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The King of the Harbour is a unique event showcasing the rapidly growing water sport of surf ski ocean racing, which has a long history and following both in New Zealand and around the world.
King of the Harbour aims to attract some of the world's most talented ocean athletes from both New Zealand and abroad. Countries such as South Africa, Australia and Tahiti are likely to compete as in previous years. Elite New Zealand athletes expected to compete include Olympic flat-water sprint kayaking medallists Ben Fouhy and Steven Ferguson, previous King of the Harbour champion and Beijing Olympic Games qualified flat water sprint kayaker Mike Walker, as well as New Zealand's top female surf ski paddler and previous King of the harbour women's champion, Katie Pocock.
 Dawid Mocke (SA) wins the 2007 King of the Harbour
King of the Harbour aims to provide both a premier racing event for elite surf ski ocean athletes, as well as to encourage and foster a wider community involvement by the introduction of a short course event for the first time in 2008. The new short course is aimed at junior level surf ski ocean athletes or novice paddlers wishing to gain some experience in ocean racing with the hope of competing in the long distance King of the Harbour event in the future. The new short course will also be opened up to offer a sea kayaking category for the first time. King of the Harbour is open to all age groups from Junior through to Masters and is planned to be held on the 29th March 2008 on the North Shore, Auckland. North Shore City is the ideal venue for this event. In recent years the North Shore City beaches have become popular venues for Surf Ski ocean racing and sea kayaking, and athletes can regularly be seen both training and competing in the area. King of the Harbour is an event organised by Kirsty Elmiger, event manager, on behalf of the Takapuna Boating Club, based on Takapuna Beach, North Shore City.
KING OF THE HARBOUR LONG DISTANCE WORLD SERIES EVENT
This event currently constitutes one leg of the 2008 Surf Ski World Series which also includes races in South Africa, Australia, Tahiti and Dubai, to name but a few, and is undoubtedly New Zealand's premier ocean racing event. The event is held on the picturesque Hauraki Gulf and showcases the iconic islands of Rangitoto and Motutapu and encompasses the unique nautical challenges of currents, tides with winds that are prevalent to the area.
The intended course is an approximate 25-30km race paddling directly out towards Rangitoto Island from Narrowneck Beach circumnavigating the island via the inlet passage between Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction dependant on the prevailing winds on the day and returning back to the finish on Narrowneck Beach. Only in the event of weather that prohibits the safe use of this course will an alternate course be used. This decision can only be made on the day at the discretion of the Event Director & Safety Director.
* Please note the exact base venue for start and finish, as well as the course for this event is to be confirmed and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Event Director & Safety Director.
KING OF THE HARBOUR SHORT DISTANCE EVENT
This event is a new event aimed at the junior level and/or novice Surf Ski paddler wishing to gain a taste for ocean racing over a shorter distance and as a pre-cursor ‘experience' event to future King of the Harbour Long Distance World Series event. The event will also be opened up to sea kayakers as a new competitive category for the first time.
The intended course is an approximate 10-15km race paddling directly out towards Rangitoto Island from Narrowneck Beach, around the light house directly in front of Rangitoto Island and directly back again to the finish on Narrowneck Beach. Only in the event of weather that prohibits the safe use of this course will an alternate course be used. This decision can only be made on the day at the discretion of the Event Director & Safety Director.
* Please note the exact base venue for start and finish, as well as the course for this event is to be confirmed and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Event Director & Safety Director.
For more info:
Contact Kirsty Elmiger at:
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Event website (from mid Jan 2008): www.kingoftheharbour.co.nz
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