2013 IRF White Water Rafting World Championships.

Great rivers - and great skill and talent on show. That’s the story of the 2013 IRF White Water Rafting World Championships in Rotorua and Kawerau in the heartland of New Zealand’s North Island. The event will run from November 13 – 24 and will incorporate Junior (16-21), Masters (40+) and Open categories.

Rafting is a significant part of the local adventure tourism industry and the region is home base for some of the country’s very best paddlers.

“There’s a good reason for that,” says event director, Rawiri Bhana. “The three rivers the championships will be run on – the Kaituna, Tarawera and Rangitaiki – are beautiful, spectacular and a perfect test for the world’s elite.”

Competitive white water rafting has a very big world wide following and a large number of rafters from a diverse range of countries, like the European powerhouses of the sport, are expected to flood into Rotorua and Kawerau at the end of next year.

“It is a chance to shine a light on our region and our rivers,” adds Bhana.

A Pre-Worlds event will be this Labour Weekend, October 19-21, on the same rivers as the World Championships, a year later' Local and international paddlers will take part including teams from the Czech Republic and Japan.

On Friday October 19 there will be a Sprint and Head to Head race on the Kaituna. On Saturday, October 20 the Slalom will be raced in Kawerau on the Tarawera. The finale will be the Down River race on the Rangitaiki, on Sunday October 21.

“It’s the first long weekend of the New Zealand summer and the annual Beer Festival is on at Okere Falls at the head of the Kaituna,” says Bhana, “so it will be a celebration of rafting with a good opportunity to socialize after the day’s battles on the water.”

For local rafters, like Nick Chater, having the World Championships on home water in 2013 is
a dream come true.

“I’m super excited and extremely proud of the opportunity we have to bring the best on the planet to our wonderful rivers, country and culture that makes New Zealand the incredible country it is,” enthuses Chater, who has competed at three World Championships and was captain of the New Zealand team in Costa Rica in 2011.

“Those who have experienced raft racing and see it live are always blown away by the sport and to be able to introduce this to a much bigger audience at home is huge.  The international rafting community is a vibrant group of people and New Zealand was the ‘paddler’s choice’ for venues for 2013 – it’s a place that international paddlers want to visit and compete in.

I’m hoping to race at these worlds - to be able to do so in front of family, friends and other Kiwis is a huge honour.”

For the first time the self-funded Kiwi crews won’t have to worry about the cost to travel to the event and can focus on training in their own backyard.

Nick Chater knows the rivers the World Championships will be raced on like the back of his hand.
“They will be run on three distinctly different rivers. The Kaituna which will be used for the Sprint and the Head to head, is deep and narrow with drops and lots going on with the opportunity to make distinct choices about lines and push people off theirs,” says Chater.

“The Tarawera, in Kawerau, is the easiest of the sections and will be used for the Slalom competition with plenty of potential for the course designer to create a tight and technical course.

This section is the most visual, so we can really make it a festival event with a room for a huge crowd to support us and see rafting at its best.

The Rangitaiki is the course for the Down River and will see a race from 40 to 55 minutes.
It’s technical and very busy, with a flat section in the middle, and the team that wins this will need to be a good all-round team, able to make good line choices, be technically very good and have huge fitness.

Three rivers within an hour from Rotorua - and the support and experience that the city has in hosting international events and visitors - means there is the potential to make this event the best ever,” says Chater.

New Zealand women’s crews have been particularly successful at world championships events
with four world titles - in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Nikki Kelly is another local paddler and was part of all those winning crews.

“We currently hold the most medals won at world champs out of all men and women’s teams and are in the Guinness book of records for holding most consecutive world titles,” says Kelly, with a big smile.
“Having the world championships here in New Zealand means we will get real depth of teams competing for the national title and the right to represent NZ at the worlds - not just in the Open category but also Masters and Juniors.

That means our standard of competition will rise.”

Nikki is also looking forward to racing in front of hometown support.

“I’m very excited and it means a lot more to sponsors and family when they get to see first hand what it is we have been so passionate about," she continues.

“And my partner and my young family, three boys, get to have their mum at home while competing, not absent overseas for three weeks.”