Come and race the world’s most beautiful lagoon!
Motu2Motu 2023
Paddle the BEST EVENT in the COOK ISLANDS!!!!!
Motu2Motu Aitutaki is now a multi-award-winning event having picked up two awards, Winners of the Festivals and Events Award and Outer Island Award for 2015/2016 and the 2017 Sports Achievement Award in the Cook Island National Tourism Awards.
2011 saw the creation of what was only a simple idea of seeing the Aitutaki Lagoon from a different perspective and making a race of it. From that idea, Motu2Motu was born.
December 2023 will see us running our 11th Event! What better way to spend a holiday, than visiting beautiful Aitutaki and racing in the BEST EVENT in the COOK ISLANDS, Motu2Motu Aitutaki.
36kms, 7 legs, 6 changeovers, mixed crews of 12, 1 awesome day.
In 2011 17 international paddlers participated in our first race, 2012 and 2013 saw the event grow bigger and better each time and the 2014 event was our "feel good" event with many commenting 2014, "the best Motu2Motu yet" with every year growing in popularity. Like our paddlers, Motu2Motu gets better with age.
2019 was a sell-out year, as was 2020/2021 (well, you know what happened globally). our 2022 10th Anniversary Event filled up quickly and 2023 will definitely be another sell-out.
2023 will include the 10KM women and men races in Motu2Motu week. 10km Iron Races for Open men and women and Master (and above) men and women, sorry no mixed. The iron races will take place on Monday the 4th of December. This will be an opportunity for paddlers travelling in teams to be able to paddle Aitutaki Lagoon with your teammates before you are split up for the Motu2Motu 36km on Tuesday the 5th of December. If you are not traveling in a team we will do our utmost to accommodate you into a team.
Could there be a more perfect place for your first-ever international changeover race?... We think not. Motu2Motu Aitutaki, the most unique paddling event on the most stunning lagoon on the planet!
Our Supporters
“This race is truly a LIFE experience, as far as outrigging goes,
this is the absolute essence of the sport”
‘The Harv’
The Event Details
When:
Monday 4th December 2023 - Iron Races.
Tuesday 5th December 2023 - M2M.
Thursday 7th December, 2023 - Fun Sprint Day
Where: Aitutaki Lagoon
Cost:
M2M PADDLERS: NZD$225/person
M2M SPECTATORS: NZD$200 /person
IRON PADDLERS: NZD$50/person
FUN SPRINT DAY: NZD$10/person payable on the day
Iron Races: Monday 4 December
Registration for M2M and Iron will open at 11am on Monday 4 December at the Ootu Beach (out past Aitutaki Village)
Races will begin at 1300
10km Open and Master Women
10km Open and Master Men
Includes racing Vaka only
own transport to and from Ootu Beach is required
Motu2Motu Race Day: Tuesday 5 December- OFFICIAL RACE START TIME APPROXIMATELY 1100 AT OOTU BEACH
Inclusions:
Official 2023 M2M Race Shirt
Racing Vaka & Support Boat
Dinner
Beverages
Entertainment at Evening Function
Own transport to Ootu Beach required for Race.
Fun Sprints: Thursday 5 December - OOTU BEACH
250 Metre Mixed Sprints
1000 am Registration - 1030am Races start
All entry fees go towards Local Charity/Junior Sports
Own transport required.
Accommodation:
Please contact Poppy Doherty at poppyaitutaki@gmail.com for your registration forms and more details.
Participation Criteria: Motu2Motu Mixed Race
Motu2Motu Aitutaki is a fun event but it is also a tough event. For some whom have raced M2M they will tell you..."looking at the race it looks like a paddlers dream, beautiful lagoon, stop offs here and there along the way,............. but no one tells you its this hard a race!"
So in order to try to keep a good balance between the fun and enjoyment and competitive nature of Motu2Motu we need to have a few guidelines and rules to run the event by.
Mixed Teams will be selected on a random basis with paddlers from different clubs, countries and paddling abilities put together to create new crew combinations and new friendships
the event is open to paddlers 14yrs of age and over (the hill)
A minimum of 8 - 12 months competitive paddling experience is required by all paddlers internationally and locally
Must be able to do water change overs/tread water
a minimum of 3 female paddlers in the canoe at all times
crew members must change at all designated changeover points
penalties will be imposed on crews (persons) who do not abide by these guidelines as the participation in the event is to be enjoyed by everyone and the day is bigger than the individual
Those not wishing to paddle but still be part of the race we have a great set up for you on the Spectators Boat. You too will receive the same inclusions as the paddlers, and please feel free to bring your own drinks and nibbles along and watch Motu2Motu Aitutaki in comfort!
Participation Criteria: Iron Races
The Iron Races are part of M2M week and an opportunity to race as a team with your fellow club mates. The Iron Races are open to all whom have registered for Motu2Motu Mixed Race. Participants to Race in Club Colours.
Course will be marked with high vis buoys as well as the half way turning point.
