Rubba dub tub! - Coromandel Life

THEY’RE OFF! . . . BROPHY’S BEACH, WHITIANGA
Bathtub Races
Labour Weekend
by Carol
Wright
Sunday 26th October • 10.30am - 2pm
This ‘duckie’ buoy is displayed atop Kevin Shaw’s Whitianga
Plumbing shop sign. Here duckie dons a winter scarf, but
soon will change to more suitable attire for the Labour
Weekend race. Kevin, a keen racer himself, organised the
first Whitianga races in 2010.
Rubba dub tub!
W
hy would anyone ever race bathtubs?
Lest you think this is something like a
madcap rubber ducky paddlefest (and
there are such races), think again. These small
craft, built around the bulk of a real bathtub
have supportive hulls similar to a jetski,
with hefty outboard motors that can send a
bathtub flying.
However, one cannot get over the innate
silliness of it all, with costumes likely to be
encouraged as they were for September’s
‘poker fun run’ to Coroglen as racers dressed
in Western outfits. And not to leave out the
rubber ducky; kingsize versions of the noble
bird have been drafted as racing buoys, but
it is a serious business and seriously good
fun. Many Whitianga businesses have gotten
involved as this becomes quite the latest craze
round town!! New Zealand Bath Tub Racing
could well become a future competitive sport!
TUBS, AHOY! IN WHITIANGA
How did this come to be on the Coromandel?
Kevin Shaw, organised the original Whitianga
bathtub race in 2010, after going to a racing
event in Waihi. Kevin is owner of Whitianga
Plumbing & Drainage, so sponsorship was a
no brainer.
The first local bathtub race was held
over Labour Weekend 2010 at Whitianga
Waterways. “We had at least 12 men entered
and 6 women,” says Kevin. “Now we expect
20-30 entries from the regions – Bay of
Islands, Auckland, Whitianga, Hamilton, Waihi
and Tauranga.”
Races were held Anniversary Weekend 2011
at Waihi Beach; Easter 2011 at Brophy’s
Beach, then in June 2011 a Winter Poker Run
was held. Each of those dates have become
annual events, along with the Whitianga Labour
weekend races.
And now... new bathtub vessels are being built
in workshops all around town as others improve
upon theirs, preparing to join in on the fun.
“Our race is now a NZ National Series”, explains
Kevin, “with the final championship held in the
Bay of Islands. The winner goes on to Canada
See on FB:
All boats are built around
a real
bathtub.
Bathtub Racing NZ
A SOGGY COROGLEN POKER RUN
The official bathtub race is not the only event for tubbers. There are
some events just for fun. The Coroglen Poker Run took place on a rainy
September 14th – “45 km of Bathtub Fun” – from the Robinson Road
Boat Ramp, over the estuary, and up the Waiwawa River to Coroglen.
Costume theme was Cowboys and Indians, and soggy racers combined
cowboy outfits and war bonnets with foul weather gear.
With a few capsizes along the way, especially in the rapids
near Gumtown Hall in Coroglen, wet racers made their
way to checkpoints along the river where they collected
cards for their poker hand. The cash prize went to Kevin
Shaw who finished with the best hand – a straight!
Time to •maintain
check
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