Skimming for glory at Lake Hāwea Station
- Claire Inkson
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
What could be more kiwi than skimming stones?
A flat rock, a stretch of water, a bit of friendly competition - and suddenly everyone’s eight years old again.
That simple lakeside pastime is about to get a national stage, with the first-ever Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships set for May 16 at Lake Hāwea Station.
The idea came from station tourism manager Richie Laming, who was surprised to discover that while Scotland has hosted world championships for decades, New Zealand had never crowned its own national champion.
“It’s almost a birthright here,” he said. “Anyone with an arm, a stone and a body of water can do it. We’re an island nation formed by glaciers, so we’ve got the perfect rocks and the perfect lakes.”
The concept really gained traction after a cheating scandal at last year’s world championships In Scotland suddenly put stone skimming back in the spotlight.
Laming saw an opportunity – and posted a video floating the idea to the Station’s followers.
“We thought, why don’t we just float the idea and say we’ll host the inaugural New Zealand championships? The video got about 200,000 views, and then the media started rolling in.”
From there, the event quickly took shape.
Organisers contacted the Scottish championships and secured two places at the world event for the New Zealand winners - one in the open men’s division and one in the open women’s.
But while a national title is on the line, the day is about more than serious competition.
“We’ll definitely have some seasoned stone skimmers there,” Laming said. “But we love the idea that a dark horse could turn up and take the title. It’s that sort of sport - anyone can have a go.”
To keep the day entertaining, organisers are planning a mix of novelty events alongside the main competition, including a “Happy Skim-more” challenge, where competitors can run up and launch their stone as far as possible.
“It’s competitive, but it’s also just meant to be fun,” Laming said.
The championships will take place at a private part of Lake Hāwea Station known as The Hide, offering lake and alpine views in a setting many people won’t have visited before.
The event is also raising money for Melanoma New Zealand, with a goal of $10,000 to support awareness, education and patient services. A mobile skin-check van will be onsite offering free checks.
“We have a world record on offer, but unfortunately we are also a world record holder for melanoma rates: we have one of the highest rates of diagnosis in the world, and also death rates. We associate melanoma with blue skies and beautiful water - the places we spend our summers. Melanoma is an unfortunate byproduct of spending time in New Zealand's pristine environment,” Laming said. “So, we thought we could turn that around and create a really positive outcome in the same environment.”
Around 150 competitors and 100 spectators are expected, with entertainment, food, guest appearances and plenty of lakeside action.
And while the organisers are taking the competition seriously - there’ll even be a dedicated anti-cheating “Taskforce Skim” to inspect stones - the overall goal is simple.
“We just want to create something fun that brings people together,” Laming said.
“It’s something almost every Kiwi has done at some point in their life.”
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