Dragon Boating on Henley Lake

Henley Lake

We decided to have a weekend in the Wairarapa to re-associate ourselves with the noble sport of dragon boating and to give our new coach a chance to see what he has taken on.
The trip over the Rimutakas was done in misty rain. Despite all the recent road improvements it it still a difficult hill to negotiate as it is narrow, windy and steep. The windy can mean twisty and it can mean strong winds which have the ability to close the road to motor cycles and high vehicles. People regularly go over the side and are killed or injured. Sometimes it takes a while to find them. It is not a road to be taken lightly.

The Rimutaka Hill Road

Muldoon's corner used to be one of the sharpest, but recently it has been smoothed out a little

Once we were safely over we had lunch then travelled on to  Henley Lake at Masterton, the body of water we were to practise on. It is a picturesque place with abundant swans, ducks, scaup and other water-loving bird life. Unfortunately what the birds do in the water is not so picturesque. It pays to paddle with your mouth shut. Over summer an algal bloom develops and the lake is closed.

Paradise Ducks and others enjoying the lake

Henley Lake is man-made

We went out with the Masterton Women's team for a practice. And rusty we proved to be. We swapped our normal paddling sides which made us more awkward and round and round the lake we went.
It was a great place for one of our paddlers to practise sweeping. Round and round the lake we went in a haphazard zigzag. The coach was on the front of the boat photographing our style or lack of it until he found himself caught up in an overhanging tree. Sweeping, or steering a dragon boat is no easy thing!

We had a couple of races with the Wairarapa team. Each time we were left in their wake. It all seemed very hard work.

We over-nighted in Masterton then headed back to Henley Lake in the morning for more of the same. We paddled in rotation and with a faster rate. Our novice sweep took us on a tiki tour by some islands but after a while began to gain some control. We loosened up, relaxed and began to find our rhythm. We upped our pace and went for it.

We were in for sore muscles for the rest of the week, but devils for punishment, we plan to return. During the winter it is easier and cheaper to head over the hill for a bit of fun in the duck pond than to use the boats on Wellington Harbour where we always have to have a chase boat for safety.