Challenge Wanaka is our first big event of the year! It’s only a few weeks away. Challenge Wanaka has built up its reputation as one of the most beautiful but demanding triathlons in the world over the last decade, bringing about 2000 athletes & participants from all over the globe to the lakeside village.
Kia Orana
The following images are from 2017 Matson Vaka Eiva a festival hosted by The Cook Islands Canoeing Association annually for the past 14 years. It was a privilege to be invited as the Aloe Up Sponsor to experience Cook Island culture and hospitality.
Highlights included watching our Aloe Up Ambassador Serena Hunter (Te Tupu) win the women's 12km race time 1.02.05
Aloe Up will again be at Vaka Eiva this year, dispensing our reef friendly sunscreen to all 400 plus athletes all week long so they can focus solely on racing (or just having fun) without the worry about the potential harm to their skin.
Vaka Eiva is the Cook Islands world famous Oe Vaka/Outrigger Canoe Racing festival takes place every year in November. It was first held in 2004 & has grown to become a feature on the international canoe racing calendar, bringing paddlers from all corners of the globe to the tiny Cook Islands.
While we can all agree that Aloe up is the best Biodegradable & Reef Friendly sunscreen on the market, it’s also one of the best sunscreen brands at looking after adventure sports at a grass roots level.
Over the last few years we have been working hard to spread our brand message & values by supporting local sporting events & athletes. These events are not large scale glamour events full of sporting super stars but inclusive events that focus on participation as much as results. And the athletes they help out through sponsorship are not on multi-million dollar contracts, most of them have day jobs & take part in their chosen sport because it’s their passion.
The best defence to UV radiation after clothing is sunscreen. However Recent studies have shown that the organic and inorganic UV filters as well as other components of sunscreen reach the marine environment directly via water activities and indirectly from waste treatment plants. The toxicity of the UV fillers has been demonstrated in aquatic organisms. UV Fillers inhibit growth in plankton and bioaccumulate in the food chain (Sanchez-Quiles 2015)
Not all sunscreens are equal and fortunately there are brands that will safely protection your from UV radiation that do not contain the substances that are known to harm the marine environment
New research about sunscreen's damaging effects on coral reefs suggests that you might want to think twice before slathering it on.
Reports about the harmful environmental effects of certain chemicals in the water have been circulated for years, but according to the authors of a new study released Tuesday, the chemicals in even one drop of sunscreen are enough to damage fragile coral reef systems. Some 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions wind up in coral reefs around the world each year.
“ Swimming up to 20+ hours per week in an outdoor pool on the Gold Coast means I need to really take care of my skin and sun protection. Aloe Up allows my body to focus on recovery rather then healing sunburn. The Pro Ultra Sport range in non-greasy, 80 minutes water resistance, and free of oxybenzone, parabens, and alcohol. It contains 35% Aloe Vera which allows my skin to hold moister rather, then the chemicals from the pool removing it.”
Aloe Up was the sunscreen sponsor for this outstanding festival held in the beautiful island of Aitutaki and on the stunning Motu Tavake. The event, a tribute to Etau Leverd who tragically died last year, included a fun day at Ootu Beach, 3 days of kite boarding action across Freestyle, Twin-Tip racing and a Big Air where the expert kite boarders showed their skills to the crowd; it was thrilling. The wind was solid, the sun shinning and the kite surfing pros Jesse Richman and Ewan Jaspan plus Tahitian legend Tavita Tinhin
Aloe Up Ambassador Ella Williams (Whangamata), 21, has won her maiden World Surf League Qualifying Series event overnight claiming the Women’s Medoc Ocean Lacanau Pro over local surfer Justine Dupont (FRA), 24.
The final of the QS1000 event was held in 1.0m lefts and rights on the famed French beach break.
The win comes on the back of a ninth placing at the World Surfing Games in Costa Rica less than a week ago and is likely to elevate her seven places to 22nd on the Qualifying Series rankings.
Set in one of the world’s most beautiful lagoons surrounding the South Pacific island of Aitutaki, Manureva Aquafest is the Cook Island Kitesurfing Association’s annual international event and is also recognised as one of the “Top 3 Signature Events” in the annual calendar for Cook Island Tourism.... Read More
