At last a race for the kids! A great activity for kids 10 and over!

Harbour Crossing, Auckland

Bayswater to the Viaduct Harbour, Auckland City

Click here to download and read important Swimmer Race Day information.

It’s not everyday that all marine traffic in New Zealand’s largest city is called to a halt to allow you the privilege of saying, “I swam across the harbour”. The first event of the series and the largest ocean swim in the country, this race was first held in 2004 and now attracts more than 1400 competitors. The course starts in Quinton Park, Bayswater and finishes on the northern side of Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour.

Registration Details

The State Harbour Crossing swimmer pack collection will take place the day before the swim on Sunday 21 November.

Venue: TBC
Date: Saturday, 20 November 2010
Time: 2:00PM - 7:00PM

Swimmer pack collection always takes place prior to event day for the following reasons:

To ensure the event day runs to the advertised times
In the event of strong winds or rain it is unsuitable to have packs outside or to have swimmers queuing without adequate cover
The swimmer pack pick up has become efficient and effective leaving swimmers very little time queuing or waiting, if we moved this to event day this would change dramatically.

If you are from outside of the Auckland area you can arrange for friends or family to collect your swimmer pack for you - friends or family will need to confirm your date of birth and if you will be wearing a wetsuit. If you are unable to attend swimmer pack collection and you do not have friends or family that can attend please email our event team here to make alternative arrangements.

Once your event details have been confirmed you will receive a swimmer pack which will include an Event swim cap (compulsory attire during event), timing chip, COMPLIMENTARY State NZ Ocean Swim Series beach towel* valued at $30 thanks to State Insurance and sponsors' products

*competitors receive one kbeach towel for the 2010/2011 season.

Your hand will be numbered in black permanent marker. Please ensure this remains legible until after the event. If you have elected not to participate, you may still collect your race pack but please advise the crew of your withdrawal - you will not be issued with a timing chip.

Late Entries

There will be NO late entries on race day (Sunday 21 November 2010) but may be available on the Saturday 20 November swimmer pack colleciton venue. Please see website to check in the week leading up to the event.

Entry confirmation & amendments

Check your Harbour Crossing 2.8km event entry or amend your entry details here and follow instructions below.

Instructions: You will then be asked for your Surname and on finding your entry and selecting it, you will have it emailed to your selected account - Please collect your e-ticket from your email address and open it. On the top right hand side of the page their is a link 'MY ACCOUNT' please click on this and then on the right hand side of the page there is a button that says 'MAKE CHANGES'- you can then change 'PROFILE' (your contact/ emergency details) or 'ENTRY DETAILS' (expected race time/ Wetsuit/ ability etc).

Complimentary beach towel

Your Complimentary State NZ Ocean Swim Series beach towel valued at $30 thanks to State Insurance will be given to you at swimmer pack collection. Please note: competitors receive one beach towel for the 2010/11 season.

Event day information

Race day transport

A ferry will be available to transport swimmers (no spectators sorry) to the race start at Bayswater. The price for a one way trip is $7 per person. Ferry's will also be available following prize giving to transport passengers back to Bayswater. Times to be advised. Bookings can be made online when entering the event. Space is limited, booking is essential. You will provided a ticket for this ferry at swimmer pack collection and you will be emailed your ferry departure time.

Forgot to book the ferry? - book and pay online here!

Timing chips

Please fasten securely to your ankle only. If you choose not to participate in the event, please return the chip to a crew member immediately. Crew members at the finish line will remove your timing chip. If you lose your timing chip, you will be liable for replacement costs of NZD $50.00.

You can read more about how to attach and use your timing chip here

Safety briefing

A compulsory safety briefing will be held at the Quinton Park, Bayswater race start area approximately 6:45am.

Swimmer cut off times

All swimmers must reach a 900m cut off marker within 30 minutes from your wave start to continue the Harbour Crossing swim. The 900m marker can be identified by two yellow buoys set 100m - 150m apart after coming around the marina breakwater. Swimmers are asked to swim between these buoys. Please ensure you look up when swimming to keep tabs on your direction.

If you do not complete the swim within this time you will be assisted onto our back boat, the ‘Dolphin Explorer' and taken to the event finish area at the completion of the event. Warm drinks, biscuits and blankets will await you on this vessel.

