New Zealand has a history of endurance sporting events, and there is a helluva lot on offer. You can run up and down mountains, you can race across the South Island from one side to another, you can do competitions where the organisers throw various modes of transport at you, from kayaks to horses to flying foxes.
For those who like a bit of thinking to come into the equation there are mountain marathons and rogaines. The navigation means that brain can often outwit pure brawn. There was a run of mountain marathons during the 80s, but there hasn't been one since 1994. Rogaines have taken their place.
Rogaining started small when a couple of Hutt Valley orienteers went in one on a trip to Canada. They put on a little one, just four hours, in 1991. Over the years OHV has built up to what is regarded as the classic rogaine, 24 hours! Orienteers in Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago have also come to the party.
Meanwhile in 1999 NZ stuck its neck out and bid for the World Championships! We got it, and it was run at "Solomons Throne" in North Christchurch in January 2000. We've even had world champions - Greg Barbour was twice at the top with an Australian partner, and the current champions are Chris Forne and Dennis de Monchy of Christchurch.
The World Champs has raised the profile amongst the nutters who like punishing their bodies, and also outdoor enthusiasts who like a problem or two to solve on the way. Meanwhile, in what started as a training exercise for for the World Champs, little 3-hour mini-rogaines have sprung up. These might be on weekends but mostly they are after work on the urban fringe or even in town! In fact there's even an urban rogaine in which you can use public transport!
Most rogaines in NZ are run by orienteering clubs, and the NZ Orienteering Federation has a Rogaine Website.
The three-hour rogaines were invented - guess where - in Wellington/Hutt Valley, and they are ideal as an introduction. Find out about the afterwork rogaines on the Rogaine Calendar. And with the Eastbourne Rogaine in mind, there are also a couple of classroom training sessions in January. They are on the calendar too.
If you want more information, just ask or give him a call at 04 562 8839.