Message from President Gene Beveridge

Kia ora all, I hope you all enjoyed our first offering of the new season - our first build-up event.  We are relieved it could go ahead, which is not a given for other events in the near future due to physical damage and community disruption from Cyclone Gabrielle.  Remember to stay close to your community including us here at NWOC.  Thanks to Thomas Stolberger and Daniel Monckton for preparing courses and to Lisa Mead for coordinating.

Newsletter Contents

• Calendar of Events in Auckland for 2023
• Next NWOC Events
• Rogaine Series 2023
• Katoa Po
• Schools Orienteering - Auckland Secondary Schools Sprint Series
• Mountain Bike Orienteering Events
• Member News
• North West Membership Fees now due
• Cartography the Japanese way
• Cyclone Gabrielle
• New Members

2023 Event Calendar

All upcoming events in the wider Auckland area are listed on our NWOC website here
New Zealand wide events are on Orienteering New Zealand’s website here
Check the links above for details of events coming soon. 

Next NWOC Events 

Build Up Forest Event @ Riverhead Forest, this Sunday 26 February

Last chance to enter this event on this Sunday! Riverhead Forest offers unique orienteering opportunities on complex, detailed spur/gully terrain. Please note the Red courses offer challenging, technical orienteering. Some new tracks and bridges have been created especially for this event - White/ Yellow and Orange courses will make greater use of tracks and easier terrain.

Enter here  Standard entry fees apply until 11.59pm Wednesday 22 February. Event info here

• Start times are between 10am to 12:00 midday. If you would like to do more than one course - please ensure you restart before 12:00 midday. 
• Course closure is 2pm. Please plan your start time to ensure you return to the finish by course closure time.

Development Forest Event @ Lake Kereta, Sunday 16 April

A much loved map for orienteering, Lake Kereta offers a mix of terrain from physically tough, hilly farmland and technical pine forest to gentle, easy-going flatter areas - something for everyone! 

Select from a range of 7 courses of varying length and difficulty. Suitable for all ages, levels, and beginners.
White       Very easy
Yellow      Easy
Orange    Moderate
Red 1,2,3 Technical courses for more experienced orienteers
Purple      Technical but less physically challenging course aimed at older orienteers

• Start times are between 10am to 12:00 midday. If you would like to do more than one course - please ensure you restart before 12:00 midday. 
• Course closure is 2pm. Please plan your start time to ensure you return to the finish by course closure time.
• Pre-entry will be required for this event and will open soon on Enter O.

More details to come about all events on our North West website and our Facebook & Instagram pages.
 

Rogaine Series for 2023

Back for the 12th year, is our famed Auckland Bivouac Outdoor Rogaine Series. This year's series of three 90 minute Foot Rogaine Events will be held on:

• Sunday 7 May - Slater Road, South Head
• Sunday 21 May - Karaka Swamp
• Sunday 11 June - Grass Track, Muriwai

All event info will be posted on our North West website here  Hover on the words Rogaine Series to see the drop down menu for more info.  Entries will open soon on Enter O.  Check here

NB All info about the rogaine series will now be published on the North West website.  The previous, independent rogaineseries.co.nz website is no longer available.  Likewise, on social media, all rogaine series info will be posted on our North West Facebook & Instagram pages.

Member Help Needed Please

We need help from all members please for all events that North West hosts.  There are many opportunities to get involved from course planning to helping set up the event centre - there is a lot to be learned from doing so no matter what role you have. Plus you also get to meet and know Club Members - we’re a friendly bunch! And Club Members who regularly help with events are given vouchers for reduced entry fees for other North West events.  
If you can help out at Riverhead this Sunday 26 February please contact Lisa Mead (021 1359631  or email mead10b@gmail.com). We need helpers to put up tents, help out at Registration and pack up and collect controls at the end of the event.
For other events, if you're interested, please contact Club Captain Rob Garden rgmg@xtra.co.nz or 021597070 

