Orienteering Hutt Valley: Latest News
Orienteering Hutt Valley PO Box 30-398, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Phone (04) 570 0475
Diary Reminders (More Details) Tue 21 May AW Rogaine Lower Hutt Sun 26 May CSW/Club event Porirua Sun 9 Jun CSW/Club event Wgtn Sun 16 Jun MTBO Hutt Vly, CSW/Club event Wgtn

The More it Rains... 19 May 13
... the more people come bike-orienteering! The 2nd B-Max event ran today from the riverbank near Moonshine Bridge, through Trentham Memorial Park, and a couple of maze-like schools. Everyone who tried the "taster" course went on to the longer one, and the bigger people did them both end-to-end. Results have been posted, and the map added to the download page.

Hutties Make Good Start, 18 May 13
Four OHV members are leading their classes after the first two OYs were held in sunny conditions last Sunday near Bulls. Tim Robertson won both races in Long Red, while Amber Riddle (Yellow Women) Kieran Edwards (Yellow Men) and Larissa Edwards (White Women) are also leading the table. The OY table can be seen on the OY website. By the way the OY scorekeeper is OHV member Ian Basire.

Tim Honoured by Lower Hutt, 18 May 13
Tim Robertson has been named Hutt City's Young Sportsperson of the Year for 2013! He was named as an orienteer, but we know that Tim is a brilliant all-rounder, being also a top competitor in mountainbiking, cross-country and hockey. Tim heads for JWOC in about a month, and will go on to the world champs in Finland. You can read about his training at the JWOC blog.

Rainy Riverbank, 21 Apr 13
16 keen bikers braved a wet day for the first B-Max event on the riverbanks at Alicetown today. Formerly called Brownie MTBO, we had a good turnout of "brownies" but experienced MTBOers must have stayed in bed:-)) Rachel Drew whizzed round the timed course in 29min, while Sherlock Drew (18 months) was piloted round by Liam. Results have been posted, and the map added to the download page.

Dewy Johnsonville, 18 Apr 13
Light drizzle didn't deter 60 runners and walkers from the first of the 3-hour afterwork rogaines last night. Starting at the Johnsonville swimming pool, Mark Hearfield set controls from the bottom of the gorge to Churton Park to Newlands, with a 100-pointer inside a culvert under SH1. The "Lightning Speed Robots" gained a head start in the league table which is going to count a team's best 4 results. Results have been posted.

Breezy Bunkers, 15 Apr 13, RG link added 16 Apr
Its always breezy up among the bunkers, but the weather treated us well yesterday and 163 people ran the CollegeSport/Club event set by Tony van Dyk. Tim Robertson demolished the longest course in 34 minutes with fellow JWOC team member Beckie Gray the fastest woman. Joseph Lynch from Wellington College beat over 60 others on the yellow course. The simple result table is here; for more detail go to Winsplits, and put your route into RouteGadget.

Join the OHV Facebook Group, 12 Mar 13
Chat on the Facebook group includes comment on Hutt Valley tracks, the mapping training we did, how we got on at the nationals, and links to a couple of cool videos filmed there. Find the group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/ohvmembers. Alexandra will add you to the group provided you've renewed your sub!

YES WE DID! 2 Apr 13
Yes we did do better than last years 3rd in the relay, in fact after Tim and Laura had run among the rocks at Castle Hill, OHV was in the lead! But our former Irish world champs rep Bill couldn't quite match the former Danish world champs rep that PAPO wheeled out, and we finished a hugely creditable second. OHV also scored 18 individual wins, placed third in the interclub contest, and three members were given federation awards for volunteer service. More...

Nineteen for Nationals, 24 Mar 13
19 OHV members will take part in the National Championships in Canterbury at Easter. Seven of us have titles to defend, including Tim Robertson's in the mens elite sprint. And can we better our third place in the relay? Check out the competition under "Programme and Start Lists". The champs include the sprint at Ferrymead Heritage Park, middle on dunes at Woodend, long in the foothills near Springfield, and relay among the rocks at Castle Hill.

