Powered by Velvet win Adventure Taupo

World class Adventure Racing team Powered by Velvet, led by former Coast to Coast champion George Christenson won the inaugural Adventure Taupo race in the weekend.

Nineteen teams lined up on the start line at Whakaipo Bay on Saturday  and while many teams had been counting on heading east back into Taupo, the course in a surprise twist headed west, out into the seldom travelled country beyond the Western Bays.

Starting at 8am to the sounds of Midnight Oil, the teams set-out on a short navigation stage. First off this leg to the surprise of many were the Napier Boys High School team who had chosen to miss the optional checkpoints and get off to a quick start on the kayaks. A strong kayaking team they were off like a flash. The top contenders for overall honours found their way through the detailed gullies of the Whakaipo Bay map to snare the optional checkpoints and bonus points they held and set off in hot pursuit of the secondary school team.

The kayak leg had teams circumnavigating the headland between Whakaipo Bay and Kinloch with optional checkpoints requiring extra distance and exiting the boats in difficult conditions. New Zealand's first youth Adventure Racing team the Vasque U23's, made a great start to their first race catching the powerful Powered by Velvet line-up when they made an early error only for disaster to strike as a rudder snapped off its mounting sending them into disarray.

Back on land however it was a different story for the strong Auckland Grammer team who powered through the non kayak option, a scenic trek over the high headland between Whakaipo Bay and Kinloch. Arriving in transition early they got out fast before again disaster struck, first navigator Sam Gapes was struck down with injury and with him out of action team went terribly awry, missing the Kawakawa bay track leading to a vastly extended coasteering section.

Chasing hard off the paddle was Powered by Velvet and it was them that arrived first at the Boat Harbour special stage which required a rope swing and snorkel to find underwater checkpoints. Velvet, although being hesitant through this section was in no danger of being caught however as teams were really struggling with the tough coasteering section. Wading, swimming and floating with packs and lifejackets proved too much for some and several people were pulled out of the section by the Greenpeace sponsored inflatables, but all recovered to rejoin their team members on the bush trek out of Boat Harbour to the start of the mountain bike leg.

There is mountain biking and there is mountain biking, and this was definitely the good stuff, open rolling farmland, complete with downhills, moguls and freestyle potential. The open pastures of Waihora station proved a hit with competitors able to make their own lines while navigating through several optional and compulsory checkpoints. Competitors eventually passed under SH 35 and through quick dairy farm races to the overnight campsite at Tihoi Venture School, where they were greeted by the organisers, fellow competitors and the sweet (well savoury really) smell of venison sausages.

All teams finished the compulsory course on the first day, a fine achievement when you sit back in the office and check out google earth. Whakaipo Bay to Tihoi under human power and facing plenty of different challenges. It wasn't over for the day though! A quick pairs relay orienteering race, which turned ugly for the final competitors as it got dark and the big packs disappeared. Everyone made it safely home though back to the lights of the tent village.

Sunday was shorter but not easier. Race Director Jamie Stewart promised a "little taste" of Southern Traverse and this is what teams got. The optional controls of first mountain bike beat many teams who had to deal with an overgrown road and tricky navigation decisions in a maze of 4WD tracks. Wiser, or less ambitious teams chose the safe route, through the compulsory checkpoints, and up to the transition, giving more time for the trek ahead a long descent of Kakaho stream requiring river crossing and trail finding skills to ensure swift travel.

It was Powered by Velvet pushing through the field again although the Opotiki Wounderers were chasing hard, and in the biggest surprise of the race it started to look like Taranaki veterans Roses and Thorns were in line for a top placing. Especially when top Auckland team Totally Random missed the mountain bike cut-off and incurred penalty points and Team Vasque could only manage two of the optional checkpoints. All teams however managed to find no 17 "under the road approach from upstream" which required a bit of grovelling through a culvert!

Down into the river and teams were progressing well, although an optional checkpoint halfway down the stream eluded many. Teams knew they were getting closer when they crossed a ford to the cheers of their suppport crew and re-entered the bush for the last time. A waterfall was carefully avoided before teams finally emerged from the beautiful Rimu forest of Kakaho campground. Responses were a mix of happiness and relief as competitors reflected on their experiences accumulated in one big weekend. Powered by Velvet won by around an hour from the tough Opotiki team with the Vasque U23's taking out the Youth grade from the Taranaki team, Team Fleming with the well known Girls on Top team (or Go-Lite) coming through in the all womens competition.

The race was put on by MADeventz who would like to thank their sponsors Go-Lite, Polar, Mion and Thule as well as all the amazing landowners and volunteer marshals who enabled the event to proceed. The next race in the Kiwi Summer series is Adventure Rotorua on the 26/27th January.