Traditional and hi-tech racing set to thrill on Waiheke Island

Horses, tractors and amphibious craft will take to the sands and waters of Waiheke Island for the 2014 Onetangi Beach Races, a free beach race meeting event first held more than a century ago.

On Sunday 2 March 2014, Waiheke will host the world’s largest Sealegs amphibious craft race, just one of the highlights during a day of racing, fashion and children’s events.   According to event organiser Jon Ewer, Onetangi Beach Races is the only remaining beach race event in Auckland and is growing in popularity every year with the 2013 event attracting a crowd of more than 6000 people.

“It’s become one of the best free family days out on the summer calendar,” says Jon, “and we’re proud to carry on hosting a traditional event that our great- grandparents would have journeyed over from Auckland to enjoy.”

Alongside the traditional thrill of being up close to horses pounding the golden sands of Onetangi, the races have taken on a truly 21st century feel with the inclusion  of the fiercely competitive amphibious race, a spectacle which takes place on land and in the water with up to 30 Sealegs craft entering the fray.  

Onetangi Beach Races is a free event organised by the Rotary Club of Waiheke Island with profits distributed to community groups.