A Speedy Family, 19 Mar 13, questions loaded 24 Mar
The father-and-son team of Kelvin and Cameron Thiele won the final P-Max tonight at Belmont - a great effort! Course planner Brian Hallinan set controls on both sides of Speedys Stream and both sides of the Hutt River. A planned river-crossing zone was abandoned after the recent rain! Results here, 3-hour rogaines start next month.

Sunny Silverstream, 10 Mar 13, added to RouteGadget 17 Mar
Lots of people, lots of sun today at St Pats College Silverstream. The area is a bit limited for more difficult courses but ideal for beginners, and this was #2 in the CollegeSport series. Shamus Morrison and Lara Molloy were the fastest schoolies. As with the P-Max several routes choices involved water, in this case the Mawaihakona Stream. The results are on Winsplits and the simple results table is here.

R is for Rugged, 7 Mar 13
"Rogaine" stands for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance. 1hr P-Maxes may not need so much endurance, but last night's event required wading into a lake, if you wanted to get the 40-pointer! Cameron and Simon from Onslow College headed off all comers including a big contingent from Newlands College, and some experts including Bill Edwards. An excellent first-time event from Kelvin Thiele who began rogaining only last year. Results...

Map Training Chance, 5 Mar 13
OHV is running three sessions to pass on mapping skills to members. The fieldwork session is highly relevant to foot-orienteers - using the same thought processes that you use in competition - except in reverse! The sessions are in the Hutt Valley on Fri or Sat 15-16 Mar, and you need to RSVP by 13 Mar. Details...

OHV on Facebook, 5 Mar 13
OHV has set up a group on Facebook for members. This will be great for chat such as "anyone want a ride to ..." or "I need a rogaine partner." Its a closed group, which means that only group members can see posts, or of course make posts. The new Membership Coordinator (thanks Alexandra Riddle!) will approve your (Facebook) application, provided you have completed a current (OHV) application! Got it? Find the group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/ohvmembers. And get your sub renewal done!

Fastest P-Max Yet, 22 Feb 13
Last night's P-Max was all in Upper Hutt's CBD, which has an extremely open network of streets, lanes and carparks. If you missed it, the map and questions are now in the Anytime Orienteering section of the website; along with all previous P-Maxes. Results on the P-Max website.

Four for Czech, 22 Feb 13
The team for this year's Junior World Champs (JWOC) has been announced. Once again Tim and Laura Robertson, and Jula McMillan have been named for the event in the Czech Republic, next-door to last year's Slovakia. What's more Anna Robertson will be going too, as manager. The full team is on the NZOF website. JWOC will run from 30 Jun to 6 July and there's a 6-day public event alongside.

Breath of Fresh Air, 5 Feb 13, results updated 6 Feb
A bit of a deluge last night dropped the summer temperatures but it cleared up for tonight's P-Max mini-rogaine. Nicole Ranger planned her first event with Simon Rea helping, scattering points round Naenae including the delightful old cemetery. Big proportion of college kids, in fact Simon Teesdale (Onslow) top-scored though his solo penalty dropped him to third. Results have been posted.

Meanwhile, Back in the Jungle... 29 Jan 13
... our good friends the HV Mountainbike Club were running the Ak Attack MTB rogaine. This year it was on the Kapiti side, starting in Whareroa Farm and covering QE Park as well as extending into the Aka's as far as Orange Hut. And also Maungakotukutuku Valley, with rather different weather from the WOA Champs. Regular winners Simon Kennett and John Randal got all but 4 controls. Pending update of the event website, interim results are here; also the winning route; and John's blog.

