Although a tsunami alert was in force, the annual Raglan Raft Race went ahead on Saturday 12th February. The waves hitting Raglan were measured at 15cm. This didn’t deter the avid rafters.
Overall Winner: Plastic Fantastic – Raglan Bill (Jamie Edwards)
Runners-up: Stand Up Recycle – Sean and Leo Oliver
Third place: Mizapa – Pania Stanway-Thorpe, Reeve Harry-Wright. Tern Toxward-Nicolson and Kimi Solomon-Banks
Fourth place: The Pirates from Waitetuna School on a barrelled-up outrigger canoe.
Other results:
- Best raft, Waitetuna Eels — Angus MacDonald (raft builder aged 14), Keith MacDonald (10), Seumus MacDonald (adult) and Arden Andre (13).
- Runners-up, Raglan Area School’s Hash Brown — built by teacher Glen Rangitonga and five boys as part of a woodwork project.
- Best dressed, Kinaboy Tutus — all-boy crew wearing pink turns: Rudy Regnier, Muroki Githinji-Pearsall, Puarere Kenehuru. Cabe Hartstone-Kereopa
- Best paddles and best junior entry (under 12), Le Sinka — crewed by Amelia Penfold, Ella McLeod Edwards, Jo and Corina Twcedic.
- Least likely to float (but they did and finished 11th), Ruba-dub-tub — five kids in a tub.
- Most interesting design, Solowaker — Gun Lai, hand-shaved and crafted from fibreglass.
- Best message and flag, Waitetuna Waka — Andrew, Madeleine, Ronan Thompson and Lola.
- Most impressive finish, Clean Sweep (sunk on the finish line) — Philip and Emily Meek, Jo Meek, Damon and Maddie Alexander, Simon Thomson and Honey Armstrong.
- Most improved racers and most numbers of people on one raft, The Pirates — Waitetuna School.