Kaikoura Longboard festival kicks off

The 2019 Kaikoura Longboard Festival kicks off tomorrow. The international event will see competitors racing down one kilometre of smooth asphalt, navigating six sweeping corners at jaw-clenching speeds. Christchurch-based Elissa Mah is one of those boarders - she's entered in the women's and open events. She took up downhill longboarding in 2010 and is now a four time Asia Pacific champion. That means the 28-year-old rips downhill at speeds of up to 80 kilometres an hour, but she told me she does wear a lot of protective gear.