Latest news with #Whakatāne
Otago Daily Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Kiwis win notorious river race
Bob McLachlan (right) and Gordon Townsend celebrate victory in the Yukon 1000 kayak race. PHOTO: YUKON 1000 They put their best foot forward — even if they were rudderless for a while. Wānaka adventurer Bob McLachlan has charged to victory in one of the world's great kayak races. He and Whakatāne crewmate Gordon Townsend, collectively known as the Best Foot Forward team, won the Yukon 1000 on Wednesday. The race takes paddlers 1000 miles (1609km) down the Yukon River from Canada to Alaska, paddling for a maximum of 18 hours a day. McLachlan and Townsend, both in their 50s, finished in five days, 14 hours and 46 minutes, the second-fastest time in the event's history and a shade under three hours off the record time. Remarkably, they did it after breaking their rudder right at the start of the race and having to paddle about 160km with no steering aid. That was "a truly Herculean feat, especially given the notoriously rough waters of Lake Laberge in the early stages", Yukon 1000 organisers said in a statement. The weather was rough at that point, too, and a rival crew were forced to withdraw after capsizing. McLachlan, 54, a vastly experienced kayaker as well as a longtime commercial rafting guide, looked fresh as a daisy after the race but acknowledged it had been hard work. "This is by far the toughest kayak race you can do, and the toughest kayak race I've ever done," he said. "You have to be racing when you're camping, because if you do things slowly then you don't get much sleep, and you'll be falling asleep in the kayak. "Then the paddling ... the wind can be so strong, and the long days of sun can be quite brutal." McLachlan said he and Townsend had hoped to break the event record. "We pushed hard the whole way, knowing the record was there. By the third day or even the fourth day, we thought it was manageable, but there was no chance with the wind over the last couple of days." The rudder issue was a piece of freakish bad luck as a stainless steel cable broke. "We knew other people would be hot on our tail. "We decided we'd just go rudderless that day, which was quite physically demanding." Thousands of people enter the Yukon 1000 each year but only 22 teams were accepted for this year's race.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Rural Bay of Plenty road closed after serious crash
Police say Reid Road in Whakatāne is closed after a serious crash. Photo: SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ At least two people are seriously injured after a crash in Whakatāne on Wednesday morning. Police said Reid Road, south of Tāneatua , was completely blocked between Cross Road and Awahou Road after two vehicles collided at about 8.30am. Emergency services are on the scene and the road has been closed; people are asked to avoid the area if at all possible. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Whakatāne road closed after serious crash
Police say Reid Road in Whakatāne is closed after a serious crash. Photo: SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ At least two people are seriously injured after a crash in Whakatāne on Wednesday morning. Police said Reid Road was completely blocked between Cross Road and Awahou Road after two vehicles collided at about 8.30am. Emergency services are on the scene and the road has been closed; people are asked to avoid the area if at all possible. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- RNZ News
Police warn public not to approach wanted man Louis Pukeroa
Photo: Supplied / NZ Police Police say they are seeking Louis Pukeroa, who they have a warrant to arrest, and have warned the public to stay away if they spot the man. A spokesperson said the Whakatāne man was believed to be actively evading police and should not be approached. The spokesperson asked anyone who sees Pukeroa or knows where he is to call police on the emergency number 111 and quote file number 250701/1234. Any other information could be provided via 105 using the same file number, the spokesperson said. Alternatively, information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- RNZ News
Police warn public not to evade wanted man Louis Pukeroa
Photo: Supplied / NZ Police Police say they are seeking Louis Pukeroa, who they have a warrant to arrest, and have warned the public to stay away if they spot the man. A spokesperson said the Whakatāne man was believed to be actively evading police and should not be approached. The spokesperson asked anyone who sees Pukeroa or knows where he is to call police on the emergency number 111 and quote file number 250701/1234. Any other information could be provided via 105 using the same file number, the spokesperson said. Alternatively, information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
