Swim Trek in New Zealand

[liz_davidson_nz]

I am new to this site, I live in Auckland, New Zealand and participate in both open water and pool swimming.

I'm interested to know whether anyone has done the Swim Trek tour in New Zealand and if so what was it like.

I have a number of local swimming friends who would like to do some or all of the tour, maybe just a long weekend. I have emailed Swim Trek to ask if they would do a customised trip for some of us who live here but not heard back from them.

They don't seem to have any dates organised at the moment and I'm wondering if, in fact, they have ever run the tour.

So if anyone has done the trip I would like to hear about it.

TIA

Liz D

[Brick]

I am new to this site, I live in Auckland, New Zealand and participate in both open water and pool swimming.

I'm interested to know whether anyone has done the Swim Trek tour in New Zealand and if so what was it like.

I have a number of local swimming friends who would like to do some or all of the tour, maybe just a long weekend. I have emailed Swim Trek to ask if they would do a customised trip for some of us who live here but not heard back from them.

They don't seem to have any dates organised at the moment and I'm wondering if, in fact, they have ever run the tour.

So if anyone has done the trip I would like to hear about it.

TIA

Liz D

Hi Liz. I've only just noticed this posting.

If you're still around, can you describe the wild swimming scene around Auckland. When I was young some decades ago, I certainly swum or at least bathed in a lot of places around Auckland, including Lake Pupuke, Waitakere ranges streams and pools, west and east coast beaches, and similar. What's it like there now?

[liz_davidson_nz]

Hi Liz. I've only just noticed this posting.

If you're still around, can you describe the wild swimming scene around Auckland. When I was young some decades ago, I certainly swum or at least bathed in a lot of places around Auckland, including Lake Pupuke, Waitakere ranges streams and pools, west and east coast beaches, and similar. What's it like there now?

Hi Brick

I can't say I'm much of a "wild" swimmer myself, I tend to stick to the quiet east coast beaches - Cheltenham & Narrowneck (in Devonport) & Takapuna are my local beaches, I swim at one or other most weeks in summer. There is currently a really good swim series on at Takapuna every Tuesday, see
www.beachseries.co.nz
for details - I'm currently 3rd in my age group! (mostly by virtue of having done more races than some of the faster swimmers - but you've got to be in it to win it).

A group of my masters club-mates are currently swimming regularly in Lake Pupuke, but it doesn't appeal to me - I have a thing about pond/sea weed.

The wild west coast beaches are still there, I personally don't feel confident enough of my swimming ability to swim there. There are surf lifesaving clubs at Piha, Muriwai and Bethells. My kids do surf club at Mairangi Bay in Auckland (where they don't get much surf!) and once a year they have a "west coast experience" carnival at Bethells. The last time we went there was what looked to us like huge pounding surf and the locals were saying "it's quite quiet today". But I took advantage of having a couple of dozen lifeguards around to go out in a "rip swim" with the older kids.

There is also a neat fresh water lake near Bethells, amongst towering black sand dunes - a majestic but quite eerie landscape. I took my kids there last summer, when I get a chance I'll post some pics on the "places you have swum" thread.

There are an increasing number of sea swimming events around Auckland, the traditional "harbour swim" series which have been running for many years, including the 2.4km "Chelsea Swim" across the harbour (close but not quite parallel to, the Harbour Bridge) and the 4.5km "Rangitoto Swim" from Rangitoto to St Heliers. The guy that runs the Takapuna Beach Series has started a couple of new events, the "Harbour Crossing" (across the harbour in the opposite direction to Chelsea) and "King of the Bays" from Milford to Takapuna - both 2.8km. He markets them very heavily and swimming is rapidly becoming the "new black". The last Harbour Crossing had around 900 swimmers which is getting too big for my liking.

I have done most of the organised swim events, I prefer the quieter local events, or just getting a group of friends and sometimes a helpful family member in a kayak and setting off on a swimming sojourn, which is why I would really like to do something like the Swim Trek swims in the Bay of Islands.

HTH

Liz D

[Brick]

Hi Brick

I can't say I'm much of a "wild" swimmer myself, I tend to stick to the quiet east coast beaches - Cheltenham & Narrowneck (in Devonport) & Takapuna are my local beaches, I swim at one or other most weeks in summer. There is currently a really good swim series on at Takapuna every Tuesday, see
www.beachseries.co.nz
for details - I'm currently 3rd in my age group! (mostly by virtue of having done more races than some of the faster swimmers - but you've got to be in it to win it).


I'm not yet much of a wild swimmer myself. But when growing up in Auckland, my family went swimming, bathing, and boating (we had a 8ft dinghy) quite often. While my family was living in Mairangi bay when I was born, most of my youth was on the southern shore of the city.


A group of my masters club-mates are currently swimming regularly in Lake Pupuke, but it doesn't appeal to me - I have a thing about pond/sea weed.


Even a few decades ago, you had to be prepared to ignore the pond weed to go into Lake Pupuke.


The wild west coast beaches are still there, I personally don't feel confident enough of my swimming ability to swim there. There are surf lifesaving clubs at Piha, Muriwai and Bethells. My kids do surf club at Mairangi Bay in Auckland (where they don't get much surf!) and once a year they have a "west coast experience" carnival at Bethells. The last time we went there was what looked to us like huge pounding surf and the locals were saying "it's quite quiet today". But I took advantage of having a couple of dozen lifeguards around to go out in a "rip swim" with the older kids.


The west coast beaches were common destinations for us, particularly Piha. Muriwai and Bethells much less often. Even though I couldn't swim much, I've spent a lot of time in that surf. I remember bodysurfing there, and trying to do the same on Takapuna beach. But the waves at Takapuna weren't really enough to give a proper ride like you'd get on the west coast. Perhaps this says something about how much more safety concious we are these days. I wouldn't let my son in the water at west coast beaches if he could only swim like I could then.


There is also a neat fresh water lake near Bethells, amongst towering black sand dunes - a majestic but quite eerie landscape. I took my kids there last summer, when I get a chance I'll post some pics on the "places you have swum" thread.


Do you mean Lake Wainamu?
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/Xena/wainamu.html

I don't think I've ever been there, which is a damn shame, as it looks like a really great place. Mentioned as being a great place to swim on another page.


There are an increasing number of sea swimming events around Auckland, the traditional "harbour swim" series which have been running for many years, including the 2.4km "Chelsea Swim" across the harbour (close but not quite parallel to, the Harbour Bridge) and the 4.5km "Rangitoto Swim" from Rangitoto to St Heliers. The guy that runs the Takapuna Beach Series has started a couple of new events, the "Harbour Crossing" (across the harbour in the opposite direction to Chelsea) and "King of the Bays" from Milford to Takapuna - both 2.8km. He markets them very heavily and swimming is rapidly becoming the "new black". The last Harbour Crossing had around 900 swimmers which is getting too big for my liking.


Ahhh..... All the things I missed out on by not becoming a strong swimmer when young. Swimming from Rangitoto to St Heliers? Sounds great. But I'm not (yet?) good enough to do anything like that even now.


I have done most of the organised swim events, I prefer the quieter local events, or just getting a group of friends and sometimes a helpful family member in a kayak and setting off on a swimming sojourn, which is why I would really like to do something like the Swim Trek swims in the Bay of Islands.

HTH

Liz D

You're making me jealous! But that's very interesting information. Thank you.