Taking on the Search for the Lost Amphibian – An adventure race for all levels and ages

This year's September edition of the ARC adventure race on the Coromandel Peninsula was titled the Search for the lost Amphibian. In order to cater for as many people as possible there were lots of different course options ranging from a six hour supported event to a 12 hour unsupported event with a kayak option. Teams could consist of 2-5 people. We chose to enter the 12 hour, supported, kayak event in a team of two. We arrived in Coromandel town relatively early on Friday evening so we could get our bikes boats and gear checked before the briefing which was scheduled to take place at 8pm. This paid off for us as we didn’t have to queue and were able to head back to our accommodation for dinner prior to the briefing. The hall was buzzing when we arrived for the briefing as teams discussed the race and speculated where the course might go. The briefing itself was straight forward and there were no real surprises except for the weather map that the organisers put on the big screen showing torrential downpours and thunder storms. The announcement that we would be abseiling 25 metres below ground into a water-filled mine and swimming out via numerous passages also drew a few nervous gasps from the crowd!! At the end of the briefing the course was revealed and the team captains were asked to collect the race notes and the maps of the course. We wasted no time in heading back to our accommodation to decide on our route choices and to prepare our gear and food for the day. We are well aware that planning and preparation is the key to a good race. The more time you can spend analysing the map the better your chances are on the day of not getting confused or lost. That night the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning was intense and right above our heads. We lay in bed wide awake wondering what race day would bring and dreading the thought of being out in such conditions, it was hideous. Lucky for us the weather gods were smiling on the race organisers and we woke to a beautifully sunny and calm morning. Our race began on Saturday morning at 8.00am at Tucks bay which is a couple of kilometers from Coromandel town. The 12 hour non-kayak teams started just before us and we watched teams build their rafts out of tyre tubes, pieces of wood and string. There were a plethora of different models, some more sea worthy than others. It was hilarious seeing teams attempt to paddle their craft around the point, there were people everywhere. Some teams were doing more swimming than paddling … Lucky for us we had chosen the kayak option so headed off in our double kayak for a 12 km paddle to find checkpoints on a number of the islands off the coast. The conditions couldn’t have been better and we were all smiles and laughs as we paddled off into the stunning scenery. We couldn’t believe our luck given the weather the night before. It was flat calm and we made light work of the first leg coming into transition at the front of the bunch. After a quick transition out of the kayak we were on our bikes heading out of Coromandel town to Te Kouma harbour. We then headed up onto private farm land at the end of the Peninsula. Wow, talk about awesome scenery. Although it was muddy and covered in fresh cow pats we loved every minute of it. It was cool to see so many school teams out on the course working together to find the checkpoints and helping each other negotiate the mud. The next part of the ride was in forestry and we were very careful to keep a close eye on distance, direction and altitude. Forestry areas are notorious for having numerous roads that are not marked on the map so the only way to get through them is to be aware of your general direction, distance travelled and altitude. Our vigilance paid off as we managed to find the two or three checkpoints in this area without too much confusion or backtracking, unlike some teams who struggled to match the map with what was on the ground in front of them. We finished the bike leg with a steep climb to Castle rock feeling pretty good that we hadn't been passed and that we had caught up some of the 12 hour non-kayak teams. There was a transition here and we were very pleased to see my Dad had nicely laid out our gear for the next trek leg and had sandwiches and pink buns ready for us. We quickly changed, grabbed some food and headed off into the mist to find the checkpoint at the top of Castle Rock. Unfortunately there was no view as it had started to rain but as our strategy was to travel as fast as we could to get as much of the course completed in daylight, we weren't planning on hanging around anyway. The next section of this trek was off track so we knew that we needed to focus again on direction, altitude and distance. Once we hit a checkpoint on a high point we took our time checking our compass and height to make sure we had hit the right ridge and constantly checked our direction to ensure we didn't stray off a spur or lose the ridge completely. This strategy paid off and we made good time skipping through the supple jack and crawling under trees and branches. Once we hit the road near the transition we relaxed and tried to keep up a good pace along the gravel road. We were a bit faster than Dad had expected and we caught him out coming up the road for a stroll. The next trek leg involved the abseil so we packed our helmets and wetsuits, had another good feeding session and headed back onto the course excited about the adventure ahead but quietly nervous about the water levels in the mine. We made good time to the mine and also picked up an optional checkpoint on the way. On arrival at the mine we put on our wetsuits and head caps, donned our harnesses and approached the entrance to the mine where the abseil began. After a brief explanation from the instructor, we went one at a time into a big black hole 25 meters underground into the mine. The water was freezing but we knew we had no choice but to plunge in and navigate our way through the tunnels passed the occasional plastic rat, crocodile or snake to get the four checkpoints that were placed in various shafts. At one point the water was just under our armpits and our shoulders were screaming from trying to keep them out of the water. We were relieved to see the light of day at the exit and burst out of the mine giggling with excitement. All we had to do to complete this leg was to run back to the start of the mine, grab our packs and then head down to the town of Coromandel which was all downhill. We ran as fast as we could, partly as we were racing but mostly to warm up. Once again Dad had everything set up at the transition and we grabbed some food and put on some warm clothing before heading off on the final mountain bike plus shooting leg to the finish. Dad had cleaned our bikes and yelled out to us to keep them clean!!! That did not happen as we were soon skidding our way through muddy farm trails and trying to avoid more fresh cowpats. We arrived at the shooting without any drama and were pleased it was still daylight as the metal duck targets were quite some distance away. I got to shoot the large ducks and Emma got the small circles - let's just say the ducks must have been much easier!! From the shooting it was just five minutes to the finish line. What a great feeling! We had survived the course, got every checkpoint, made no real mistakes and finished before dark. We finished in just under 11hours and first place overall. I would highly recommend this event to anyone interested in getting into adventure racing. It is more than your average adventure race; the mystery activities are a great challenge and a lot of fun. We had a ball! Thanks to GU for fueling us and to the ARC for such an awesome event. If you want to give adventure racing a go, the ARC are running another event on March 14-15 2015. They have a 12, 24 or 8 hour race…. Check out their website, www.arcevents.co.nz