While sports fans have been captivated by the Olympics, a big team of waka ama paddlers has quietly left Aotearoa for a major competition in Canada.
Altogether, 265 paddlers from New Zealand are taking part in the Va'a World Sprints in Calgary, up against competitors from 17 other countries.
Waka Ama New Zealand chief executive Lara Collins says participants span the generations: the youngest is 12 and the oldest 73 - juniors through to golden masters.
Ms Collins says that in some races grandparents and grandchildren will be in the same waka.
