Aoraki Dragons

What an experience. 🇳🇿🐉

To say I’m proud of these girls would be an understatement.

What they achieved at CCWC this past week was about so much more than the results. It was the reward for months of hard work, sacrifice, commitment and belief in what we were trying to build together.

For our first time competing internationally, these girls stepped onto the world stage, lined up against some of the best crews in the world and showed that we didn’t come all this way just to make up the numbers.

We came here to compete.

The journey to get here wasn’t easy.

This training campaign had everything. Tears, sweat, sacrifices, freezing cold mornings and evenings, tough conversations, tired bodies and days where we were literally breaking ice off the boat before we could paddle.

There were plenty of opportunities to take the easier option.

These girls didn’t.

They kept turning up. They kept putting in the work. They kept backing each other, and when it came time to race, they were ready.

This was the first time our team had travelled overseas and competed internationally. We came to CCWC with one major goal:

Make a world final.

With 20 boats in our division, the girls achieved that goal and finished among the top crews in the world.

🌎 200m | 9th in the world
🌎 500m | 6th in the world
🌎 2km | 7th in the world

And they leave CCWC as the fastest crew in the Southern Hemisphere.

For a team stepping onto the international stage for the very first time, those results mean a hell of a lot.

But what excites me most is knowing how much more there is in this group.

We’ve learnt so much from this experience. About racing, preparation, pressure, ourselves and what it truly takes to compete at this level.

We’ll take those lessons home with us. We’ll keep building, keep raising our standards and keep chasing what we know this team is capable of.

We came here wanting to find out whether we could compete on the world stage.

We got our answer.

We belong here.

And this is only the beginning. 🖤🐉Bb

Amazon Hearts last race of the day, in the pouring rain and what a way to finish an incredible week!

What a week we’ve had! Over the past seven days, we’ve battled through some tough racing, big moments and plenty of challenges, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.
We made it through to the Grand Final in both the 200m and 500m, finishing 7th and 8th respectively, and this afternoon we backed it up with an awesome 6th-place finish in the 2K.

A massive thank you to Shaun Peers. Without your guidance, support and belief in us, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today. We genuinely appreciate everything you have done for us, and everything you continue to We’re incredibly lucky to have you as our coach.

Another huge shout-out to Teagan Killick, who has done an absolutely amazing job managing us throughout the week! Keeping us organised, getting us everywhere on time and making sure everything runs smoothly.

And finally, a massive thank you to the entire Amazon Hearts Team, Paddle for Life Club and all our supporters NZ wide for your support, messages, encouragement and all the amazing cheer we’ve received throughout the week have meant more than you know.💜❤️🖤

Reminder: We have our last community paddle tomorrow, Fathers day! 9a.m. on the water at Owles Tce.🐉💪

What a great day on the lake for Southern Dragons Wahine!
They showed their true strength when it mattered most, taking 3rd place in their semi-final and going on to finish an impressive 6th overall! 👏
What a fantastic result and a testament to all the hard work, training and determination that has gone into getting them here.
Best of luck for your 200m racing on Friday.❤️🖤

Amazon Hearts had their first day of competition today, up against some stiff competition from some major players.

All the best to Southern Wahine for their racing tomorrow. 🖤❤️

The CCWC 2026 is officially open! Good luck to Aoraki's two teams Amazon Hearts & Southern Dragons competing over the next six days. ❤️🖤💜🐲🐉

After a bit of a delay getting on the water, ABOL took home a win in their first race.🖤❤️

Congratulations to Zonta and Marie Kyle-Stevenson.
Dragons