Zara Toes stepped off a plane out of a European summer and into a Christchurch midwinter, then went racing. Fresh from the Junior World Orienteering Championships and the World Orienteering Championships, she lined up at the NZ Secondary Schools Champs not long after.
Swapping international racing for domestic racing is more than a fight with jet lag. It asks for a full recalibration of technique, mindset, and the way you read a map.
Adapting the scale, and the mindset
The jump from European forests to New Zealand terrain is a steep technical curve.
The biggest shock is probably just realising what an elite level all of the Europeans are at. It's easy to get comfortable being near the top in New Zealand, but you have to put in a lot of effort to be at the top over at JWOC and WOC.
Coming back to Christchurch pine forest and coastal sand dunes means changing gear straight away.
Zooming in. European courses often reward long-leg strategy on a zoomed-out scale across vast, vague terrain. Christchurch dunes want the opposite, a hyper-focused read that picks out small contour detail.
Visualisation. Zara resets with visualisation, putting herself in the right headspace to choose a route and then execute it.
Managing nerves. Rehearsing the terrain's quirks and the likely traps beforehand takes the edge off pre-race anxiety, which matters most when you switch environments fast.
Advice for anyone chasing the same path
For school athletes trying to bridge the gap between secondary school events and the world stage, Zara has three things to say.
- Keep it fun. Enjoying the sport is what keeps you in it long enough to get good at it.
- Use friendly competition. A strong group of peers lifts everyone at once.
- Always debrief. The improvement happens after the finish line.
All of your learning takes place afterwards. It's quite hard to think about everything while you're still out there, so talk about your race afterwards with someone who can help you think about strategies for next time.
JWOC 2029 is coming to New Zealand
The IOF has awarded New Zealand the hosting rights for JWOC 2029 in Canterbury.
That is a first for Kiwi orienteering, and it hands local athletes a real home-ground advantage on intricate sand dunes, big rock outcrops, and thick native bush, terrain European competitors rarely see. Zara misses the age cutoff by a whisker and is thrilled for the next lot coming through regardless.
Congratulations Zara on the results. We're looking forward to what comes next.
