Arawa Canoe Club

Weather is looking good for our race this Sunday. It will be a bit chilly but we will have a coffee cart at the start and end if you want a warm boost!

We start the race at Helmores Lane and finish at Arawa Canoe Club, approximately 12kms.

You can register on the day at Helmores Lane between 8-830 with the race starting at 9am.

Reminder that PFDs must be worn.

Join us Sunday 9th August for a fun, relaxed morning on the water!

🕗 Register 8:00–8:30 AM | Race from 9:00 AM
📍 Helmores Lane, Christchurch

✅ No entry fee
🎁 Spot prizes
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All ages & abilities welcome

Whether you’re new or experienced come give it a go!
Helmore's Lane to the Arawa Canoe Club - 12km. A 4km short course is available from Oranga Hou adjacent to the Fitzgerald Ave Bridge - Both short and long course will start at the same time.

Those doing the full Helmores Lane course, should note that water levels are very shallow in places. For this reason no craft with under keel rudders should be used ie K1's. K1's can be used for the short course event where the water on that section of river is deeper.

Well done to Stella Crossan and her crew for making history!

Four A Finals and one Semi-Final await our Arawa athletes at the 2026 Junior & U23 World Championships tomorrow morning.

We’ve watched these paddlers dedicate countless hours, make huge sacrifices, and give everything to this sport. Seeing them compete on the world stage is something our entire club can be incredibly proud of.

Good luck to all New Zealand athletes competing!

Go Arawa! 🔴⚫️

🐔This one is worth getting up early for!🐔
Day 3 of the Junior & U23 World Champs will kick off with K1 semi final racing for Madison Garrett, Lachie Harkness and Reid Clancy. Then early Saturday morning will have FOUR Final A races featuring our kiwi athletes.
Set your alarms and get your Planet Canoe YouTube subscription to tune into the live stream. Or we will have updates when you wake up!
Latest results and schedules here https://canoeracing.org.nz/everything-you-need-to-know-2026-icf-junior-u23-canoe-sprint-world-championships/

Twizel paddle event - a training, racing and good fun weekend at Lake Ruataniwha, 9-11 October 2026. There will be something for everyone - an opportunity to coach and be coached, mentor or be mentored, race easy or hard-out, learn or refine race skills, and have fun on and off the water.

Please register here:

Twizel Paddle Event - Sprint Kayak Development Weekend - Lake Ruataniwha 9-11 October 2026 This weekend is for everyone — whether you are picking up a paddle for the first time or looking for solid racing on flat water. We are hosting a sprint kayak weekend at Twizel bringing together paddlers of all backgrounds and experience levels. Surf ski paddlers, canoe polo players, multisporters...

Calendar of Canoe Racing NZ major events for 2026/2027.

Some slight adjustments to our regular annual schedule due to changes in other watersport event dates. We are excited that the 2027 NZ Canoe Sprint Championships will double as the Oceania Championships and an ICF continental qualifier event on the road to LA 2028.

Stay tuned for more details on these events and more!

Arawa AGM 21 May 2026 - at the clubrooms, upstairs.

Fish and chips at 6:30pm - get there before the committee scoff them all. The meeting will start at 7pm.

The President's report and the reviewed Annual Report are in the link here - we won't go into them at the meeting unless you have some burning questions - if you do, then please raise them with Bruce or Ken before the meeting and we can answer them directly or build them into the agenda.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m1geAKUJvXKXyWtaJ1Z5bM8LWMW7zH3T?usp=drive_link

Our very own Scott Martlew has been nominated as a finalist at the Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards!

📣 Arawa Canoe Club AGM – Save the Date 📣

The Arawa Canoe Club Annual General Meeting will be held on
🗓 Thursday 21 May
🕖 7.00pm
This is a great chance to reflect on the season, hear what’s been happening around the club, and help shape what’s ahead.

We are also inviting nominations for club officer roles. If you’ve ever thought about getting more involved and supporting the club behind the scenes, this is your opportunity. Check out the newsletter for a link to the nomination form.

AGM 21 May - CRNZ Sprint Nationals 2026 Looking for a fun, well‑run race series to build skills, confidence and fitness over winter? The Topsport Pro‑Am Series is a great option for paddlers of all levels, from first‑time racers through to experienced river paddlers. The series is designed to be welcoming and inclusive, while still ...

This past weekend, Arawa Canoe Club competed at the 2026 NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro.

Despite only having 1.5 days of racing due to Cyclone Vaianu, Arawa delivered an outstanding performance, with athletes pushing themselves and competing strongly at the highest level of our sport.

Some standout results included:
• 1st – Open Men K1 200m – Thomas MacGibbon
• 1st – Open Men K4 200m – Thomas MacGibbon, Tiago Chamberlain, Dylan Monk and James Munro
• 1st – Junior Women Unlimited 200m & 500m – Grace Brooking
• 1st – Senior Men Unlimited 500m – Ben Matthews
• 1st – Masters Women K1 500m – Katherine Reardon
• 1st – U23 Women K1 1000m – Natasha McGibbon
• 1st – U23 Men K1 200m & 500m – Dylan Monk

Full results can be found here:
https://www.liveresults.co.nz/competition/514

A special thank you to the Pirnea family for all their work behind the scenes, helping with team boat entries, K1 trailer allocation, club accommodation, and so much more.

A huge shoutout also to the MacGibbon family for towing the trailer more than 1,800km to Lake Karapiro and back. Without your support, we would not have been able to compete so successfully on the national stage.

Photos by Challis Captured It Photography NZ