Waka Ama National Sprint Championships 2024: Thousands descend on Lake Karāpiro

Thousands of paddlers have descended on Lake Karāpiro for the Waka Ama National Sprint Championships.

The seven-day event started on Sunday, with Lake Karāpiro surrounded by competitors and their supporters, and almost every patch of green grass taken up.

Food stalls from different origins were packed with paddlers, eager to appease their appetite from a hard day of waka ama.

Retail stores added to the ambience and included Māori designers making and selling their own jewellery.

Recruiters were also making the most of the occasion with careers for people to explore like the New Zealand Defence Force, Department of Corrections, and healthcare.

Family and friends of competitors have all set up in tents as they watch the Waka Ama championships take place at Lake Karāpiro. Photo / Malisha Kumar

Waka Ama chief executive Lara Collins said they were excited about this year’s event because it had been cancelled because of Covid-19, in 2022, and there had also been fewer competitors last year.

“We had 2700 paddlers last year and this year we have 3200 which is 500 more.

“It’s looking like life is getting more and more back to normal after the covid years, and it’s great.

“Everyone’s super excited. We have 73 clubs from Kaitāia and all the way from Dunedin, and we’re happy to just come together again”, she said.

Monday’s event saw intermediate boys and girls paddling it out in competition.

Prize giving takes place at the end of each day of the competition.

The seven-day Waka Ama National Sprint Championships will finish on January 20.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

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