The 31st annual Motorway Classic - Sunday March 26

Event Location - Honiana Te Puni Reserve, Petone

Course Distances :

14 km - 7 km - 3.5 km

The Event is open to the following craft :

- All Waka ama - All multisport kayaks & adventure racing doubles - sea kayaks - surf ski - SUP - surf canoes - prone paddle boards & kneeboards. Sorry the courses are not suitable for K1, K2 or K4's or Ocean Rowing Craft

Every person who paddles any craft on Wellington Harbour must practice self rescuing themselves, and practice a few times prior to the Event. 

The courses are sheltered from the fiercest Wellington Northerly, as you can paddle all courses between 2 metres and 20 metres from the Motorway Coastline. 

If you feel a little tippy in your craft, then being nice and close to the shoreline is the easiest most confidence boosting part of the course to paddle on.

There are a number of means to communicate with us.

email - wellypaddlers@gmail.com - phone Chester 022 6455 820

Message the https://www.facebook.com/WellyPaddlers Facebook page....or make a comment on any of the pre event posts.

Online payment only - Welly Paddlers - Kiwibank 38-9016-0568806-02

*** Please use the "Surname" / "Team name" (of the Person /Team you are entering) in the online banking payment "reference box" ***

Entries Close : Friday March 24 at 7 pm. Payment by online Banking must also be made prior to this time.

ABSOLUTELY NO ENTRIES WILL BE RECEIVED AFTER THIS TIME.

*** How to enter ***

Email - wellypaddlers@gmail.com - Please provide the following detail

1. Your full name / Name of Team

2. Your cellphone number

3. Type of craft eg. W1, W2, W6, W 12, multisport kayak, surf ski, sea kayak, SUP, prone paddle board, surf canoe, adventure racing double

4. Are you entering : 14 km recreational - 14 km open - 7 km - 3.5 km

5. Female / Male / Mixed

6. Classification Please supply your date of birth - Or average Age if you are in a Team boat

7. Town or City

8. *** We recycle the numbers ***

If you have an existing Welly Paddlers number on your craft from a previous Welly Paddlers Event please let us know when you enter and we'll check this off against our Master Spreadsheet. 

Our numbers are easy peel and do not leave any sticky residue.

ENTRY FEES :

- 14 km long course -

- $35.00 - singles ($20 for U 18 & 60 +)

- $60.00 - doubles

- $80.00 - surf canoe

- $90.00 - W6

- $140.00 - W 12

 - 3.5 km & 7 km short courses -

$20.00 singles

*** Please note if you are reasonably new to paddling or do very little fitness paddling we recommend that you enter the 3.5 km or 7 km...rather than the 14 km ***.

     All photo credits : Laurelle Winiata & Sharlene Winiata

All pre Event updates are on this Facebook link - https://www.facebook.com/WellyPaddlers

There will be 3 x Event updates on the above link on Tuesday & Thursday before 10 am in the week leading up to the Event. These posts will show weather, course, location, facilities detail and any course changes

*** 24 hours prior to the Event we will post the Event Briefing on the Facebook link above ***

click on any photo to enlarge

Please Note : The Event Venue has changed this year. We are now directly in front of the entrance to Te Puni Honiana Reserve.

blue square - denotes Registration

yellow - temporary public parkng

green - Event parking (through locked chain fence)

aqua - craft staging areas

                 Click on any photo to enlarge

14 km long course below : 

Please note on the long course all paddlers are required to turn inside the short course buoy near the BP Station on the way out and also on the way back.

Short courses below

Note : this year the buoy turn is before the BP Station 

1 x lap = 3.5 km

2 x laps = 7 km

Long Course turn buoys below at the Interislander reclamation

- Buoy closest to Motorway for singles and doubles

- Buoy 40 metres out for W6's, W 12's and surf canoes

- All buoy turns - turn from right to left

 Below : All craft to finish between the two yellow buoys

Toilet Locations below

1. Turn left inside Honiana Te Puni Reserve (100 metres from registration)

2. Larger toilet block on the Petone Esplanade - opposite Bay St (1.5 km from the start) 

Below - Closest toilet block pictured through the trees 

just inside the entrance to Honiana Te Puni Reserve

Seashore Cafe pictured below

Below - Largest toilet block on The Esplanade (opposite Seashore Cafe)

Notes and run of play for the day

- Please use Public Toilets as shown in photos

- All Team Captains and paddlers must read the pre event posts on our Facebook page and also all the Event detail on our page here.

- Both the long and short courses are easily paddled close to the sheltered shoreline so if you are not a confident paddler please heed this good advice

- Anyone who enters the 14 km course we require that they are competent paddlers or place yourself in a craft with other competent paddlers who you can learn from. Anyone lacking confidence or fitness the 3.5 km & 7 km distances are both awesome courses also an integral part of "The Motorway Classic"

- We do have safety monitoring craft.... however paddlers do need to make good decisions so they do not put themselves at risk of capsize or getting themselves into any other un neccessary trouble. 

- This Event is approved by the GWRC Harbours Department. As such everyone is required to obey the bylaws here - https://archive.gw.govt.nz/bylaws-summary/

- PFD's are required at our Events - if you don't wear one the Harbourmasters Department are the people who issue $100 non compliance fines.

- If you have a collision with a motor craft or a medical Event (whether training or racing) a PFD will allow you to float, and make you more visible (better still if it's a High Viz PFD) and will save your life. 

- Our Event Safety number on the day is 027 4581 005

- We use VHF Channel 77 for Event Safety.

- High tide is at 9.39 am 

- The start calls are : 2 mins to start - 1 minute - 30 seconds - 3 - 2 - 1 - loud air horn

Event Schedule

Registration from 8.00 am - 9.30 am

- 9.40 am - 14 km Recreational start includes seakayaks, SUP's, W6 & W12

- 9.55 am - 14 km Open W6, W 12 & Surf canoe start

- 9.57 am - 14 km singles & doubles start

- 9.59 am - 3.5 km & 7 km all craft start

Spot prize giving 11.50 am - 12.10 pm