Race 2 of 4 in the Versatile Offshore Series
Mana, the name of the island is an abbreviation of the Maori name Te Mana o Kupe, which means “The Mana of Kupe”.
Mana Island is a 3 km long, table, with cliffs along much of its coast and a plateau occupying much of the interior. It lies 3 km off the North Island coast, west of Porirua. In 2009, Mana Island was selected by the Global Restoration Network as one of New Zealand’s top 25 sites for ecological restoration.
Well that all sounds very peaceful but the Cook Strait sits between the start line at Motuara Island and the turning point at Mana Island and that stretch of water will have a lot to say about the how this race unfolds.