Tough Championship at Rotoiti, 28 Jan 13
11 Hutties ran the SI Champs at Lake Rotoiti last weekend. Both middle and long distance events on glacial moraine covered with dense manuka were very testing, only 11 red course competitors broke the hour. Ian Basire won M75 both days, with Allison Basire and Michael Wood winning once. Tim and Laura Robertson and Gavin Scott posted wins in the sprint in Blenheim. Jason Markham mapped and planned the long. Results...

Top Sprints in the Bay, 19 Jan 13
OHV's pioneering O-Max formula has paid off, this time in the Hawkes Bay. Top results come from six exciting sprint-orienteering races over three days. Tim Robertson was 2nd in a mens elite field of 50, under two minutes behind Swiss Matthias Mueller. Laura Robertson was 3rd woman, after two top Fins. Piret Klade was next behind Laura. Anna Robertson and Susan Edwards went 2/3 in W40, and Michael Wood was 2nd in M60 where 16sec covered the first 3. Results... Many of the participants are now in Taupo for an ultra-sprint (even shorter) and the traditional night relays.

Didn't They Do Well! 15 Jan 13
Piret Klade was our top-placed runner in World Cup #3, run in 30+ temperatures on Sunday inland from Napier. Running for Estonia she finished 22nd in the prologue-plus-chasing start middle distance race. But Tim (32nd) and Laura Robertson (36th) and Bryn Davies (47th) also distinguished themselves in a race which saw several treated for heat exhaustion in the St John tent. Between the elite races the ordinary mortals had the final race of the Oceania Carnival, with Gavin Scott posting a win. Overall, Gavin and Michael Wood finished 3rd in the series, with Oliver Edwards just outside the placings. Former members Marquita Gelderman and Phil Wood won their classes, while Antonia Wood was 2nd. Action now moves to Havelock North for the start of the 6-event Sprint The Bay.

Podium Place for Lizzie! 8 Jan 13
Tim and Laura ran brilliantly for 20th and 31st placings in the World Cup Sprint at Government House/Wgtn College, but the day belongs to Wellington's Lizzie Ingham for her third place. Just 12 and 9 seconds behind two top Swedes, Lizzie started conservatively in 9th place after 4 legs, then a fastest split (by 22 seconds) moved her into 2nd - perhaps a route choice that no-one else saw? A little miss of only 14sec at 9 slipped her back to third, which she kept to the end. This is a best ever result at world level for kiwi women! Afterwards the Oceania Sprint/ANZ Challenge for the rest of us went Australia's way, leaving the two countries neck and neck at the halfway point. Michael Wood was 2nd Oceania M65 again. More...

Tim, Laura Thru to Sprint Final, 7 Jan 13
In today's World Cup #2 qualifier, the sprint round parliament, Laura and Tim qualified (which means the fastest 40) but Bryn and Piret have missed the cut. The sprint final runs tomorrow through government house (the GG's residence) and Wgtn College, with 7 kiwi women and 3 men to cheer on. The Oceania Sprint Distance Champs will also take place. More...

Women Wun Well in World Cup One, 7 Jan 13
In World Cup #1 yesterday, a middle distance at Waikawa Beach, Piret finished 24th for Estonia, and Laura was 30th for NZ out of 49 women. It was a classy field, with even NZ's top runner Lizzie Ingham pushed down to 21st. Tim and Bryn did not plan to run. Video summary here. After the elites the Oceania Middle Distance Championship took place on the same area, with Oliver Edwards 3rd M10, Michael Wood 2nd M65 and Gavin Scott 3rd M70. NZ beat Australia 13 classes to 7 in the first of the four races in the challenge.

Four More to Represent NZ, 20 Dec 12
Four more Hutties have been selected in the NZ team for the Australia-NZ Challenge which will take place over four events within the Oceania Carnival. They are Jill Dalton (W65), Michael Wood (M65), Alison Basire (W70) and Gavin Scott (M70). In addition three ex-members are in the team named today: Antonia Wood (W40), Philip Wood (M40) and Marquita Gelderman (W45). The full team will shortly appear on the NZOF website. The Australian team is here. Tim and Laura Robertson, Bryn Davies and Piret Klade are in other teams for the World Cup and Schools Challenge events.

