Dark rider on a mission

ROSS GIBLIN/The Dominion Post

KITESURFER: Louis Tapper

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Louis Tapper admits that kitesurfing along Wellington's south coast in the dark might seem crazy, but he hopes the experience has prepared him for today's Coastal Classic.

The Wellington adventurer will race 220 kilometres from Auckland to the Bay of Islands this morning, lining up against a field of sailors and their yachts.

The 35-year-old IT consultant kitesurfed across Cook Strait last October, but said today's event would be far more challenging. "It's a hard job convincing people I'm sane at the moment. But it's not crazy. It's doable."

He has spent 10 months training for the event, which he said could take anything between 12 and 24 hours depending on conditions.

With a light wind forecast for the morning, Mr Tapper said his first challenge would be getting out of the harbour in Auckland.

From there, the predicted 20-knot (37kmh) southwest winds would provide ideal conditions, until the last 20km of the race.

Mr Tapper said getting around Cape Brett into Russell was likely to be difficult, particularly because he would be kitesurfing in the dark, with the help of a helmet light.

He said he was looking forward to the mental and physical challenge, and was also raising money for Samoan communities affected by the tsunami.

He had been training for the event on the south coast of Upolu island, and left two days before the area was hit by the massive earthquake last month.

Kite-surfing involves a person riding a small, twin-tip surfboard with a large kite harnessed to the waist.

Although kites and smaller craft are not allowed to enter the race officially, Mr Tapper said he would start 30 minutes before the yachts, and would travel with a full support team.

- © Fairfax NZ News