Stoked at the Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships

Aotearoa Stone Skimming Championships. We’ve all tried skimming, but not all of us are champions at it.

Last weekend, Stoked was proud to support this incredible community event in Lake Hāwea, celebrating the art and skill of stone skimming against the breathtaking backdrop of the South Island.

The weather delivered everything autumn in Central Otago is known for, crisp mountain air, blue skies and drifting clouds rolling through the mountain peaks. As temperatures begin to drop ahead of winter, our Stoked tubs offered competitors and spectators the perfect place to warm up, soak in the competition and enjoy the elements from the comfort of hot water.

Through stone skimming, the event was also raising funds for Melanoma New Zealand, the only charity in the country dedicated solely to the prevention, detection and treatment of melanoma. Unfortunately, New Zealand has one of the highest melanoma diagnosis rates in the world, making the work they do incredibly important.

Together, Lake Hāwea Station and Melanoma NZ set out to take stone skimming to the world stage, sending the championship winners to compete in the World Stone Skimming Championships, arguably the greatest prize in stone skimming history.

Held annually on Easdale Island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, the event brings together some of the world’s best stone skimmers to compete on an international stage.

Congratulations to Jay Reeve and Abbey McDonald, the stone skimming champions of the day. It was a brilliant event that really brought the Otago community together.