Teams started and finished their 2018 GODZONE in Te Anau. With a 10 day race on offer, there was a chance to explore deeply into the magical area that is Fiordland National Park. The route headed south then back north, utilising the main river and lake systems to connect the various stages together. There were fewer, longer, stages than usual and the introduction of packrafts which allowed some wild paddling and trekking options.
The Waiau River hosted the first stage with some short navigation sections on foot around Manapouri. The teams continued over the mountains around Mt Titiroa before heading down into the Borland and a big abseil. Teams then paddled down the Monowai River and again the Waiau River to reach the first transition. Biking and caving took the teams into the Lake Hauroko area and the start of the biggest ever stage at a GODZONE event. Stage 3 was an epic on every level, with teams trekking/packrafting on Lake Hauroko, Waiaraurahiri River, Lake Poiteriteri, Lake Hakapoua and Waitutu River, before heading out along the South Coast. It's fair to say that this stage will live long in the memory of many teams. From there a tricky nav section on bikes took teams through the Rowallan Forest and over the passes to Lake Manapouri. A short kayak took teams to the Freeman Burn where they hiked through the bush to Lake Herries for a short wild paddle and then trek down to Dinghy Cove. The final stage was a long kayak home through the beautiful South Arm of Lake Te Anau.
Another full quota of teams signed up for Chapter of GODZONE, with entries selling out in a record breaking 2hrs. The event later added another 10 places to take the number of teams entered to a magic 100. Many teams indicated that despite the longer format event of 10 days, they could not resist the lure of the event being hosted by such a remote and wild region. The race was represented by teams from 10 nations with a strong contingent from Australia, South Africa and the USA.
| Team Name | Team Captain | Team Member 2 | Team Member 3 | Team Member 4 | Final Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Accidental Adventurers | Scott Worthington | Adele Pheasant | Jason Hayman (Stumpy) | Ryan Mcmahon | Unranked |
| 2. | Adventure Racing Coromandel | Blair Mackinnon | Andy Reid | Andrew Macdonald | Jo Donnelly | Unranked |
| 3. | Alquimistas | Martin Alberto Acevedo | Marco Verri | Bongiorno Maria Rosario | Martin Garcia Cuerva | Unranked |
| 4. | AR Pilgrims | Alan Ferris | Mark Wilson | Christine Perry | Derek Ireland | Short Course |
| 5. | Assegai | Morne Pienaar | Jimmie Fourie | Patrick Garceau | Marta Zanetti | Full Course |
| 6. | Ataraxia | Matthew Jeans | Mirjam van den Boom | Patrick Higgins | Tom Reynolds | Unranked |
| 7. | Avaya | Nathan Faavae | Jodie Faavae | Mark Rayward | Dan Moore | Full Course |
| 8. | Bend Racinc / FEAR Society | Jason Magness | Chelsey Magness | Andy Magness | Adrian Braaksma | Full Course |
| 9. | Bendracing/Yogaslackers | Stephen Thompson | Mari Chandler | Erik Sanders | Daniel Staudigel | Full Course |
| 10. | Bivouc inOv-8 | Ryan Thompson | Bex Law | JJ Wilson | Dayne McKnight | Full Course |
| 11. | Carnivorous River Ducks | Martin Peat | Carey Lintott | Nicole Symons | Tim Hargrave | Unranked |
| 12. | CBRAR - Rogue | Dave meyer | Peter Preston | Lou Carrington | Liam St Pierre | Full Course |
| 13. | Charging Moose | Adam Cowie | Sally Hayes | Sean Colyer | Glenn McLeay | Unranked |
| 14. | Checkpoint Zero | Paul Humphreys | Peter Jolles | Craig Tweedie | Lucy Noble | Unranked |
| 15. | Deliver us from evil | Glen Warner | nicole ranger | Peter Marriott | Ruth Rothman | Short Course |
| 16. | Fit for Life | Craig Cox | Alex Head | Simon Lewis | Belinda McCone | Short Course |
| 17. | Greenhorns | Levi Hibbert | Glen Stricot-Tarboton | Rachel Baker | Tom spencer | Full Course |
| 18. | Hardtale | Matt Bacon | Steve Todkill | Aurelien Penneman | Jodie Willett | Unranked |
| 19. | Heads left tails right | Angus Watson | Sam Walton | Tom Wu | Rebecca Gifford | Unranked |
