Greetings North West members

It is well and truly Spring with warmer days and longer evenings – such a shame we are still stuck in a Covid time warp! I had hoped that this newsletter would be all about welcoming you back to formal orienteering events in Auckland and beyond but it seems we have to be patient for a few more weeks.

We have had to postpone our planned event at Lake Kereta on 17 October but hope to be able to offer some events in November – these may be adapted to conform to gathering regulations.  In the meantime, as we wait for vaccination levels to climb towards 90%, we have some suggestions for orienteering within your bubble and for upskilling using online resources.

The Tūāraki North Region Orienteering Champs will only go ahead at Labour Weekend if Auckland and the rest of the Northern region are at Level 2 or lower at the date of the event. The entry closing date has been extended to 17 October – fingers crossed this will go ahead!

The NWOC website has had a bit of an overhaul and our secretary Annemarie has added lots of race reports and fabulous photos from events over the past few years. You can find these under the Resources/Coaching tab on the home page or check them out here. Under this tab you will also find links to many useful coaching and training tips – and a section tailored to those New to Orienteering

All clubs depend on volunteers and especially so in a sport where we have no fixed amenities such as tennis courts or rugby fields. Each orienteering event needs to be created by a team of course planners, controllers, on the day coordinators, people to help out at registration, dig pit toilets and collect the controls after we have all had a fantastic day in the forest. But volunteering is not all hard work – you have a common bond with others who love our sport, you will make new friends, learn new skills (but many tasks require no specialised knowledge) and be part of a team that makes events happen. Volunteering feels good (there is research to support this) and you will love seeing people of all ages enjoying our sport, learn new skills and make new friends.

Below you will find a link to our Volunteer sign-up form most of the NWOC events in 2022. Please put you name down to help out – we do rely on all club members to be part of the team for at least one club event each year.

We are also looking for a new Club Secretary in 2022. Annemarie has done an amazing job since 2018 and still plans to have hands-on roles with the club in the future.  We would love someone new to join the committee – read on for details of this role. e an

It is with profound sadness that we share with you the passing of NWOC club member Katie Monckton on Tuesday October 5, 2021. Katie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019.

This is a tragic loss for all of us who knew and worked with Katie. Her humility, laughs and dedication to helping behind the scenes at orienteering events endeared Katie to many within the North West extended family.

Our thoughts are with Nick, Daniel, Alex and Rosie with this tremendous loss.  We will miss Katie dearly. 

Kia kaha

Lisa Mead
President NWOC

1. Events Calendar – provisional
2. Volunteer sign up for 2022 events
3. Katie Monckton
4. Northern Regional Champs – subject to Covid alert level 2
5. Situations Vacant – we need a new secretary
6. How to locate our orienteering maps
7. From the Archives – Midwinter Madness 1997
8. Mahurangi West – visit a permanent orienteering course
9. Online orienteering & training
10. NWOC club Champs

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1.Events Calendar
September
Sun 12 CMOC Auckland Inter Club relays at Botanical Gardens. POSTPONED
Sun 19 AOC AOS 11 Grass Track Road, Muriwai   POSTPONED
October
Applications for the Under 23 training camp in Palmerston North (8-14 December) are open now until 15 October- check out ONZ website for entry details.

The AOC Night Street events could not take place under Covid Level 4, but are now being offered as orienteering training courses with MapRun6.  A street event map will be posted each Friday (for you to print out a copy) from 24 September. they have been uploaded in MapRun as a score event (valid for 1 year) so you can do the course when you like. If you wish to look at the results in MapRun you can sort by controls and see what others doing the same number of controls as you have done. (Details on MapRun are given here.)
MapRun activities and PDF versions of the map
There is a QR code on the printed map to access the activity in MapRun. However, you can still find the event in the App using "Select Event" and then going to New Zealand > Auckland > Street Events > 2021 and choosing the map of interest. PDF versions of the maps can be found on the Auckland Club website.

Sun 17 NWOC AOS Lake Kereta – POSTPONED due current Covid alert level.        We will try and reschedule the event at a later date.
Labour Weekend: 23-25 October: Tuaraki Northern Region Orienteering Champs – Subject to Covid level – all of the Northern region needs to be in level 2 or lower by the date of this weekend.
A decision will be made by 15 October as to whether this event can go ahead.
Sat 23 Middle distance Whakaroa, Taupo
Sun 24 (Morning) Sprint, Taupo
Sun 24 (4.00pm) Harris Interclub rogaine event, Tihiotonga Centennial Park, Rotorua.
Mon 25 Long distance Okere Falls (SHY 33, near Rotorua)
Event details: https://www.obop.org.nz/north-regional-champs.html

Thu 28  AOC SummerNav Cornwall Park (Haydn Avenue) 5.30pm – subject to Covid alert levels.

