Ōrewa lauded as top beach sprint venue

The 2025 Rowing NZ Beach Sprint Championship was held in ideal conditions at Orewa Beach on April 5 and 6.

It was the second year the high action event has been held on the Hibiscus Coast. The sport is growing in popularity globally since its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, and almost 200 athletes from New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands and US competed across the two days.

It also attracted a wide range of participants, from Olympic double medallist Emma Twigg and last year’s World Coastal Champion Finn Hamill to club rowers, school athletes and masters competitors.

Event director David Vallance says the east coast beach with its consistent two metre swell is perfect for the event, where competitors sprint to their boats, race 250 metres there and back to a buoy, leap out of the boat and sprint down the beach to the finish line.

“Orewa Beach was a fantastic location for the champs, the beach is ideal for beach sprint racing with a gentle slope and nice fine sand for the athletes to run on. The elevated grass bank area provides a wonderful viewing spot for supporters and spectators. Finally, the support and facilities of the Orewa Surf Club and the Orewa Surf Club Cafe really made the event special. The visiting team of Australian rowers that competed were very complimentary about the venue and event.”

Trials, based on the weekend’s results, will be held in August to select a team of 10 to represent NZ at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in Rio de Janeiro in October.

A video stream of the event can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/live/foSDNbzlpIQ