| 20. | I Don't Remember | Robin Smith | Chip Palzer | Clint Arney | Olga kramarenko | Unranked |
| 21. | Jack Wolfskin Girls | Debbie Chambers | Emma Mccosh | Rachel Smith | Louise Mark | Short Course |
| 22. | Kai whakapai Wanaka / Altitude Brewing | Shonagh north | mark cockroft | julian holmes | Franck Bocamy | Unranked |
| 23. | Kauri Coasters | Barry Ruddell | Graeme Ewenson | Hannah Lowe | Richie Crawshaw | Unranked |
| 24. | Loose Moose AR | Theo Wordsworth | Dulkara Martig | Tim Farrant | Neville Thorne | Full Course |
| 25. | Merrell | Graham Bird | Grant Ross | Jane Swarbreck | Stefan terblanche | Full Course |
| 26. | Mont Adventure Racing | Tom Brazier | Alexandra Orme | Lee Rice | Paul Cuthbert | Full Course |
| 27. | More Pros Than Cons | Simon TRotter | Clem Trotter | Nic Leary | Sakkie Meyer | Short Course |
| 28. | Morrison Cars | Ian Huntsman | Wendy Riach | Tony McGuire | Devern Burchett | Unranked |
| 29. | My Generation | Jerome Sheppard | Nathan Sheppard | Liam Drew | Jill Westenra | Unranked |
| 30. | Nakibits | Grant hildred | Shaun Palmer | Kevin hosking | Jordyn Coplestone | Unranked |
| 31. | New World St Martins Freedom Fitness | Richard Dove | Dean Velenski | Olivia Spencer-Bower | Jamie Russ | Short Course |
| 32. | NorCal | Andrew Peterson | Tim Kuenster | Canice Harte | Stephanie Green | Unranked |
| 33. | Nothing Ventured | Ben Taylor | Simon Saunders | Glen Mitchell | Sophie Mccarrol | Full Course |
| 34. | NZHL Women Beyond Cancer | Francesca Sanders | Lesa Muir | Shanel Murray | Deanna blegg | Unranked |
| 35. | One Direction | Richard McIntosh | Julie Williamson | Denis Woods | Richard Shields | Unranked |
| 36. | Out There Doing It | Vicky Sandford | Ken Telford | Jonathan Young | Mark Watson | Short Course |
| 37. | Packrafting NZ | Brandon Purdue | Alex Nichol | Craig Hart | Oliver Thompson | Full Course |
| 38. | Pat Farry Trust | Jeremy Webber | Harriet Miller | GArry Nixon | Mark Smith | Unranked |
| 39. | Plodding Along | Chris Stewart | Brent Kingsland | Dave Cowie | Kerri Brand | Unranked |
| 40. | Proactive Physio | Brent Herdson | Marty Macdonald | Erin Green | Krzysztof Muszynski | Unranked |
| 41. | Purao/Boehringer Ingelheim | Rachel Cashin | Tim Pearson | Mike Charles | noel o'leary | Full Course |
| 42. | PWC | Rob Nichol | Sarah Fairmaid | Bob Mclachlan | Richie Mccaw | Full Course |
| 43. | Real Discovery | Goshi Ozawa | Natsumi iwatsuki | Hanae Takayama | Hideaki yoneda | Unranked |
| 44. | Rogue Four | Gordon Townsend | Rob Lei | Mark Law | Kat Reynolds | Unranked |
| 45. | Rorange | Robyn Anne Trenton | Wayne smith | Victoria May Fischer | Cass Bryn Jones | Unranked |
| 46. | Slice of Heaven | LIz Woodgate | James Rush | Evan Jones | Tara Macdonald | Short Course |
| 47. | Soaked in Adventure | Matt Fredericksen | Bernie Hopkins | Nikita Gane | Gary Townsend | Unranked |
| 48. | Soul Rebels | Aimee Saint Andre | Jason Therrien | Blake McMillan | Sam Eames | Short Course |
| 49. | Swordfox | Brent Edwards | Ash Whitehead | Stuart lynch | Georgia Whitla | Full Course |
| 50. | Tail End Charlie | Colin Kinnison | Kath Copland | Sharon Blegg | Mike Rait | Unranked |
| 51. | Tavendale & Partners Lawyers | Greg Roadley | Jim Cotter | Jo Turnbull | Mike robins | Full Course |
| 52. | Team 40/50 Adventure | Shari "Shebeast" Hymes | JD Eskelson | Peter spagnoli | Brian Eason | Unranked |
| 53. | Team Ground Anchor Systems | Timbo Bygate | Gretchen Dalzell | Jimmy Mackay | Kieran Hambrook | Short Course |
| 54. | Team Kiwiharvest | Patrick Manning | Anne Gray | Pieter Brits | Penzy Dinsdale | Unranked |
| 55. | Team LIC | Richard Spelman | Jason Mouat | Christine Couldrey | Patrick Marsh | Short Course |
| 56. | Team Macpac | Neville Wells | Matt Lash | Paul Rust | Leah Barnfield | Short Course |
| 57. | Team Motueka | Brent Steinmetz | Jake Stow | Cheryl Young | Martin Lukes | Full Course |
| 58. | Team RAF | Jamie Buckle | Charlie butterfield | Laura frowen | Penny grayson | Unranked |
