Over Auckland Anniversary Weekend, more than 100 classic boats are expected to take part in the annual Mahurangi Regatta, celebrating the 44th anniversary of the regatta revival.

The dates of the first Mahurangi Regatta are not recorded, though it harks back to the days of Gordon Browne’s spar station in the Mahurangi Harbour, possibly 1858.

The long-running tradition had to be put to rest during World War II, to be revived in 1977 by Mahurangi Action. Mahurangi Cruising Club has been the regatta race organiser since 1990 and in 2016 Teak Construction came to the rescue of the Mahurangi Regatta shoreside events.

Beginning on Friday the 29th, the classic yacht regatta kicks off with the Passage Race from Auckland to Mahurangi. Although the Saturday regatta is the main attraction, the Friday night race to Mahurangi is quite the spectacle. When the weather is reasonably light and clear, the fleet arrives after nightfall in a continuous, flowing river of red and green navigation lights stretching from the heads all the way back to Whangaparāoa Passage. 

Saturday sees the main event, as one of the finest classic yacht fleets in the world come together for a two-lap race of Mahurangi Harbour. The Classic Parade of Launches from Scotts Landing to Sullivans Bay gets events underway and the yacht racing begins at 1.00 p.m. with the Jane Gifford as flagship. 

The course provides an unparalleled spectacle over the following three or four hours as a glorious parade of sail passes, particularly for those who take a picnic lunch up to Tungutu Point.

On shore, are the classic family fun events at Sullivans Bay, including sack, three-legged, and spud and spoon races, swimming races, boogie board races, as well as sand sculpting, egg throwing, lolly scramble and tugs of war.

Regatta prize giving kicks off at 4.00 p.m. at Scotts landing and the after-match function sees the 18-piece West City Jazz Orchestra get everyone dancing. There is also free use of the gas barbeques, so pack a picnic and be prepared to dance the night away to a backdrop of sparkling boat lights on the water. There will be free morning-to-midnight Scotts Landing regatta shuttles running from paddock parking on Ridge Road. The last run of the free regatta shuttle will be from Scotts Landing all the way back to Mahurangi West.

Sunday morning sees the final event of the regatta, a race back from Mahurangi to Auckland. 

The three-day affair has something for the whole family and is not an event to miss. The Mahurangi Regatta are looking for volunteers to help out and run events, so if you are available to ‘put your oar in’, even if it's just for a couple of hours, fill out the volunteer form here, phone 027 249 3804 or email [email protected].