The cut off time to complete the 2.8km Harbour Crossing swim is 1 hour and 45 minutes from your wave start.

These cut off times are a necessary event safety precaution and have been put in place in partnership with Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Harbour Authorities.

Prize-giving

Prize giving will take place at approximately 9:00AM on Te Wero Island, Auckland Viaduct
Join us at one of these great pacific Island swim holiday spots this winter. For information please visit www.pacificswims.com and to book please contact Jeremy Shanahan on (09) 917 2974 or email jeremy@utdtakapuna.co.nz

We will also be drawing a spot prize to the Vanuatu Ocean Swim & Espiritu Santo Swim valued at over $3000. The Vanuatu Ocean Swim prize consists of:

1 ex-tax Air Ticket Auckland - Vila - Santo Return on Air Vanuatu
Transfers
4 Nights Accommodation in Port Vila
3 Nights Accommodation on Espiritu Santo
Free race and functions entry to Vanuatu Ocean Swim Port Vila and Espiritu Santo Aore Swim

Toilets and showers

There will be additional portaloos placed at the race start and race finish. An outdoor shower with cold fresh water will be provided at the race finish on Te Wero Island for swimmers to rinse under from the salt water.

Gear Bags

A gear truck will be available at the Bayswater race start for all swimmers. The truck will transport all swimmer bags to Te Wero Island and bags will be unloaded in the ‘swimmer area’. Please pack only essentials as space is limited.

Parking

Te Wero island parking will be closed on event day. We advise all participants to park in Downtown car park. Please arrange car-pooling with friends where possible.

After the swim!

Photos

Marathon Photos are the official event photographers and will offer all participants high-quality photos of their achievement. All photographs will be available on www.marathon-photos.com within a week of the event. You will also be emailed after the event with a direct link to your photographs.

Results

Results will be posted to the www.oceanswim.co.nz/results by 7:00pm Sunday 21 November 2010 (or before if we can). Finisher’s certificates will be available for download from the results page.

Post event entertainment

Details to be advised.

Travel & accommodation

Accommodation

As New Zealand's largest Hotel owner/operator, Millennium, Copthorne & Kingsgate Hotels and Resorts are pleased to be associated with the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series.

We have a standard of accommodation to suit all contestant needs through our Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate Hotel brands. Rates start from $ 90 including GST per room on a single, double, or twin share basis and along. Book using the "OSWIM" rate code and the bill payer will receive a FREE pair of blueseventy goggles worth $35. The more times you stay at Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate Hotels this summer between November and April, the more pairs of goggles you will receive.

As well as providing the opportunity to win weekends away at any one of our 30 Hotels nationwide, for competitors, participants and their supporters we have put together some great rates for you to enjoy "our world of hospitality" throughout the series. To access these rates, please visit http://www.millenniumhotels.co.nz/oswim/ or phone our toll-free reservations team on 0800 808 228 and quote rate code OSWIM.

Event Details

Distance:
2.8km
Start date:
Sunday 21 November 2010
Start time:
7.05am

Important Race-dates

28 Sep 2010 @ 12:00AM - Earlybird draw closes - Enter before this date and be into win a blueseventy wetsuit!
11 Nov 2010 @ 12:00AM - Late entry fee applies
19 Nov 2010 @ 12:00PM - Harbour Crossing online entries close

Safety Information

View detailed safety information for all events.

Maps & Course descriptions

Harbour Crossing start

The Harbour Crossing race starts at Quinton Park, Bayswater.

To get to Quinton Park, head down Lake Rd towards Devonport; take a right at Bayswater Ave (just before McDonalds). Head all the way down Bayswater Ave and follow the road round to Sir Peter Blake Parade. Quinton Park is located on Sir Peter Blake Parade. Public parking is available.

Harbour Crossing 'I'm Going Long' 2.8km swim course:

The event will start from a deep water start just off Quinton Park, Bayswater. The field will be split into four speed seeded waves for safety reasons. These waves will be selected from the estimated time you recorded on your entry form and will start 1 minute apart. For an uninterrupted start, please position yourself sensibly at rear of your start wave. From Quinton Park you will swim around Bayswater Marina towards the viaduct keeping the marina and boats moored in the Harbour to your left. Marker buoys will be will be placed in the Harbour to aid you in navigating to the Viaduct Harbour. Once inside the Viaduct Harbour, you will need to swim directly through two large State marker buoys, which will lead you to the finish ladder on Te Wero Island.
The Harbour Crossing, Auckland will start 45 minutes before the full tide.

