After starting and stoping due to lockdowns, the first day of the NZ Barfoot & Thompson Stand Up Paddle Boarding Nationals was held with more than 80 athletes registered from around New Zealand.

New champions were crowned and a new generation stood up at the Hoe Toa Paddle Championships in New Zealand on the weekend, where Penelope Strickland and Tara Hope earned national titles, Australia’s Lincoln Dews gatecrashed the party with a clean sweep and over 200 paddlers hit the water for a big two days of racing.