Good Year for OHV, 14 Dec 12
No we're not talking about car tyres but about our events, that's why we exist:-)) The stats for the year have been added up and show 2300 participations over 34 events. This compares well with all previous years (except when rogaine championships produced huge blips!) Most importantly the stats include the list of 49 people who planned events or looked after the club. You make the club.

CIT Campus Still Delights, 13 Dec 12
The government wasted a beautiful campus when deregulation saw the end of the Central Institute of Technology in Trentham. In spite of some neglect it was still a great place for the final O-Max tonight. Bryn got within 1sec of Tim and Laura Robertson was the fastest woman. John Robertson set two loops with 2 out of 3 extras to bag on each loop; before a common final section among the most complex buildings. Results here when available.

Rogaining in the Gardens, 10 Dec 12
Nine classes from Kelburn Normal School did a 1.5hr mini rogaine round the Wgtn Gardens last week. (With adults about 300 people.) OHV Rogaine Coordinator Jenny Cossey is a part-time teacher who gets paid to set the course each year. She uses the city council's map - something worth thinking about as sprint maps get more and more detailed!

And FOUR O-Max Winners, 6 Dec 12
Last night's O-Max runners met random unmapped red obstacles as they raced round the Wellington Waterfront - hey aren't they supposed to have bells and reindeer? Two-stage race but problems with the fancy timing meant only the final counted. It's definite now: Tim wins over Bryn; Piret wins over Laura even with the late appearance of Lizzie Ingham; in the vets Bill beats John, but Anna was always safe. Results have been posted. The final next week is at the former C.I.T. campus at Trentham.

And TEN OY Placegetters, 5 Dec 12
Alongside Sunday's trial event near Masterton, the final OY for 2012 was held. The points table shows 10 OHV placegetters including 5 winners! Bryn Davies and Tim Robertson were 1-2 in Long Red, also Piret Klade and Laura Robertson. Gavin Scott and Bruce Worsley were 2-3 in Short Red; Alexandra Riddle and Lynette Porter were 1-3 in Orange Short; while Amber Riddle and Kieran Edwards won in Yellow. Full results...

Three in World Cup, 3 Dec 12
The selectors (who include OHV's Bill Edwards) have been very prompt with the World Cup team, following trials at the weekend. Tim and Bryn have been named to run the sprint and the chase event, while Laura will run the middle and the sprint. As host country NZ can field 10 men and 10 women in each event while others have 6. It's also possible that Piret will be named in the Estonian team. Full team...

Tim Unbeaten in Trials, 2 Dec 12
Tim Robertson was unbeaten in the NZ Team Trials this weekend! Though he sat out one of the races due to its being the ANZ Schools Challenge map, he won the sprint in Palmerston North and a two-race middle near Masterton. This last was especially exciting as he stayed ahead of world rogaine and adventure racing champion Chris Forne. Expect results on Winsplits.

Amazing Race in Petone, 28 Nov 12
Last night's O-Max in and around Petone Rec included 7 controls in a stake-and-tape maze. 4 runners set off together on the first of two loops, and did the maze before completing the other loop. Both the map and courses were prepared by Andrew and Alexandra Riddle, in spite of Andrew needing to walk with sticks after an injury. Tim Robertson and Piret Klade can't be overtaken in the open classes now, Anna Robertson is secure in the Vet women, but John Robertson and Bill Edwards are fighting over the Vet men. Results have been posted. Next week's O-Max is on the Wellington waterfront.

