The North West Orienteering Club (NWOC) team has preparations for New Zealand Orienteering Championships (NZOC) 2021 well underway, to be ready for an exciting Easter Weekend of orienteering and renewing friendships.

Online Entries

Online entries (www.entero.co.nz) are now open. Standard fee entries close Friday 12 March 2021, a rapidly approaching deadline. Late fee entries close Friday 19 March 2021, with a 50% late fee added to the standard entries. 

Late entries received after Friday 19 March will only be accepted at the organisers’ discretion.  

Please be familiar with the Covid-19 policy for NZOC2021 before registering online. This policy document follows Government and ONZ Covid guidelines on gatherings and social distancing and provides clarity on our cancellation policy, event fee refunds as well as practical guidelines during the event, depending on the Covid Alert Level at that time.

Many volunteers

An event this size can only be run with the help of lots and lots of volunteers. Our setters and controllers have been involved for many months now, and the upcoming NZOC2021 newsletter will feature their insights into the best orienteering advice they themselves have ever been given. The preview below is from Gene Beveridge, controller for the Long on Saturday 3 April and ONZ Training Coordinator.

“I’m at my happiest when I’m exploring the outdoors, and I’ve always liked the feeling of endurance exercise. So orienteering seems to be a natural fit for me and I was lucky to be exposed to orienteering by my parents when I was young.

Although, I didn’t really understand the sport until I was in my early teens and most of my younger memories of orienteering are of pine cone wars with friends and hunting for huhu grubs in rotten logs. I remember the first time I understood contours, cutting a big corner on a yellow course. That was very empowering, but I’d say I really fell in love with orienteering once I was skilled enough to experience orienteering as a mental and emotional strategy game and I still find this endlessly fascinating.

The best advice I’ve been given was not even formal advice, but it’s just an idea that really penetrated through my particular barriers to becoming a better navigator. Ross Morrison passed this wisdom on to me. “Read the map, and when you’re not reading the map, read the map.”

Camping ‘on site’

With three of the four events scheduled for a compact area on South Head, NWOC is offering the option of basic camping ‘on site’, O-Ringen-like at Leighton’s farm (320 Wilson Road, Helensville) for the duration of the event. A great option to minimise driving and maximise the time socialising and unwinding with old and newly made orienteering friends from New Zealand and (hopefully) overseas after each event.

Camping is available from Friday night after the Sprint event (2 April) until Sunday night (4 April). Camping costs are $12 per person per night. Leighton’s Farm has basic facilities: six toilets and four showers, and one big tent for shelter, but no electricity or cooking facilities.

If you are interested in the Leighton’s Farm camping option, please indicate this while registering for the event online, or add your camping wishes later.

The hot pools at Parakai Spring are only a 20 minutes’ drive away: NZOC2021 competitors will receive a 50% discount on the standard entry fees for the duration of the weekend: a great way to relax tired muscles!

More information?

For more information please visit the NZOC2021 website, where information will be added over the weeks ahead. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact the team via nzoc2021@gmail.com