Two club teams: Team Seal - Tate Pichon, Troy Rangi, Joshua Vegar. Team Panda - Bex Teague, Russell Troy, Hamish Daley
The second Whangaparāoa Peninsula Swim Relay is set for Wednesday, 6 January 2027, following a successful inaugural event earlier this year.
The 23 km relay begins at Arkles Bay and finishes at Stanmore Bay, taking swimmers around the coastline of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. Teams of three swimmers will tackle the course using a rotating relay format designed to balance endurance, teamwork, and safety.
All three swimmers start together for the opening 30 minutes before moving into 30-minute rotations throughout the swim. For the final kilometre, the full team reunites in the water to complete the relay together at the finish line in Stanmore Bay. Time is taken when the last swimmer crosses the finish line.
The three-swimmer format comes after the inaugural January 2026 relay, where two club teams completed the course and proved the structure worked well for the relay.
Team Seal of Tate Pichon, Troy Rangi and Joshua Vegar are the inaugural champions of the relay, finishing ahead of Team Panda - Bex Teague, Russel Troy and Hamish Daley.
Organised by the club as a free community event, the relay welcomes club members and the wider open water swimming community across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Each team is responsible for arranging its own support boat, preparing a safety plan, and ensuring compliance with all water safety requirements. Safety remains a key focus of the relay given the nature of the course and coastal conditions around the peninsula.
The relay starts at 6:30 am from Arkles Bay, with the course offering easy public access to both the start and finish locations, making it ideal for supporters, family, and spectators following the event throughout the day.
The two reserve days are January 5th and 7th.
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