As with International Race Guidelines if you have an Open aged paddler in your team you are racing in the Open Division.
“Registration”
Motu2Motu Booking Procedure for 2023
Registration will open 1 March 2023
Due to the high demand of participants wishing to be part of this years event, we are working on a first in first served basis. Please note we cannot ‘save spots’.
Paddlers to register and pay, email poppyaitutaki@gmail.com .
Registered paddlers will be issued with a PROMO CODE to be entered onto the Air Rarotonga Website https://airraro.com/ for your special M2M fares.
If you have any issues when booking, please contact the team bookings@airraro.co.ck for assistance.
Event is open to all paddlers 14 years of age and over.
Cancellation fees for Motu2Motu Aitutaki 2023
Should you cancel for any reason 30-60 days out, a 50% cancellation fee will apply. Cancellation inside 30 days, a 100% cancellation fee will be imposed.
AIR RAROTONGA MOTU2MOTU Special Fares:
NZD$398 per person Return Rarotonga/Aitutaki/Rarotonga
Special fares will only be available up to and including the 4th of November 2023
SPECIAL CONDITIONS APPLY - SEATS NOT AVAILABLE ON ALL SCHEDULED FLIGHTS – CLOSED FLIGHTS WILL BE ADVISED AT TIME OF BOOKING
*Discounted Fares are applicable to new bookings only, no downgraded fares will be applied to any existing bookings or previously booked fares.
Fare & Payment Rules are SAVE Fares as per Air Rarotonga's terms.
Cancellation fees for Motu2Motu Aitutaki 2023
Should you cancel for any reason 30-60 days out, a 50% cancellation fee will apply. Cancellation inside 30 days, a 100% cancellation fee will be imposed. Please note that admin and transaction fees will apply on any refunds processed for cancellations outside of 60 days and 30-60 days.
Around Aitutaki
A tale from one of the Aitutaki Clubs about paddling around Aitutaki. One day this too may become part of Motu2Motu....only time will tell...
55km, 5 hours and 20 minutes, 11 paddlers, 4 sharks, 2 whales and 1 flip.... a history making first ever, modern day Vaka, paddle around Aitutaki, our ancestors would have been proud.
At 0730 hours Toa Moana Vaka Club, with paddlers from Te Mana and Aitutaki Oe Vaka, set out to make history. The first crew consisting of Steve Schofield, Alan Maki, Steve Doherty, Tauraa Kareroa, Mike Henry and Paul Henry, together with the support paddlers Junior Maoate, Ron Henry, Ali Webb, Roxy and George, and our boat support crews, Quinton and Melo in Wet and Wild, Poppy and Rose aboard Ron Henry's Boat Miss Janice, headed out on a voyage to circumnavigate Aitutaki that most believe had not been done for over two thousand years since our ancestors first arrived.
Heading anti-clockwise around Aitutaki, a good easy paddle with a with a female hump backed whale and her calf accompanying us, in high spirits for our venture around the island, till we hit the Maina point. Turning head first into strong South Easterly winds bringing the ocean swells up to 3 metres as we headed along the southern side of the island towards the point at Motukitu. With 5 support paddlers with us we made change-overs at 20 minute intervals with all each crew member giving their all and seemingly not making any headway into never ending huge swells and strong winds.
Once we made Motukitu the lead boat advised not to make any crew changes due to sighting 3 meter pelagic sharks in the water…. Clearly good advice!!! As one local resident has commented “I stay out of their water they stay out of my bars, so far we have each lived up to our sides of the bargain!!!!” After rounding the point the seas got bigger with the swells now hitting the right side of our Canoe and at times breaking over the top of us.
Opposite Tekopua Island 'it' happened and totally without warning, we had just changed out steerer, and were powering ahead, one second we were breathing fresh air the next holding our breath as we had ‘flipped’ all in the matter of a few seconds. Once all crew were accounted for we righted the canoe, bailed water and headed off again, thank ‘somebody’ those sharks hadn’t followed us!!!!
From that point on it was all about the thrill of riding the big swells and ‘surfing’ the long waves, talk about an adrenalin rush, whoops and hollers of excitement as we continued on. Reaching familiar territory at Papau and then at Akitua we knew we were only 12 km away from making history for our little island of Aitutaki.
Around the last point at the Northern tip of the island, the feeling in the canoe changed and became more urgent and excited as we knew we were only a few kilometres away from home. With two more crew changes, Steve Schofield, Tauraa Kareroa (TK) Steve Doherty, Alan Maki, Junior Maoate and Paul Henry in our Battle Tank T12, headed home to the Arutanga Passage.
With cheers from the boat crews and supporters and the paddlers in the canoe, we arrived home after 5 hours and 20 minutes at our start point. History had been made….we did it!!!!
To have been part of an even such as this has bought our club closer together we now have crossed the final hurdle of challenging the ocean, though the respect is always there, there is no fear. To all who participated and to those who were not able to make it, but were with us out there, I personally thank you all, for one of the most incredible days in our clubs short history.
KIA TOA!!!!