Red Kiwi Orienteering Club bringing sprint event to Whanganui

Carol Ramsden has been part of the Red Kiwi club for 30 years. Photo / Bevan Conley

People in Whanganui can soon try a sport that is "definitely character building".

Red Kiwi Orienteering Club is bringing a 'Sprint Double' to Bason Reserve and Virginia Lake, with the public encouraged to sign up and give it a go.

Orienteering involves reading a map with a pre-marked course on it, with competitors making their way around checkpoints.

It's predominantly an individual endeavour but teams can also compete.

Event organiser Carol Ramsden said it was a good sport "for all ages and stages".

"It's great for fitness, decision making, navigation skills and working out how to correct mistakes.

"Orienteering is definitely character building."

There are four levels of difficulty.

"A beginner will get a map that has fences and tracks, and the course goes along them.

''You just have to turn left or right at the correct points," Ramsden said.

"As it gets harder the control points might be off the track, behind a hill, or across a forest.

"You need a compass when it gets up to the higher levels."

The event in Whanganui is at Bason Reserve and Virginia Lake on October 9.

Each location will have three courses - easy, moderate and hard.

The expected winning time for experienced entrants is about 15 minutes.

For those at the elite level, a course might take up to an hour and a half and could be eight to 11 kilometres long.

Ramsden, who has been part of the Red Kiwi club for 30 years, said there were a lot of orienteering clubs throughout the country, most of which held "all kinds of competitions".

"Then there is the national competition at Easter every year that goes for four days.

"We've been on holidays all over New Zealand with our children thanks to orienteering."

Her daughter, Tessa Ramsden, is now an elite orienteer.

"She is coaching Kiwi teams who have just been to Australia for their school championships," Ramsden said.

"The New Zealanders actually came first and second over the five day competition.

"They were running around the old gold mining territory in Victoria."

Ramsden said the upcoming races in Whanganui would be short and sharp.

"We kick off at Bason Reserve in the morning then move to Virginia Lake in the afternoon.

"Anyone is welcome to give it a go, but they have to register first through our website.

There were only a few other people from Whanganui in the Red Kiwi club, Ramsden said.

The Palmerston North-based club has about 70 members.

"We run a lot of casual, Sunday morning events where people can just come along and have a go," Ramsden said.

"Those events are getting up to 100 people along.

"You can take orienteering as far as you want. That might be all the way to the top ... or just have a nice walk in the bush."

Registrations for the event can be made at www.redkiwi.org.nz/events/133259/