Harbour Crossing finish area

The Harbour Crossing will now finish on the northern side of Te Wero Island in the Viaduct Harbour. We suggest all friends and family park in Downtown car park which is approximately 3 minutes walk from Te Wero Island.

Harbour Crossing contingency course

The decision to run with the Harbour Crossing contingency plan will be made in the event of bad weather or circumstances beyond the control of the event managers. The Race Director will make this decision on race morning in the interest of your safety. This decision will be final.

The contingency race start time will be 11.30am the same morning from Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour.

All competitors who have booked the pre-paid ferry service from Downtown ferry terminal will be asked to make their way to Te Wero Island instead of catching the ferry to Bayswater.

There will be one ferry services transporting competitors who are already at Quinton Park to the Downtown ferry terminal, where competitors will be asked to make their way to Te Wero Island. The Ferry time will be 10:00am

All other competitors must make their own way to Te Wero Island. The race will start an hour later at 11.30am and you must arrive no later than 11:00am for the compulsory race briefing.

Contingency race location:
� Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour
� The contingency course will be 1 lap of a 1km course set within Viaduct Harbour.

In the event of switching to the contingency course, announcements will be made at the race start in Quinton Park and at the race finish in Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour. You will be advised to make your way to Te Wero Island. It will also be announced at/on:

-More FM 91.8 Auckland on race morning
-The loudspeaker at Quinton Park
-Homepage of www.oceanswim.co.nz website
-The Downtown ferry terminal

Swimmer Navigation Map

Please ensure you read and understand the swim course instructions below before swimming the Sovereign Harbour Crossing Saturday. The Auckland Harbour Master has stated for safety reasons that if any swimmer does not follow the course they may be asked to leave the water at any time. It is your responsibility to look up regularly when swimming to stay near key navigational marker buoys. We strongly advise the use of anti-fog goggles to aid you in your swim. Lifeguards where possible will try to keep any wayward swimmers on course. But ultimately the responsibility to stay on course lies with you.

The start and first 500m metres:
You will need to start behind two orange marker buoys just off Quinton Park in Bayswater and then swim South alongside the Marina breakwater towards the city. When you reach the first orange marker buoy (positioned next to the marina breakwater) this will indicate that it is time to start your journey across Auckland Harbour. All orange buoys are positioned for your navigational assistance, but you are to swim no further than 20m away from them at all times. After leaving the marina breakwater you need to look carefully for the second orange marker buoy about 200m toward the city.

In the Auckland Harbour:
After you have passed the second orange marker buoy (just of the Marina) you will need to look carefully for two yellow marker buoys approx 150m apart acting as a gate. This is our 900m cut off point. You must be able to swim through and South of these two yellow buoys within 33 minutes of your wave start. Any swimmer that has not made it through in this time will be politely asked to leave the water and board our back boat.

After you have swum through the middle of the two yellow 900m cut off marker buoys you will then need to swim to two orange buoys leading toward the America’s Cup Boat anchored in the middle of the Harbour. Swimmers again must swim no further than 20metres either side of these orange markers. You must swim to the left or East of the America’s Cup boat.

After you have passed the America’s Cup boat you will then need to swim toward the remaining three orange or yellow marker buoys before reaching the mouth/entrance of the Viaduct Harbour.

Viaduct finish swim course

Once inside the mouth/entrance there will be two smaller triangular orange buoys helping to direct you to the finish area. Please keep right next to these orange markers. In the final metres you should be looking out for two very large cylindrical navy blue ‘Sovereign’ buoys into the finish ladder. You must swim BETWEEN these blue buoys and into the finish ladder.

The finishing pontoon is located on the Northern side of Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour. There is a ladder which you will need to climb to get onto the pontoon. Event crew will be on hand to assist you out of the water, if needed. Mats are placed on the pontoon; however, we request that you watch your footing as this surface can become slippery.
Further information will be given at the compulsory race briefing on race morning at 10:10am