, who was competing in the team event with husband Matthew Brick riding the cycle leg. Their time was 3h 45m 30s.
"We were sad to miss the kayak, but it's a fantastic idea and a great race," she said.
"It's part of the country with a lot of history and the coast-to-coast concept means you're going somewhere, not just around in a circle. It's also a great way to show off your part of the country."
Matthew Brick, a 47-year-old orthopaedic surgeon who has represented New Zealand in road time trial cycling, said it was "a very tough bike ride".
Normally he averaged 40-45km/h on the flat, but with the headwind it was more like 25km/h. When he had a tailwind for roughly 10km he was hitting 90km/h.
"Gusts of wind were coming through the trees, and you'd be hanging on for dear life."
Both said they were keen to return next year, but hoped for kinder weather.
The first woman  was Deanne Hannan of Kerikeri with a time of 4h 28m 50s. Both she and her husband, David Hannan, took part in the individual event. The former Kawerau couple bought a Kerikeri supermarket recently and are keen triathletes, with eight Coasts to Coasts between them. She had not competed for eight years but wanted to support the inaugural Northern Crossing.
Kerikeri Rotary Club president Owen Smith said he was delighted to see so many people at the starting line on Saturday, despite the "crappy" weather. Smith rode the cycle leg in the team event.
"Honestly, it was the toughest race I've ever done - the headwind, the rain, and the fact you're on your own. It's like an 84km time trial."
The club would review the event and see what could be improved, and how it could be made less weather dependent.
Mr Smith was keen to keep the Hokianga kayak leg because that set it apart from other multi-sport events, which mostly used rivers.
However, the club was considering a back-up kayak leg on the east coast for the 2011 event.
"My only disappointment was that all these people came up from Auckland - we even had bookings from Havelock North, New Plymouth and Christchurch - and we didn't have the chance to show off the north at its best."
The first Northland team across the line was made up of Graham Moor of Waimate North, Nigel Bryant of Kerikeri and Bill Smith of Whangaparaoa.