The Katoa Po Explorer is a teams rogaine event that has been designed for rogainers and adventure racers of all ages wanting to practise their night navigation and teamwork. The 45th Katoa Po promises a full weekend of orienteering and social activities for all in 2025. This year it will be based near Reporoa, at Hoanga (last used for Katoa Po in 2021) and the adjoining Ngahiwi farm that has been newly mapped for this event. This area has a great mix of open paddocks, rolling hills, scattered trees, rocky outcrops and a patch of forest with some very large old native trees, and is suitable for all levels of orienteering ability.

The first relay was held at the end of January 1981 but nowadays is usually in March when dusk is earlier but the weather still generally good. Teams are now made up of five members of mixed ages and abilities who contest for the Owl trophy. The legs and eligibility age groups are designed so that all ages, levels of fitness and abilities are catered for – from the competitive to those who want to enjoy the camaraderie and atmosphere of a team event at night along with a convivial camping experience.

The weekend will start with a short fun warm-up event on Saturday afternoon.
The Katoa Po night relay will start at dusk, and the explorer rogaine shortly after, and run into the night. The night relay format has been revised, with just a single category of five person club teams, and the eligibility criteria for each leg has been loosened, to make for more exciting racing.

The explorer rogaine for teams of 2 to 5 will run from 8:30 to 11:30 pm, covering a similar but larger area. A large marquee will provide an all-weather event centre, and an adjacent hill will provide a natural grandstand to view the lights of competitors out on the course. Most people will camp the night in tents and campervans on the paddock alongside.

On Sunday morning a hearty cooked breakfast will be available to purchase from the local school adventure racing team, before a 90minute rogaine over the same terrain. We plan to have a coffee cart on site on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Programme:
Warm-up  Saturday 8th March

• 3:00 – 5:00 pm: 30 minute warmup event. Details to come.
• at dusk: start of 45th Katoa Po Night Relay Continue reading..
• 8:30pm: start of 5th Katoa Po Explorer Night Rogaine

Sunday Rogaines  Sunday 9th March

• Cooked breakfast available
• Start of Katoa Po Explorer Daylight Rogaine and 90 minute Sunday Rogaine (after allowing sufficient time for breakfast to settle)

Further details will be provided closer to the Katoa Po weekend, but since there have been significant changes to the relay event, some details of the relay are provided below.

Event Info
When – Saturday 8th March 2025

• 4:00pm Campsite opens
• 5:30pm Registration opens
• 6:30pm return Team lists with names in running order
• 7:00pm Briefing for all competitors
• Relay Starts at Dusk

Where – Hoanga/Ngahiwi (in the Reporoa area)
Organiser – Taupo Orienteering Club
Planner: Kyle Brennan
Controller: Chris Morris
The Terrain: The event is partly on the Hoanga map last used for Katoa Po in 2021. This has been expanded substantially to include a large part of the neighbouring Ngahiwi farm. It has areas of farm with rolling hills, small stands of trees, rocky outcrops and a beautiful piece of native forest with some very large old native trees.
Course  |  Eligibility  | ONZ Colour
Leg1  |  Under 14 or over 70   |  White
Leg 2  | Under 18 or over 50 |  Yellow
Leg 3 |  Under 21 or over 35 |  Orange
Leg 4 |  Open |  Orange/Red
Leg 5 |  Open |  Red

Exemptions to the above rules will be considered on their merits by the controller. The essential essence of the competition is fairness. The controller will use this as the guiding principle for determining if nominally ineligible runners can drop down a leg.

Estimated winning times:
Leg 1  |  15 minutes, median time 25 minutes  |  white
Leg 2  |  22 minutes, median time 35 minutes  |  yellow
Leg 3  |  35 minutes  |  orange
Leg 4  |  50 minutes  |  orange / red
Leg 5  |  60 minutes  |  red

Special rules:

• Every team finishes, so there are no DSQs.
• A missed punch incurs a time penalty of the slowest time for that leg plus 15 minutes.
• DNF’s are the slowest time for that leg (when all the other penalties are added in) plus a 15 minute penalty.
• Placing's are determined solely by time, including penalties.
• Deliberate manipulation of the rules can incur additional penalties at the discretion of the controller.
• The relay is designed for teams of five from individual orienteering clubs. Composite and family teams, and teams with fewer than five members may only enter at the discretion of the organisers, and will not be eligible for team trophies.

SPORTident – To allow for smooth organisation and cater for the inevitable last minute changes all teams will be issued with a set of SI cards allocated to each leg. It is imperative that these cards are given to the appropriate leg.

More information available on the Taupō Orienteering website