As many of our regular followers will know, New Zealand lays claim to Adventure Capital of the World and nowhere epitomises this more than Queenstown. So, when GODZone, arguably the world’s toughest multi-day, non-stop, expedition-style adventure race was looking for a venue for Chapter 6 of their epic event, Queenstown seemed like the most logical place to go. Previous chapters of this all-adventure race have been held in Milford Sound, Mount Cook, Kaikoura, Lake Wanaka and Kaiteriteri and so it is with great excitement that the event moves to Queenstown and the Southern Lake District for the next instalment.
What is GODZOne?
So, what is GODZone all about? Well, we kind of touched on the premise – it’s a multi-day, non-stop, expedition-style adventure that uses a journey concept. The organisers look at landscapes up and down New Zealand and work out what an epic adventure journey would look like. This journey takes in many disciplines including trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and canoeing. Teams are expected to be able to navigate themselves across a variety of landscapes and GODZOne will push teams to the absolute limit.
There are two events you can get involved with; GZ ‘Pure’ and GZ ‘Pursuit’. GZ Pure is an unsupported event meaning you have to look after everything you will need along the way. The GZ Pursuit event is supported so you can bring along a support crew to meet you at various points along the journey for re-fuelling and supplies. Each event runs for up to 7 days and starts on Saturday 25 February to Saturday 4 March.
GODZone – the ultimate challenge
GODZone is widely recognised as the most technically demanding adventure race in the world and anyone thinking of entering should make sure they are well prepared. Whilst the 2017 chapter of the race kicks off this weekend, we wanted to give you plenty of time to get the date in the diary for next year if this is something that you think is of interest to you. Teams come from around the world to take on the challenge and it comes hot on the heels of the recent Kathmandu Coast to Coast challenge which involved a very similar set of disciplines over a much shorter course.
Teams taking part in GODZone are expected to be on the move day and night with decisions to sleep taken at the teams’ discretion. In the past, the winning teams have completed the GODZone course in between three to four days and those who want to win often battle extreme tiredness in order to push on through and take home the title. There is a midway cut off point if it looks like teams are not going to be able to complete the challenge inside of the maximum seven days, however most of the teams come well-prepared and it is usually only injuries that cause teams to miss the cut off point.
Why GODZone?
With so many adventure activities to choose from in New Zealand, why think about entering GODZone? Well, it truly is an adventure like no other and here at GO Rentals, we kind of like that. A big part of the success of the event is the secrecy that surrounds the course and the disciplines. Whilst we know this year’s event will be in Queenstown and the surrounding Southern Lake District, the actual course will not be announced until just before the start of the race adding to the mystery and the challenge. Completing this most gruelling of multi-day adventure challenges is up there with some of the hardest challenges in the world so if you are looking to push yourself this year, get in training for the 2018 chapter of GODZone.
To find out more about this year’s event, check out the official website and make sure you bookmark it for details of the 2018 chapter if you think this is up your street.