| 59. | Team Ray White Invercargill / Te Anau | Matt Randall | Kylee Henriksen | Jason Miller | Brendan Kerr | Unranked |
| 60. | Team uBhejane | David Zimmermann | Tim Jones | Marilyn Zimmermann | Steph deist | Unranked |
| 61. | Team Victory Boxing | Simon Bloomberg snr | Jane Orbell | Simon Bloomberg jnr | Dene Gavin | Full Course |
| 62. | The Moose Hunters | Andrew Stokes | Dan Major | Laura Pattie | Owen Keet | Unranked |
| 63. | The Slow Twitchers | Rhys John | Andrew Crowley | Jennifer Walker | Danny Cartlidge | Full Course |
| 64. | The Sneaky Weasel Gang | Struan Webb | Anna Barrett | Mitch Munro | Tane Cambridge | Full Course |
| 65. | Thunderbolt | Hugh Stodart | Bernadette Dornom | Josh Street | Leo Theorharis | Unranked |
| 66. | Tiki Tour | Tom Lucas | George lucas | Michael kelly | Corrinne O'Donnell | Full Course |
| 67. | Torpedo 7 | Richard Anderson | Jo Williams | Greig Hamilton | Sam Manson | Full Course |
| 68. | UC Engineering | Quinn Hornblow | Alex Manktelow | Will Jones | Jessie Winder | Full Course |
| 69. | Virbac Animal Health | Brendan Hickman | Anthony Oswald | Darron Jones | Tina moore | Full Course |
| 70. | Wet Regret | Andrew Thompson | Simon Tailby | Robert Glenny | Anna Brooke | Short Course |
| 71. | Wild Moose Chase | Joseph Rea | Abban Quayle | Nicola Kirkham | Mathew Morreau | Unranked |
| 72. | Yealands Family Wine | Chris Forne | Emily Forne | Dan Busch | Aaron Prince | Full Course |
| Team Name | Team Captain | Team Member 2 | Team Member 3 | Team Member 4 | Final Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aotea | george kool | mathew haworth | Angus Webb | annabel dekker | Full Course |
| 2. | Cannonballs | Tom Horner | Josh Gordon | Harry ormiston | Andrew Stace | Full Course |
| 3. | Chafing the Dream | Daniel Mcdonald | Vaughn woods | Matt carter | Lisa payne | Full Course |
| 4. | Countdown to the Ranch | Grant tremain | adam bentley | Jade Lilo | Pania Dalley | Full Course |
| 5. | Ginger NINJA crew | Brian Wilson | Darryl Sutton | anthony fokkens | David o’carroll | Unranked |
| 6. | Keen as Toast | Alex Mcleod | Claire Bell | Megan Blakely | Karl Guy | Full Course |
| 7. | Kiwi Can | Paul Cartlidge | Dom Papoutsou | Dan Burke | Nathan White | Unranked |
| 8. | Lamb to the Slaughter | Michael Crisford | Ashleigh Hall | BOb Hunn | Luke miller | Full Course |
| 9. | Lincoln Reunion | Gerald holden | Trevor Hurley | Kym Skerman | dave divers | Full Course |
| 10. | Off Trail Adventures | Nic Droste | Alex Morgan | Vetti fawcett | Jake REUs | Full Course |
| 11. | Pics Slippery Slope | Fiona Shanhun | Michele Frey | Nick Stillwell | emma mackie | Full Course |
| 12. | Team Fiordland house | Keri Antoniak | Dean Clark | Heather Barnes | scott kinzett | Full Course |
| 13. | Team Landpro | Richard Ford | Michael Mitchell | elicia milne | jason searle | Full Course |
| 14. | Team Marlborough Tuatara Structures | Kieran hickman | Andrew Jones | Glenn Blackmore | Bec Scherp | Full Course |
| 15. | Team Meridian | caroline diprose-rea | richard griffiths | brett horwell | paul churton | Full Course |
| 16. | Team NCX | Stephen John | julian maclaren | megan carter | Dave Taylor | Full Course |
| 17. | Team Turiwhate | Katie Smith | troy watson | iain mciver | Rachel Drew | Full Course |
| 18. | Welcome Aboard | Brent Denny | Phil Elder | Odelios Ruegg | Benjamin Lott | Full Course |
| 19. | Worst Pace Scenario | Elisha Nuttall | Joel Smith | Erika stark | Selena Metherell | Full Course |
A breathtaking journey through some of New Zealand’s most spectacular and world-wide recognised terrain - Fiordland National Park. The GZ Pure route covered a total distance of approximately 550km, a bit longer than most Chapters of GODZONE. However, the challenging terrain and heavy loads meant that overall times were about 2-3 days longer than usual for finishing. The route comprised roughly 150km of trekking, 215km of biking, 49km of kayaking, 135km of packrafting, 1km of caving and a section of fixed ropes. The GZ Pursuit event covered approximately 431km and with packrafting substituted with canoeing.
