The 2026 Paddler Winter Series gets underway this Saturday, 1 August, at Waitara Kayak Club in Taranaki, the first of nine rounds running through August and September at clubs from Taranaki to Christchurch.
The series was previously known as the Kayak Krazy 10km Series and has run since 2011. It’s open to kayaks, surfskis, multisport boats, waka ama and stand-up paddleboards, across age groups from junior through to masters.
North Shore Canoe Club hosts round two in Auckland on 8 August, followed by Christchurch’s Arawa Canoe Club on 9 August. Waitemata Canoe and Multisport Club in Auckland and Nelson Surfski Club in Motueka both race on 16 August. Poverty Bay Kayak Club in Gisborne follows on 22 August, with Karapiro Kayak Racing Club racing the next day, 23 August.
Round eight is the Cambridge to Hamilton race on 13 September, 25km down the Waikato River and already established on the domestic paddling calendar in its own right. The series concludes on 27 September at Lake Karapiro, where the final round doubles as the CRNZ 10km National Championships and carries bonus points.
Paddlers’ series points are calculated from their best three results across the nine rounds.
Full details and entry links for every round are at paddler.nz/winterseries.