24hrs in the South, 27 Nov 12
Five Hutties are back from the NZ Rogaine Champs in Otago at the weekend. Glen Warner who pioneered "sprint rogaines" was in the top Mixed Vets team and 4th overall; Kelvin Thiele who only started rogaining this year 7th Men Open (11th); Michael Wood 2nd Mens Supervet (17th); Andy Foster 24th, and Simon Rea 32nd. Former member Phil Wood was 2nd overall. Results and map are here.

Don't Clip the First Control You See! 22 Nov 12
Tonight's 3-loop O-Max came with a not-so-hidden trap. There were dummy controls (close but distinctly not in the right place). While normally a control description would help you with this, it was great practice in reading ahead and controlling speed. Results and points have been posted. Next week's O-Max is on a new map of Petone Rec and the Weltec campus.

Join for 2013 Now! 16 Nov 12
The sub form for 2013 is now available. New members, you can join now and get 13 months for the price of 12. Plus if you are new to orienteering, it's half price. Current members, help us by renewing before the reminder comes. (PS we need a membership secretary:-))

Annual Reports Available, 15 Nov 12
The President's report presented to the AGM is available here. If you would like to see the Financial report please ask Next month, when our final event has been run, we'll publish our participation stats.

Groovies Lead in O-Max, 14 Nov 12
The O-Max afterwork orienteering series kicked off in Wellington last week, and tonight we ran #2 in a delightful piece of native bush at Maungaraki. Tim Robertson and Piret Klade have taken solid leads in the open class with two wins, likewise Bill Edwards in vet men. Anna Robertson is the leading vet women with a 1st/2nd; but we have no juniors!!! Results and points have been posted. Next week's O-Max is at Wgtn High School/Old Museum.

Record Afterwork Rogaine, 8 Nov 12
Each year Rogaine Coordinator Jenny Cossey runs a rogaine for kids and parents from Houghton Valley School. The rest of us are also invited, and this year there were 114 of us altogether, a record for a Welly afterwork rogaine! It was a beautiful night too and a great course on Miramar Peninsula, from the very bottom to the top. Results have been posted.

New Secretary for OHV, 7 Nov 12
Tonight's AGM elected Andrew Riddle as secretary of the club. He replaces Noeline Verheyen who has served for two years. We were very luck to have Noeline as she was not an orienteer. Subscriptions were maintained at the same level as last year. The president's report will be here shortly.

...and Australia Attracts Riders, 1 Nov 12
Three MTBOers returned this week from a trip to Australia, where they rode a 6hr MTBR (rogaine) and the 3-event Australian Champs. Jim Sutherland rides midfield in M50, Howard Symmes who is newer further back. Michael Wood was near the top of M60 and won the sprint distance. Oz Champs results, and Rogaine results...

Bush Attracts Rogainers, 30 Oct 12, results updated 1 Nov
The native bush from Catchpool Stream to the Orongorongo River attracted 75 rogainers on Sunday. Strangely, we haven't rogained there since 2004, and before that 1993! Since then course planners Darryn Gordon and Mike Sherwin have done a lot on the map including marking the historic "Five Mile Track". Debbie Mansfield with Steve Wagner and Glen Warner won the 6hr event, ahead of Colin Slater and Jerome Sheppard. Results have been posted.

Snow at South Island Champs, 26 Oct 12
OHV orienteers visited Naseby in the South Island last weekend for the South Island Champs. Events were held in the historic Naseby gold mining area including Hoffmans Dam, Wet Gully Road and the extensive Hogburn Gully. Laura Robertson and Tim Robertson did well: Laura: Sprint: 3rd, Middle: 2nd, Long: 4th. Tim: Sprint: 6th, Middle: 5th, Long: 6th. Full results are on Winsplits

Pretty Good Result, 14 Oct 12
Piret Klade was HV's top competitor at the Auckland Champs, held near Whangarei at the weekend. After trailing Amber Morrison from Hawkes Bay in the middle and sprint Saturday, she came out on top of W21E in the long today. Anna Robertson also had a good weekend with three 2nds in W40, while Tim Robertson won the M21E sprint. More...

