N.Z. traverse teams in lead

Press, 4 November 1989, Page 96

N.Z. traverse teams in lead

Day two of the Grand Traverse endurance event yesterday was split into two races — one closely fought between three New Zealand teams, the other between Europeans several hours behind and headed by the Swiss. Weather conditions were perfect yesterday and the strong Queenstown contingent of Fred Bramwell, Jed Hay, Paul van der Kaag, Penny Webster and Mark Whetu led the field, with the Canterbury team (Steve Gurney, John Howard, Anna Keeling, Russell Prince, Sandy Sandblom) snapping at its heels. The Turangi team of Greg Bell, Corrina Dingle, Graeme Dingle, Terry Newlands and Kim Price was

several hours behind. On a day of varied activity, competitors rafted the Landsborough River in grade three and four conditions, were driven to Davis Flat after a two-hour compulsory break, paddled 20km down the Makarora River and across a glassy Lake Wanaka in a following wind. Last evening all three New Zealand teams camped at Minaret Burn, beside the lake, where today’s horse riding action will begin. Inflatable canoes, all identical, were issued by the French organisers. On their lake crossing, the Queenstown team lashed their two canoes into a catamaran while the Canterbury team joined theirs end

to end. The North Islanders were content to paddle strongly side by side, yelling anxiously to journalists in an observer’s jet boat about the two New Zealand teams ahead — “are they on the horses yet?” Behind them was an empty lake. Somewhere in there the mainly French competitors battled on down the Makarora River. Two Frenchmen suffered injuries on the first day of the sports adventure. While descending from Broderick Pass, one sustained head, leg and shoulder injuries, the other a knee injury. The two teams involved have been forced to withdraw.