Goggles at Dawn

It has become 'tradition' that the build-up to summer swims starts with the Labour Weekend 30km, and 2023 was no different. We began on Saturday of the long weekend with Freyberg-Balaena Bay-Freyberg swim (just a touch over 5km), followed by breakfast, and then 5km in Freyberg Pool. The following day began with a 4km squad session at Freyberg Pool, a quick circuit of the 1st buoy, breakfast, and then relocation to Worser Bay for four laps between Worser Bay and Seatoun Beach. During these laps, an initially breezy southerly increased in intensity, making for slower laps towards Seatoun but fun and fast returns to Worser Bay. Afterwards, a feast of fish and chips brought everybody back to life. As in previous years, a core group had undertaken to swim all 30km, but we had plenty of visitors popping in to swim different components of the weekend's unofficial programme, and even some out-of-towners. Monday morning began with a big 6km pool set, then a lighthouse lap in a gusty...

Since 2020 it has been my privilege to be part of several people's swims of the length of Taupō: the maths is a little tricky, four swimmers and five journeys up and down the lake. These experiences informed me of germane details about this swim, namely that the lake is very dark at night, that 40.2km is a very long way, and that at a certain point along that way (which varies) the swimmer will experience some significant suffering. On the other side of the scale, however, are several positives, not least that by late January and early February the water is a bath-like 20 degrees, the water contains no lethal predators, and the scenery is stunning. I'd be (almost) prepared to duel with anybody who argues that there's a more beautiful body of fresh water anywhere in the world.  For offshore readers, who may be interested in investigating this swim, Lake Taupō, or Taupō Moana, is the largest lake in the country, located in the central north island, just north the great volc...