There is no doubt that the challenging terrain, navigation, route choice and heavy loads played a part in the outcomes for most teams. Many reported running out of food on Stage 3 as they miscalculated how long they would take and how much food they would need. This factor was made worse for those teams who got lost in the bush. Even experienced teams made this mistake and the event, as a whole, was a big learning curve for many - just as it should be.
The top 3 GZ Pure teams were the same three from Chapter 6 - but they all shuffled positions. The race between Swordfox and Yealands at the front ebbed and flowed but when it came to the last 24hrs, it was Yealands who came through with that extra bit of strength and sleep in the tank - despite a navigational error on Lake Manapouri at night. Tikki Tour couldn't quite go at the speed of the top 2 but they'll be pleased to once again grace the podium having won the event the previous year in Queenstown.
A particularly warm congratulations to Greenhorns who won the Colts Trophy and prize. With a combined age of just 88 they are on a steep improvement curve and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. We've seen a lot of younger teams make big progress at first and flaunt with the top tier. But none have yet to crack the podium and the upper echelons of the event are still dominated by older more experienced athletes. They have a lot of promise and skill. We will be watching them with interest.
GODZONE Chapter 7 - Fiordland, was won by the Yealands Family Wines team. The team comprised Emily Forne, Aaron Prince, Dan Busch, and Chris Forne (his 6th victory in the event). Yealands completed the challenging course in fine style, paddling into Te Anau Beach after an epic journey, completing the course in 133 hours and 34 minutes.
It's hard to design a course that is 'Chris-proof' and in an area so demanding of navigation, this team was always going to be difficult to beat. One should not overlook the strength of the winning team and also their strategic decision making and sleep strategy.
| Team Name | Team Captain | Team Member 2 | Team Member 3 | Team Member 4 | Final Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yealands Family Wine | Chris Forne | Emily Forne | Dan Busch | Aaron Prince | 05d 13h 34m |
| 2. | Swordfox | Brent Edwards | Ash Whitehead | Stuart lynch | Georgia Whitla | 05d 15h 56m |
| 3. | Tiki Tour | Tom Lucas | George lucas | Michael kelly | Corrinne O'Donnell | 05d 23h 51m |
| 4. | Avaya | Nathan Faavae | Jodie Faavae | Mark Rayward | Dan Moore | 06d 07h 29m |
| 5. | Torpedo 7 | Richard Anderson | Jo Williams | Greig Hamilton | Sam Manson | 06d 08h 03m |
Some have said that the GZ Pursuit, Chapter 7 - Fiordland, event was more like a normal Chapter of GODZONE for the Pure teams. True, the event was a lot longer than usual but the finish percentages were still pretty good for the GZ Pursuit teams. After a long battle with Lincoln Reunion, Team Turiwhate came out on top, winning the event in 136 hours and 40 minutes.
| Team Name | Team Captain | Team Member 2 | Team Member 3 | Team Member 4 | Final Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Team Turiwhate | Katie Smith | troy watson | iain mciver | Rachel Drew | 05d 16h 40m |
| 2. | Lincoln Reunion | Gerald holden | Trevor Hurley | Kym Skerman | dave divers | 06d 04h 21m |
| 3. | Team Marlborough Tuatara Structures | Kieran hickman | Andrew Jones | Glenn Blackmore | Bec Scherp | 06d 06h 20m |
| 4. | Team NCX | Stephen John | julian maclaren | megan carter | Dave Taylor | 06d 07h 02m |
| 5. | Countdown to the Ranch | Grant tremain | adam bentley | Jade Lilo | Pania Dalley | 06d 11h 47m |