Katoa Po - Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 March

The Katoa Po Explorer is a 4½ hour rogaine in three 90 minute parts, to be run over farmland and forest near Taupo on 11 and 12 March 2023.  Two parts are run in the dark on Saturday night, and the last in daylight on Sunday morning, with free camping at the event centre in between.   The night rogaine is run alongside the annual orienteering night relays, and in addition there will be sprint events in Taupo on the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  

For more information see https://taupoorienteering.nz/3.0kp-home221030.php

North West will enter teams in the night relay event and in the past members have travelled together to Taupo for a fun weekend.  If you're keen to enter, please add your details here.   For more info please contact Club Captain Rob Garden rgmg@xtra.co.nz or 021597070. 

Schools Orienteering - Auckland Secondary Schools Sprint Series 

The Auckland Schools Sprint Series for 2023 is underway.  This is a 5 week series within each of five regions across Auckland and is open for years 7-8 students and secondary school students.  The series culminates in an Auckland Regional Final (2 events on one day) for the top students qualifying from each region. More info here
For those new to orienteering and wanting to give it a go, the Auckland Schools Sprint Series is a great way to get started and to try orienteering. The courses are through school grounds and generally not too difficult.
Please note that adult helpers can run one of the sprint courses once the students have finished.

Mountain Bike Orienteering Events

On Sunday 23 April, Central Otago Orienteering hosts Alexandra MTBO Enduro.  A new concept in MTBO, this event offers 4 short courses on different sprint/middle distance scale maps with the ride between those maps timed out of competition. Total winning time expected to be around 2 hours. More info here  

And conveniently, the following weekend Peninsula and Plains Club (PAPO) will host the 2023 NZ MTBO champs using maps close to Christchurch. More info here 

Make a week of it and head south for some epic MTBO! 

Member News

Turkey Traverse 

Five North West members travelled to Taranaki for the Turkey Traverse event held on Saturday 18 February.  Trudy Ringrose commented, ‘It was a fabulous event, well organised and with a great variety of terrain from urban to bush.  A lot of fun and new challenges with multiple maps and sprint sections within the event’. 
Marquita Gelderman placed second in the MW Vets event with Rob Garden second in MW60+.

 
Left to Right, NWOC members
Trudy Ringrose, Lesa Lomas, Rob Garden, Marquita Gelderman, Steve Pyatt  

North West Membership Fees for 2023 are due now please

NWOC membership rates are unchanged for 2023 and are due now please.

And as in 2022 we are again offering a combined deal of club membership/rogaine entry fee that offers good savings for those who love our rogaine series.  See above for details of this year's events. The new combo deal means you effectively get free entry to one rogaine – plus all the benefits of club membership.

To ensure you get members’ rates at all orienteering events, please pay your fee as soon as possible. Existing members can simply credit the club bank account (WESTPAC Account 03-0243-0247251-000 and include your name in the reference field.) No need to log in or re-register. Those selecting the membership/rogaine combo deal will receive a credit voucher before the start of the rogaine series.

Cartography the Japanese Way

A recent article in Bloomberg discussed a Japanese project entitled Japanese firm maps the world, one centimetre at a time.  Read more about this innovative project here 

Cyclone Gabrielle

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle. Especially our own members and those in the communities from Muriwai to South Head with whom we liaise for orienteering events we organise. And our friends at Hawkes Bay Orienteering Club who face extraordinary challenges.  As well as the unbelievable damage to houses, businesses and roads, we know there has also been damage to forests.  Once the extent of damage is known, we may need to change event locations.   For now, see photo below of 29 year old lusitanica trees flattened on Rob Garden & Marquita Gelderman’s Slater Road property.  

New Members
A warm welcome to new members Beau, Elle and Harley Turner - family of existing member Lise Moen.

And we are thrilled to welcome a group of new members from Pinehurst School, following a successful introduction to orienteering event held at the school on 9 February. We used the club's Sportident app which allows timing and printing of results using an android phone and a small wireless printer. Thanks to NWOC member Kaye Griffiths for promoting orienteering at Pinehurst School.