Kāwhia Rowing Regatta ready to roll.
The boats are historic, almost as old as the regatta in which they race. For almost 116 years, whaleboat crews have been competing off the King Country coast and, come New Year’s Day, they will do so yet again.
Captains both – Sandra Drummond (left) Kelly Dockery.
A quick start can make all the difference when racing, said Kāwhia Rowing Regatta Club secretary and treasurer, Kelly Dockery.
“Once the gun goes off, if you can get out in front you can go wherever you want – you don’t have to stay in a lane, you can get out of the wind or towards where the tide’s going to help you along.”
Each boat is crewed by five rowers and a cox who works the rudder. Course distances vary from 400 to 1300 metres.
Strength and strategy matter, but teamwork, technique and timing are essential.
“There’s one big rudder oar and five rowing oars. I’m on the number one oar, which is the stroke, setting the timing,” Dockery said. “Teams need to have trained together enough so that they’re all in sync. Having a decent cox helps make sure of this.”
In addition to the host club, the regatta is contested by clubs from Ōpārau and Te Waitere. Various pieces of silverware are on the line.
Measuring approximately 11 metres from stem to stern, the boats were designed for racing rather than chasing whales. Most are original, including one now on display at the Kāwhia Museum, and another is a replica.
Including a range of events, the regatta is contested by children, teens, adults and seniors, greenhorns and old salts alike.
Aged 30, Dockery is a mere spring chicken in comparison to the boats or the event, but she has been competing for most of her life.
“My dad (Ross Dockery) rowed and Allan RuBay and Sandra Drummond, who have run the club for more than 40 years, were my grandma’s best mates,” she said.
“I think the first year I rowed was 2006. When my sisters (Eilish and Georgia) started, they were so little that they had to put blocks in the footboards because they couldn’t reach them properly.”
While the New Year’s Day regatta is a highlight, it’s not the only event contested during summer. Late last month, crews from the three clubs competed in the Long Row, an endurance event, and Te Waitere Whaleboat Rowing Club is set to host a regatta on December 27.
All hands are on deck to ensure these historic events stay afloat.
“Our community is so supportive,” Dockery said. “We couldn’t do it without sponsors and volunteers as well as the Ōpārau and Te Waitere clubs.”
While the boats draw water, it’s the racing that draws a crowd.
In its early years, the regatta was attended by traders, settlers and seamen, bushmen, roadworkers and farmers. More than a century on and not too much has changed.
“We get a pretty decent turnout every year really. When it’s nice and sunny, you can get 2000, but it all depends on the day.”
Kāwhia Rowing Regatta ready to roll. Isabel Odendaal, Wanderlust Photography
