The annual Coast to Coast race was first organised in 1983 by New Zealand athlete Robin Judkins. The inaugural race involved a respectable 79 competitors – a number dwarfed by the 800 participants in the 2008 Coast to Coast event.

Individuals and two-person teams can take part in the endurance multisport event, competing over one or two days to claim the top spot in what has become known as one of the best adventure races internationally.

Are you ready for this? You’ll need to get in a few months of Coast to Coast personal training so you’re prepared to cross the South Island from Kumara Beach on the West Coast of the South Island to Sumner Beach in Christchurch. The race involves cycling 140 kilometres (over three stages of 55km, 15km and 70km), running 36 kilometres (including 33km of mountainous terrain as you traverse the Southern Alps) and kayaking 67 kilometrees along the Waimakariri Gorge. Phew.

Nelson born Richard Ussher was the overall winner, finishing the race in 11 hours, 3 minutes in what he describes as a “close to perfect” race. The result was exactly what the professional athlete was looking for, after a disappointing 10th place finish in 2007. Ussher has had two earlier first place wins.

First place was taken in the women’s race by Canadian Emily Miazga, who also claimed the win two years ago. In one of the closest victories in the race’s history, Miazga overtook defending champ Fleur Pawsey just 2km from the Sumner finish line. After claiming first place with a whoop, Miazga said to win the race was “a real honour”.

View full race results online. And, if you think you’ve got what it takes, why not enter the Speights Coast to Coast next year or find another adventure race to test your endurance?

New Zealand is a wonderful place to vacation, and scuba diving around our coastline is simply breath-taking. Our coastal waters offer some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world.

There are many wonderful New Zealand dive spots including the world renowned Poor Knight Islands and the Rainbow Warrior Wreck, plus closer to Auckland, Goat Island and Little Barrier Island. The South Island also offers the Marlborough Sounds and Milford Sounds as great diving destinations.

Diving courses are available through dive shops in most main centres. Open Water Scuba Certificate courses cost around $400-$500 and include twelve hours of theory and pool instruction, plus two sea dive evaluations. The two main certification types in New Zealand are PADI and SSI.

Scuba Diving can be relatively inexpensive to get into, with a basic diving equipment package starting from $2000 which would normally include the following: wetsuit, dive boots, fins, gloves, mask and snorkel, Buoyancy Control Device (BCD), regulator and gauge, and a tank. Most dive centres also give you the opportunity to hire gear when first starting out on a diving courses, which can go a long way towards helping you get into scuba diving in New Zealand.

Check out Dive New Zealand for some great diving resources and information on dive sites, diving tours and more.

Image from Flickr.

Yet another sporting loss for Kiwis, and a so-close-yet-so-far moment for the Silver Ferns and New Zealand netball fans. I know it’s only a game, but it’s a game that’s tied up with our national pride!

The Silver Ferns put up an excellent fight in the 2007 Netball World Championships final against a strong Australian team, eventually losing 42-38 in a gripping finale.

The two teams (rivals going way back) were evenly matched, but Australia played an uncompromising game to beat the well-prepared Ferns. In a match that was marked by a lack of free-flowing play, the Ferns battled hard and kept the eyes of the 7,000-strong crowd glued to the court.

The Kiwis began the match with a fast paced, assertive attack, taking the early initiative against their long-standing rivals. Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk fought for dominance against Australian shooter Liz Ellis, but the team failed to keep their stronger Australian counterparts at bay for long.

In the third quarter a New Zealand win looked possible once again, but Australia fought hard to regain control of the game. Fighting back in the final quarter, the Ferns failed once more to halt Australia’s advance, eventually losing by four goals to hand the Netball World Championship title to Australia.

Van Dyk said of the loss:
“Everybody was disappointed, everybody shed a tear. We worked so hard for it but in some ways that’s better because we did all we could.”

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aiken backed this view, saying:
“I feel hugely disappointed for the players. They gave it their all. It was an amazing game. We kept coming back but couldn’t quite do it when we needed to. I am very proud of them but absolutely devastated.”

I’m sure she’s not the only one feeling that way. Seems like it’s not a sparkling year for New Zealand sport…