Lick of a Breeze, 2 Oct 12, results added 3 Oct
Tonight's rogaine enjoyed fine weather and 50% daylight for a change, and it was popular - all the 80 maps were taken. Rachel and Liam Drew started the event from their house in Wilton with controls between the western skyline and Thorndon. Results were much closer than usual with 5 teams within 100 points of Bill Edwards amd Yvette Baker, and a couple of others would have been except they were late. (9 teams were late back including the top two!) Results have been posted.

Teeth of a Gale, 30 Sep 12
Riders battled a gale-force northerly today on the final leg of their score event round the Pencarrow Lakes. The finish was back at Burdan's Gate on the edge of Eastbourne. Four riders cleaned the 2.5hr course, which determined the Wellington Series results for 2012. Andrew McLellan and Nicole Ranger are the open champions, Dave Rudge and Jenny Visser the Vets. Results...

Top Class in Top Class, 29 Sep 12, updated 1 Oct
And with the schools tied up, Tim turned to the Australian Sprint and Long Champs. On a granite beach map yesterday he displayed his speciality sprint distance form, finishing 3rd in M21E. Yes that's right 21 Elite! And today he won the Long distance championship. Yes in 21 Elite. A minute and a half clear of adventure racer Rob Preston, who is probably twice his age. Simply amazing. Gavin Scott also placed 3rd in both sprint and long, in M70.

Once More in Tasmania, 27 Sep 12
After Tuesday's triumph it was no surprise that the kiwi kids won the Southern Cross relay. Tim brought the senior boys home to win by 8min, the senior girls were fourth, and the junior boys and girls led all the way! The only surprise is who was best of the rest. The smallest state, Tasmania. It has about the population of WOA! More on the event website or Facebook.

Meanwhile, Back in NZ, 26 Sep 12
Bryn Davies beat his race record, but narrowly lost his title to the Mukamuka Munter last weekend. This is a 29km trail race which follows the south coast round Cape Turakirae, over the south saddle of Mt Matthews to the Orongorongo River, and thence to the Catchpool Stream. Davies was beaten by two minutes, by Tauranga's Chris Morrissey (2-47-40). Piret Klade's 2010 womens record however remained intact.

Tim Leads Tassie Triumph, 25 Sep 12
Tim Robertson won the Senior Boys class in the Australian Schools Championship today at Royal George, Tasmania. Wgtn's Lauren Turner was 2nd in the Senior Girls, Lara Molloy (also Wgtn) won the Junior Girls and Ed Cory-Wright (Chch) won the Junior Boys. And that's not all, of the 12 top-3 placings 8 were taken by kiwis. Fully 50% of the kiwi team gained a place! Earliest results are appearing on the team's Facebook page.

OHV in Tasmania, 24 Sep 12
Three hutties are in Tasmania, where the Oz Championship is preceded by the schools championship and a state championship. Tim Robertson was second M20E in yesterday's Tasmanian Long Champ; Gavin Scott 4th M70, and Anna Robertson who is managing the NZ schools team midway in W45. The school events on Tue/Wed consist of two simultaneous contests: between the Australian states; and the states plus NZ for the Southern Cross Challenge. More...

Full Results Now Available, 21 Sep 12
Split times from the Long and Middle WOA Champs were posted on Winsplits earlier this week, but the Sprint took until today to sort out. Look down the list, events are in date order. The maps and courses are now also on RouteGadget but a few glitches remain. Click the blue "i" button beside the name of the event.

...But the Show Must Go On, 9 Sep 12, results avail 13 Sep
High winds and torrential rain lashed the region from mid Saturday, making conditions bad for WOA Championship competitors, and worse for organisers. The events went ahead and 150 piles of dirty wet washing are now lying in houses throughout the country. Some SI box failures means that adjustment of the results was necessary before publication sorry. Totals are now on the event website but the splits are still a problem.

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