A week of paddleboarding

Jesus might have been the only guy that walked on water but a group of Rarotonga celebrities will attempt to do the same during the walk on water week a celebration of stand up paddleboarding.

Stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is one of the worlds fastest growing sports and on Rarotonga there are about a dozen dedicated paddlers.

Australias number one stand up paddler Travis Grant will host the walk on water week which will run from August 16 to 20.

The week-long celebration of the sport will be run at Muri beach and will include a celebrity dash event to feature the likes of local surf pioneer Brett Gibson, triathlete Kelly Pick, beach volleyball star Brendon Heath, Fitness Revolution director Puai Wichman, Pacific Resort CEO Greg Stanaway, keen stand up paddler John Woods, top local oe vaka paddler Rueben Dearlove, Captain Tama, Corey and Annie Fisher, Serena and Conrad Hunter, G-Dub and Miss Cook Islands Engara Gosselin.

According to event organiser and stand up paddleboard enthusiast Charlotte Piho, the race, to be run on August 16, will be a beauty versus brawn battle.

Its all a bit of fun and those racing will be of mixed abilities, some experienced, some with no experience at all, says Piho.

Travis Grant, who won this years Battle of The Paddle Hawaii the Super Bowl of stand up paddleboarding will also be running stand up paddleboard clinics throughout the week.

Grant will also help Piho run stand up paddle adventure tours and SUP surf adventures.

Stand up paddle adventure tours give those participating the chance to travel around the Cook Islands on water, says Piho.

The tour includes snacks, snorkelling, lunch and transport back to the Pacific Resort after the journey. SUP surf adventures is all about learning to catch waves.

Piho says there are limited spots and those interested can either register at Pacific Resort Rarotonga or online at www.surfthecookislands.com/contact where you will find more details.

I want to encourage as many locals as possible to come down and improve their skills or try out paddleboarding, so there are local rates. The clinics for locals are $80 which includes 2 hours of training with Travis Grant plus board rental.

To end the week with a bang and give all those who have learnt to paddle from a pro a chance to show off their new skills, the Battle of the Paddle Cook Islands will be run on August 20.

The race is a fun event for everyone and is open to any humanly steered paddle craft, says Piho.

There are great prizes including 2 nights at the award winning Pacific Resort in Aitutaki, a romantic sunset dinner for 2 at The Waterline, lunch for 2 at The Little Polynesia, breakfast for 2 at Seaside, Captain Tama Lagoon Cruises, pearls from Klassic Pearls, dives from Pacific Divers plus giveaways from Sunny King Paddleboards and Billabong.

The SUPWORLD Magazine, Australias number one stand up paddle board magazine distributed all over the world, will be covering the walk on water week in its October issue and is sure to help put the Cook Islands on the map as the new stand up paddle hot spot.

Piho says locals and resorts will also be able to purchase stand up paddleboards, paddles and leg-ropes during the week at discounted prices.