WE ARE UP TO 140 ENTRIES SO STILL PLENTY OF FREE SPACES! (14/1/10) 

EVENT CENTRE: The event centre is at Whatipu, at the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland.
Travel to Whatipu via Titirangi and Huia. As there is limited parking space and you follow a narrow, winding, gravel road for the last 6km to the event, we recommend car-pooling. Please park as directed.

REGISTRATION: Registration and compulsory gear checks will be open from 7.30am Saturday the 17th January at the event centre in Whatipu. Race start for both courses is 9am.

Please ensure you have enough nutritional supplies and water for your needs (there will not be water on the course).

Prizegiving will be at 3pm, at the event centre, Whatipu Road end.

A BBQ will be supplied for participants on completion of the course and there is a shop at the Whatipu lodge.

THE COURSE: The course is ...from Whatipu at the southern end of the Waitakere ranges follow Gibbons track, then at the junction with Walker Ridge track the half marathon course goes straight onto Muir track (the 16km goes right up Walker Ridge Track), down to the Pararaha Stream, straight across and up Buck Taylor Track, then right onto Odlin Timber Track, Left at Orange peel corner (where the 16km participants join up), then right onto Donald McLean Track, right down the hill along Puriri Ridge Track, which becomes Kura track, which takes you all the way to the finish at the bottom of the hill, back at Whatipu.

The 21km old course took just under 2 hours for the winner and up to 5 hours for some participants. The winning time for the 16km option was around 1 hour 30 and up to 3 hours for walkers.  (Check out the course records) New course so all new records are up for grabs. We reckon the 21km course for the Wild Turkey II is harder than the original.

LIMITED NUMBERS:  Due to the popularity of this event the Auckland Regional Council have asked that we place a limit of 300 participants.  We usually fill this limit pretty quickly so get in quick. Once the limit is reached you will be placed on a waiting list in case someone withdraws. You will be notified by email if a place becomes available.

WE ARE UP TO 140 ENTRIES SO STILL PLENTY OF FREE SPACES! (14/1/10) 

WAITAKERE RANGES PARK STEWARDSHIP

On 15 December 2002, the former acretion land of the Whatipu dunes was formerly gazetted as a scientific reserve for the Department of Conservation. The management of the area was vested in the Auckland Regional Council.

The wetland areas of Whatipu are of national importance for endangered species such as NZ dotterel, NZ bittern, fernbird, variable oystercatcher and little blue penguin. The importance of the Whatipu region as a resting/ feeding area for many seabirds led to its formal protection. The high recreational value of the area was recognised and very basic levels of use are permitted as a scientific reserve which could have been excluded under wildlife/biological reserve status. The Whatipu half-marathon is the only event of its type allowed in the area due to its high conservation values.

Hence for the event it is essential we promote and protect the uniqueness of the area. Five main things need to be adhered to.

  • Keep to marked trails to avoid vegetation damage and tracking.
  • No dogs
  • Obey all instructions from the ARC Ranger and event marshals
  • Ensure all wrappings of multi-sport snacks and drink bottles/ tops are carefully tucked back in your bum-bag/pack.

And some other points to note to ensure minimal impact on the park and its other users and hence the continued running of the event:

  • Please where possible car pool with other participants to minimise the number of cars on the Whatipu road
  • Please be courteous to other users of the park. The event was put in serious jeopardy a couple of years ago due to a complaint from a member of the public about rude runners who pushed their family off the track and yelled abuse. This behaviour is not acceptable. Please, if you come across other users of the park slow down to a walk, smile, say "hello nice day isn't it?", and then allow them through. You should only lose a couple of seconds and it will ensure other park users have a good experience upon meeting any of our race participants.

COMPULSORY CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT: The safety of our participants is important to us. For this reason we insist every participant carries certain minimum clothing and safety equipment. Each participants compulsory gear will be checked by race officials at registration.

Each competitor must carry the following (relevant to both courses): Weatherproof parka, thermal gloves and hat, polypropylene or thermal long sleeve shirt and a first aid kit. The first aid kit must contain as a minimum: 2 metres of adhesive strapping tape, 4 bandaids, 2 gauze pads, 4 cm width crepe bandage, 2 pain relief tablets (Panadol or similar), 2 anti-inflammation tablets and a survival blanket.



Enquires to Shaun on (09) 817 7621 or Phil (021) 541 005