Sparkling Shoestring in Wellington

Afterwork Rogaine, 8 Sep 04

With the August from hell behind, 16 teams lined up on a fine crisp evening at Crofton Downs for the first of Wellington's spring shoestring rogaines. The gales had ruled out most of Tinakori Hill where the exotic trees have fallen over like dominoes, but tracks in native vegetation such as Wilton Bush are fine, and planner Leo Homes had spent a lot of time doctoring the topo map to match reality. The area went from Tinakori to the old reservoirs on the north flank of Kaukau, and from the skyline track above Ngaio to the harbour, with 3 hours allowed.

National Orienteering Squad members Andrew McCarthy and James Bradshaw took the skyline route to Kaukau and back through Khandallah, and in spite of claiming to "run out of steam" they were 140 points clear of second even with a 50-point lateness penalty. Two regular mountainbikers Steve Betts and Andrew Stacey showed they can run as well, pushing City Safari winners Al Cross and Nigel Corry into third place. Rita Homes (Leo's daughter) and Chris Ingham won the 2-hour category with a score equivalent to 2nd in the 3-hour section.

Wellington always looks good on a good day, and it sparkles on a clear night as well. Results have been posted. The next Wellington shoestring will be at Lower Hutt on 22 Sep.

This page written by Michael Wood, installed on 9 Sep 04.