November - check club websites for the latest updates
Thu 04  AOC SummerNav  Hamlins Hill, Gt South Road  5.30pm
Wed 10 AOC SummerNav  Auckland Domain, Titoki Road  5.30pm
Wed 17 AOC SummerNav  Waiatarua Reserve 5.30pm
Sun 21 CMOC AOS 9 Waiuku Forest South                     NEW DATE (originally 22 August)
Tue 23   AOC SummerNav  Western Springs, Zoo carpark
Sun 28  NWOC Club dinner, prizegiving and AGM Coatesville Settlers Hall
Tue 30   AOC SummerNav  Ambury Regional Park
December
Tue 30   AOC SummerNav  Ambury Regional Park
Thu 07   AOC SummerNav Mt Roskill region
Fri 10-Sun 12 Orienteering Hutt Valley- The Big Trig. Celebrating 30 years of rogaines – Details here.
Thu 16   AOC SummerNav Waterview region

Check out the club website for details of other events in 2021: https://www.nwoc.org.nz/events/
AOS = Auckland Orienteering Series – events generally have 9 courses of varying lengths and difficulty.

2. NWOC Events 2022 – Volunteer sign-up form
All clubs depend on volunteers and NWOC is no exception. Each orienteering event needs to be created by a team of course planners, controllers, on the day coordinators, people to help out at registration, dig pit toilets and collect the controls after we have all had a fantastic day in the forest.

But volunteering is not all hard work – you have a common bond with others who love our sport, you will make new friends, learn new skills (but many tasks require no specialised knowledge) and be part of a team that makes events happen.  Club members will help you with any tasks you are not familiar with.  Volunteering feels good (there is research to support this) and you will love seeing people of all ages enjoying our sport, learn new skills and make new friends.
The three Auckland clubs have drafted the programme of events for 2022. Below you will find a link to a Google document where you can sign up to help at NWOC events. We would like all club members to volunteer to help with at least one club event – get in early to choose your favourite job.
Volunteer sign-up sheet a programme of events

3. Farewell Katie

It is with deep sadness that we share with you the passing of NWOC club member Katie Monckton on Tuesday October 5, 2021 after a brave battle following her diagnosis with a brain tumour in 2019.

This is a tragic loss for all of us who knew and worked with Katie. Her humility, laughs and dedication to helping behind the scenes at orienteering events endeared Katie to many within the North West extended family.

Our thoughts are with Nick, Daniel, Alex and Rosie with this tremendous loss.  We will miss Katie dearly. 

Nick asked to share the following message with all of you: “It is with great sadness but also some relief that our dearest Katie’s battle finally ended today at 2pm. Northwest Orienteering has been a huge part of our lives over the years. It feels like being part of a large extended family. Katie, as we all do, loved the sport even though finding it challenging at times, but then, don’t we all?

Due to Covid regulations, we plan a small service up here in Whangarei. We do however when this is allowed plan to hold an event up here in her name with all fees going to the Brain Tumour Support New Zealand.”

Once more information regarding the planned orienteering event in Katie’s honour is known, we will share this via our newsletter and the NWOC event website.

4. Tūāraki Northern Regional Orienteering Champs Update - Going ahead at Labour Weekend assuming <= Level 2!

Orienteering Bay of Plenty and Taupo Orienteering Club are hoping to run the Tūāraki North Regional Champs at Labour Weekend 2021.
The events will go ahead if Auckland and the rest of the Northern region are all in Level 2 or lower at the date of the event.

The decision on whether to proceed will be made on 15^th October, and we have extended the entry closing date to 17^th October. Note full details of the decision timings and entry fee refund policy are on the event page at www.obop.org.nz.

We are assuming we will be running the event under Level 2 and special protocols will be put in place to manage this. The protocols will be communicated in the final bulletin. To note particularly:

• Competitors will be allocated into blocks of 100 or less competitors based on club and each block will be started within a time window to ensure we never have more than 100 people at the start area.
• The finish will be remote from the start and competitors will be asked to leave directly when they finish and generally not return to the start or registration areas.
• We will accommodate as many competitors as possible but may have to restrict entry numbers to ensure we can fit in enough time windows.

If all of the Northern region is in Level 1, we will relax unnecessary protocols as much as possible.

