Apr 09 Join us, adventure sport icon Nathan Faavae, and the adventurous RAV4

There is adventure in everyone.
But in some there is more than others. Alot more.
We invite you to come & hear all about it from a true adventure sport superstar.

2012 World Adventure Race Champion & local lad Nathan Faavae will join us for this very special event, the launch of the new 2013 Toyota RAV4.

We would like to personally invite you to join us at Bowater Toyota on Friday 19th April from 5pm for some drinks and nibbles as we launch the all new, 4th generation Toyota RAV4. Hear what Nathan has to say about his breathtaking adventures over the years from 6pm. For many of us he needs no introduction, and we are very fortunate to have nabbed him fresh off the plane from a race in China a couple of days before as he shoots through to his 2013 training base in Queenstown. It will be a great night, full of inspiration and of course the chance to get an inside look at the equally adventurous remodelled Toyota RAV4.

Nathan Faavae is a world leading Adventure Race athlete, a champion at the top of his field and a multi-sport icon. Nathan is also involved with outdoor education and passionate about our region, adventure tourism and his family, as well as being a great speaker and a genuinely nice guy. It is a treat to have him here, so make sure you don't miss this opportunity!

Bowater Toyota. cnr Rutherford & Halifax Streets.
Friday 19th April from 5 - 7pm.

It is going to be a night full of adventure, some great local snacks and drinks, and we are sure some laughs from Nathan. 

Adventure Racing - an endurance sport like no other.

Adventure Racing is usually a team event that last many days and covers vast distances.

Nathan Faavae has been competing, and consistantly winning on the world's stage in endurance events since his first Coast to Coast in 1991.

The recent Godzone Adventure race took competitors from Mount Cook to Queenstown. That is the entire way, racing, under their own power! Nathan's team, Team Seagate, were the defending champions, and won the gruelling race in a brutal 75.5 hrs.

Adventure racing is considered to be one of the toughest, most mentally challenging sports out there, and Nathan is a world champ. Here is a short video taken from 2011 World Adventure Race Championship in Tasmania, where his team placed 3rd.

 More recently Team Seagate, of which Nathan is the captain, raced here in NZ in the gruelling GODZone.

Taken from the Stuff website:

A shower, lots of food and a good night's sleep topped the wishlist for team leader, Nathan Fa'avae, after Team Seagate won the epic GODZone adventure race in the lower South Island yesterday.

Team Seagate won the gruelling 514km race for the second consecutive year when they crossed the finish line at 9.35am.

Thirty-five teams started the race, which saw finishers traverse the South Island from Mt Cook to Queenstown.

Welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of family and supporters after 75 hours and 35 minutes' racing, Team Seagate's Fa'avae, Sophie Hart, Trevor Voyce (all from Nelson) and Christchurch's Chris Forne were all smiles and even managed to lift their bikes in celebration.

Fa'avae said although they had been confident for the last 12 to 24 hours they could win, the race hadn't been smooth sailing and crossing first was a big relief.

"We felt like we were just sort of clawing on to win it really and there was great pressure from the teams behind to keep us honest out there.

"It was a tough course out there . . . I think it was probably a more brutal course than GODZone last year."

"There was times in the course where we were really struggling and being challenged.

"And then at other times ... we were making good time through the course and feeling really good."

The heat created the biggest challenge, he said.

"There's no shade out there and minimal water sometimes and just having to keep racing through that, especially towards the end of the day, is pretty taxing."

Fa'avae was happy to hold a glass of bubbly as he posed for photos at the finish line but quickly swapped it for apple juice as his thoughts turned to sleep, "getting a bit of fat back on his bones" and cleaning his gear.

"We're pretty tired at the moment because I think we've only had a couple of hours' sleep since the start line but we're looking forward to enjoying the next few days and looking back on what the journey has been."

The last leg along the Queenstown Trail to Shotover Canyon Swing saw teams faced with the decision to swing or receive a two-hour penalty before making their way to the finish line at Pinewood Lodge in Queenstown.

Fa'avae wasn't overly keen on the Canyon Swing but with his team-mates enthusiastic, a two-hour penalty simply wasn't an option.

"It's not my scene but I think some of my team-mates thought it was the greatest thing."

The race was the first of the year for Team Seagate and once they've had time to recover and reflect, the focus will be on upcoming races in China and Brazil ahead of the all important adventure racing world championships in Costa Rica in December.

The Harraways Oats-sponsored team of Jess Simson, Aaron Prince, Stu Lynch and Dougal Allan was second across the line in a time of 78 hours and 28 minutes.