E rua ngā mētara kōura ka whakawhiwhia ki te karapū waka ama o Hei Matau Paddlers (HMP) nō Te Arawa i te whakataetae ā-motu ka tū ki Karāpiro.
“I tino pai tō mātou timatanga, nō reira i puta te ihu i te timatanga,” e ai ki te kaiurungi o HMP Mako a Tiki Rika o Ngāti Whakaue.
“Push, Push, Kia kaha! and then kaore mātou i pōturi haere i piki mātou,” hei tāna anō.
Ka whakaihuwaka a HMP Mako i te whakataetae J16 mō ngā wāhine kei raro i te tekau mā ono tau. I te whiringa toa mō HMP Mako e rua miniti me te waru hekona tō rātou tere i te rima rau mita na whai anō ka whakaihuwaka rātou, ā, atu i te metara kōura ka haere rātou ki te whakataetae o te ao.
“Koinei tōku tino whāinga mo tēnei whakataetae nui kia whai tūranga te haere ki Singapore,” hei tā Tiki anō.
Ko Trinity Pene o Ngāti Rangiteaorere me Ngāti Uenukukopako tētehi atu o te kapa waka ama o HMP Mako e hikaka ana kua toa whakaihuwaka rātou.
“Kua ihirangaranga te wairua, kua hīkaka rawa i te kitenga kua tae tuatahi, kua whai mētara koura,“ hei tā Trinity.
“Me aronui ki ērā reihi, me reihi i ērā reihi i runga i te whakaiti i te mea kua toa mātou i tēnei, me whakaiti tonu,” hei tāna anō.
Young Paddler Hamiora Katu claims silver at Nationals, books ticket to World Sprints
Waka Ama paddler Hamiora Katu is heading to the World Sprints in Singapore this August after a stellar performance at the recent Waka Ama Sprint Nationals, where he claimed a silver medal in the J16 Men’s W1 division.
“I haven’t come here to make up the numbers, I’ll put my best foot forward,” says Katu who is also from Hei Matau Paddlers in Rotorua.
“It’s been good being with my bro in the finals, Lennix has been pushing to make worlds for W1 and yeah, he’ll give me a good run,” he says.
His success is a testament to the hard work put in alongside his teammates, including fellow finalist Lennix Thomas who also paddle in the same W6 J19 team Bhutty 19s.
Behind Katu’s success is his coach, Tyrin Thomas, who is also Lennix Thomas’s father.
“Very proud of the boys, especially our two younger ones here cos they had to step up into the 19s division for six man,” says Tyron Thomas.
“We finished our last training that I just told them you know when it’s the one they say it’s your mates off the water, But when you go on the water, you know, you’re pretty much an individual thing, you know, you do your best,” he says.
With the silver medal secured, Hamiora Katu will now shift his focus to preparing for the world stage in Singapore, representing Aotearoa and his club against the best from around the globe.