We have some exciting new maps for the events. Expect a mix of open farmland and technical native to challenge you on the Long distance at Okere Falls, and also some interesting maps for the Taupo events. With a few tweaks in event operation to ensure we comply with alert level requirements, and flexibility by organisers and competitors, we can all enjoy a great weekend of orienteering. We encourage people to get their entries in as early as possible and book accommodation with appropriate cancellation provisions.

5. Wanted – NWOC Club Secretary for 2022

Annemarie Hogenbirk has been our fabulous club secretary since 2018. She plans to step down from the role at the upcoming AGM, while still being hands-on in other facets of running the club.
We need a new club secretary to join our committee- could this be you?

Job description NWOC Secretary:

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A committee of volunteer members runs North West Orienteering Club (NWOC). As secretary of the club, you will be responsible for preparing and distributing the agenda and writing minutes of the six annual meetings of the committee of the club and the AGM, supported by the president and the treasurer. In addition, you will be maintaining the central email of the club: archiving the incoming email and responding to it yourself, or forwarding relevant information to other volunteers within the organisation (general information about events, membership questions, invoice inquiries, questions around logistics for upcoming events, more strategic questions for the whole committee). A summary of the emails in between meetings often forms the basis for the agenda, with contributions from the president, treasurer or other members of the committee.

It is a job that can be done entirely from home, aside from the face-to-face meetings. It is a great way to learn more about the inner workings of the club, support fellow volunteers, and work with a great bunch of like-minded orienteers!

 Please feel free to contact Annemarie ( northwestorienteering@gmail.com) or Lisa (mead10b@gmail.com)  if you would like to volunteer or to discuss the role.
                                                                                           

6. Last month we featured a map of the location of our orienteering maps back in 2003.
Fast forward almost 20 years and Geoff Mead has produced a guide to the current northern area maps. Check out the Woodhill Forest locations map below.

Woodhill forest is privately owned – access is only permitted with a special permit.  This includes both organised orienteering events and for individuals going for a run or a walk. Possession of an orienteering map does not imply approval for future access.

         

7. From the NWOC archives

Some of our past events have been a little unconventional. Our Midwinter Madness event at Shakespear Regional Park in 1997, pre-dating the use of electronic SportIdent timing, included a sort of maze in the midst of which you had to find your personal correct control, controls hidden under a tarpaulin and a floating control fixed to a lifebuoy just off the beach.   Even more challenging was tackling Mark Lawson disguised - and sweltering- in a gorilla suit in order to punch this ”mobile” control. There was also a hill climb race from the beach to the hill-top viewing tower.

Here is the original race report from 1997:

It has been a low-key month for orienteering locally but the NWOC mid-winter madness event at Shakespear Regional Park, set by Mark Lawson and Geoff Mead was a great day for rekindling enthusiasm for the forthcoming Spring O series in August. While the orienteering was easy, the pace was fast and furious as around 45 people dashed around the sprint-O, puffed and wheezed (with the exception of Phil Wood who ascended the hills as if he had turbo boosters in his shoes), up the NW hill climb challenge, and deciphered unusual instructions to eventually brave the final obstacle of the day - the floating control bobbing in the chilly waters of the Hauraki Gulf! The wet ending did not dampen the very positive response to this fun event and a few die-hards even went out to run a 4th "normal" course. Phil Wood warmed up for the events by cycling from Riverhead, and then proceeded to win all the races.
    
Mass start control descriptions                                                                                                            Nick Mead aged 6

 Midwinter Madness – searching for personalised controls – spot a youthful Dave Middleton!

In the 2000’s Carnage Hill in Woodhill Forest was the scene of timed downhill race split.   There was no SportIdent Air then, so orienteers punched a checkpoint at the top of a short but gnarly sandhill and punched the control at the bottom, just before the finish-line. Spectacular face-plants were almost guaranteed and I’m amazed no-one ever broke any bones.

8. Check out the permanent orienteering course at Mahurangi West Regional Park

 As of 6 October, Aucklanders are allowed to travel within the region for recreation (whilst remaining in their bubble – or meeting with one other bubble outdoors).  All regular orienteering and group activities are on hold during the current Level 3 alert level, so now is the time to check out a permanent orienteering course.

A pdf copy of the Mahurangi orienteering map can be downloaded here.

 
Part of the permanent course map – the full map has 20 checkpoints

There are permanent orienteering courses to explore in other Auckland regional parks including Atiu Creek and Duders – more details here.

