King of the Bays, North Shore City

The 2.8km event starts from Milford Beach, all other events start and finish on Takapuna Beach.

Heralded as New Zealand’s premiere ocean-swim event, this race has attracted world-class competitors since its inception in 2004. Having grown from 300 to over 1300 entries, it will be the finale of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series - ultimately deciding the series champions.

And what a venue! North Shore City is synonymous with the ‘perfect lifestyle’ –city living, beautiful bays, and an abundance of parks, restaurants and cafes. Residents enjoy running along the beaches, swimming at lunchtimes, and just taking life easy. A perfect place for fun, relaxation … and an ocean swim challenge! With views of Rangitoto Island on one side and some of Auckland’s prime real estate on the other, this course proves to be both exciting and challenging.

Registration Details

 All swimmers in the State King of the Bays must attend the swimmer pack collection (registration) prior to the King of the Bays event.

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.

Swimmer pack collection

Venue: TBC
Date: Friday 15 April 2010
Time: 4:00PM - 9:00PM

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 beach 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.

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

Entry confirmation

Check or amend your entry for any of the King of the Bays events by clicking here and following the 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).  Late Entries

There will be NO late entries on race day (Saturday 16 April 2011) but may be available at the swimmer pack collection function. Please see website for details in the week prior to the event.

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 bus will be available to transport swimmers to the race start at Milford Beach from Takapuna Beach. The price for a one way trip is $5 per person. Times to be advised. Bookings can be made online when entering the event or you can visit the online store and purchase this if you forgot to purchase one when you entered.  Space is limited, booking is essential.

Swimmer cut off times

All swimmers must reach the 400m cut off marker within 14 minutes from your wave start to continue the King of the Bays 2.8km swim. The 400m marker is the second orange buoy on the swim course.

If you do not reach the 400m marker within 14 minutes, life guards will politely ask you to board their inflatable rescue boat where you will be taken to shore at the first convenient opportunity.

The cut off times for the King of the Bays events are:

• 'Give It A Go' 300m swim - 12 minutes
• 'Step It Up' 1000m swim -  40 minutes   
• 'I'm Going Long' Milford to Takapuna 2.8km swim - 1 hour and 45 minutes

If you do not complete the swim within this time life guards will politely ask you to board their inflatable rescue boat where you will be taken to shore at the first convenient opportunity.

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.

Safety briefing

A compulsory safety briefing will be held at the following times for each event distance:
'Give It A Go' 300m swim at 8:55AM on Takpauna Beach
'Step It Up' 1000m swim at 9:40AM on Takapuna Beach
'I'm Going Long' Milford to Takapuna 2.8km swim at 11:10am on MIlford Reserve, Craig Road, Milford

Prize-giving

A prize giving will follow immediately after the completion of the Give It A Go 300m event on the Main beach at 10:00AM. Teams and individual swimmers must be present to accept their prizes. Stick around to watch the other swims on the day and be in to win major spot prizes (a Pacific Ocean Swim prize) at the main event prize giving taking place at approximately 1:00PM on the Main Beach.
The End of Season prize giving will take place at approximately 6:00pm at a to be advised bar in Takapuna. Join us to celebrate the end of the season and cheer on fellow series prize winners!
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 Fiji Ocean Swim valued at over $2000. The Fiji Ocean Swim prize consists of:

• 1  ex-tax Air Ticket Auckland - Nadi Return
• Transfers Nadi - Malololailai
• 4 Nights Accommodation

• Free race entry to Fiji Ocean Swim

Gear Bags

A gear truck will be available at the race start at Milford Reserve for all 2.8km swimmers. The truck will transport all swimmer bags to Takapuna Reserve and bags will be placed in the gear bag tent. Please pack only essentials as space is limited.
A gear tent will be provided for all participants on Takapuna Reserve. Please place your gear bag in the tent, clearly labeled for identification. Please pack only essentials, as there is limited room.

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 on Takapuna Reserve for swimmers to rinse under from the salt water.

Results

Results will be posted to the www.oceanswim.co.nz/results by 7:00pm Saturday 16 April 2011. Finisher’s certificates will be available for download from the results page.

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.

Post Event Entertainment

The End of Season prize giving will take place at approximately 6:00pm at a to be advised bar in Takapuna. Join us to celebrate the end of the season and cheer on fellow series prize winners!

Overall Series prize giving

The King of the Bays is the sixth and final event in the State NZ Ocean Swim Series, which means the time has come to reward our top swimmers in the long distance event. The prize giving is a great chance to celebrate with fellow swim nuts, and to meet some like-minded people. It promises to be a fun afternoon - there will be live music, cheap drinks and meals all afternoon, so have a bevvy with us and make a day of it. All competitors and supporters are welcome - it's a great chance to relax after the adrenaline of the race. Hey, you earned it!

When: Saturday 16 April, 6:00PM till late
Where: TBC bar in Takapuna, North Shore City

Travel and 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.