 MapRun street orienteering courses on the North Shore include, Browns Bay, Torbay and Rothesay Bay, as well as locations throughout Auckland

9. Knock-out Sprint webinar/ Nav Chat/ High performance news/ Online coaching/ Gear

Orienteering NZ will have a focus on sprint orienteering over the coming few years. High performance director, Malcolm Ingham writes in Compass Point:

With the best will in the world it is extremely difficult to achieve success in Europe in the forest formats without living there long-term. Indeed, only Lizzie Ingham with 4-5 years in Norway has come close with several top 20 finishes at WOC. On the other hand, to a large extent, sprints are sprints are sprints and, as we have seen, not only with Tim Robertson, but also with top 10 WOC finishes from Lizzie, and Tommy Hayes winning silver at JWOC, we can potentially be right up there with the very best in the sprint formats.

With this in mind ONZ is developing a 3 year plan with an aim to ultimate fruition at sprint WOC2024 in Scotland – NZ HiPOs – Scotland 2024. Between now and WOC2024 in Edinburgh we have a round of the World Cup in May 2022 which is entirely sprint focused (SR, KO and S), sprint WOC2022 in Denmark (SR, KO, S), the 2022 World University Champs which has both a sprint and a sprint relay, the introduction of a sprint relay into JWOC in 2023, and two more sprint focused World Cup rounds later in that year.

From 2022 we will be introducing a National Sprint League (NSL) to run in parallel to the present NOL. The plan at present is to have four rounds

Round 1: Sprint relay, KO sprint and individual sprint in January in association with the Oceania Champs in the SI (note, these will go ahead even if Oceania is cancelled).
Round 2: Waitangi Weekend sprint series in Auckland
Round 3: Early March a KO sprint and probably a sprint relay in Palmerston North
Round 4: Easter weekend and Anzac weekend which follows, the ONZ sprint in Nelson plus 2 more races in Christchurch.

Those who wish to gain a bit of an edge at sprint orienteering (or for mountain bike O) may like to check out the range of Sport Ident Air sticks now available from Grassy Knoll.

The Orienteering Australia and ONZ High Performance teams have collaborated to create a draft webinar series.

One of the things that has grown out of the Covid situation, largely because of the forethought of Natasha Key, the Orienteering Australia Head Coach, is a series of Sunday evening Zoom meetings on various aspects of orienteering.  These are largely aimed at the High Performance community and have been attended by between 20 and 50 from the two countries.

At the end of October NZ High Performance director, Malcolm Ingham will peak about Knock-Out sprints – essential viewing for all orienteers planning to compete in this discipline at the Oceania Champs in January or at the planned Sprint Weekend in Auckland in early February 2022.

Zoom invites/links will be emailed to state/territory coaching/HP representatives one week prior to each webinar. If you do not receive these emails and would like to, please reach out to Malcolm: mandg.ingham@xtra.co.nz.

The latest High Performance newsletter is out, with some interesting reviews of the recent Junior World Champs races, which unfortunately did not have any representatives from New Zealand or Australia.

 Young Norwegian star Kasper Fosser continued his dominance in the latest round of the O World Cup in Italy and Tove Alexandersson returned to form having recovered from Covid 19. Kiwi Tim Robertson ran an excellent sprint relay leg, although his team was disqualified due to one of the women mispunching.
World of O has some excellent reports on the incredibly complex Middle distance courses and route comparisons for the Long distance.

Formal orienteering events are still off the radar for Aucklanders, but you can learn a lot by tuning into Nav Chat with Gene Beveridge and Tom Reynolds and also by checking out some of the resources in the ONZ Orienteering Coaching Framework and the Schools Knowledge Hub.

Newcomers may find that the control descriptions for orienteering seem to be written in a foreign language.  The pictorial symbols are in fact an international language – you will  be able to read maps and control descriptions at orienteering events no matter where in the world you compete. What is a re-entrant?   Familiarise yourself by checking out all the symbols here.
                             Sample of landform control descriptions and symbols

10. Don’t miss the social event of the NWOC year!
Our AGM followed by our annual club dinner and social evening at Coatesville Settlers Hall will take place on 28 November.
Circle the date in your calendar – we will have more details in the next newsletter.

We still hope to have our club champs in conjunction with an event hosted by one of the other Auckland clubs. As soon as we know when events can be rescheduled, we will let you know – by newsletter and Facebook.

In the meantime, those of you who have NWOC club trophies from 2020 and live close to Devonport or Torbay – please can you drop them off to either:

Lisa – 10B Patuone Avenue, Devonport OR Annemarie 20 Highwood Grove, Torbay
Thank you!

General
Our smart new Trimtex club orienteering shirts have arrived and we will have these available for purchase ($79) at upcoming events and at the club dinner.