This summer Caitlin O’Reilly, a Year 11 student at Carmel College, swam the length of Lake Taupo (40.2km) in 13 hours and 26 minutes, becoming the youngest female swimmer at the age of 14 years to do so. Two years ago Caitlin become the youngest female to swim Cook Strait, at the age of 12.

In her post-swim interviews Caitlin said that the hardest part of the swim was starting. She remembers asking herself, “What am I doing? It’s a long way!” but put her head down and got on with it.

The first one and a half hours of the swim were in the pitch black, no moon and low cloud. Phil Rush (legendary marathon swimmer and swim pilot) had placed glow sticks on Caitlin and they, and the lights from the support RIB (rigid inflatable boat), and those on the shore behind, were all that could be seen.

By 11:30am the cloud had all but burnt off and the lake was like a mill pond. Caitlin had swum 22km and was just over half way. This was her longest swim, by time in the water, and she was still swimming strongly, with her stroke rate remaining remarkably consistent. By 15:45pm she had made the shores of Lake Taupo outside the Taupo Yacht Club to the cheers of her family and support crew.  

Her mainstay for training is her squad's training with Coast Swim Club. Her schedule over the last year and a half has doubled, and she now swims eight times a week plus gym sessions. On her off day / afternoons she’s decided to take up rowing for Carmel College with Roger Kerr at North Shore Rowing Club on Lake Pupuke.

Leading up to the swim she partnered up for a number of longer swims with Jacquelyn Schirmer who was also training for Lake Taupo – these swims included Lang’s Beach to Mangawhai, Long Bay to Takapuna, Hen & Chicks (Tauranga Island) to Mangawhai. Swimming in the ocean presents a multitude of problems to overcome such as chafe, irritable sea life and, of course, the fear of the unseen! Caitlin is a regular participant of the Banana Boat Ocean Swim series around the country and participating in charity swims such as the Waiheke Island to Parnell Chopper Swim raising money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. 

Marathon swimming and ocean swimming take a special breed of person… a certain amount of crazy is required! Caitlin started swimming at a young age and has always loved being in the water. When she was nine she started competitive swimming with Coast Swim Club at Northern Arena, Silverdale. It was here her inspiration for the doing the Cook Strait as a 12 year-old came in the form of her coach John Gatfield whom swam the Strait when he was a 13 year-old. 

So what’s next for Caitlin? She is planning an English Channel crossing next year and also has her sights set on swimming Foveaux Strait in the near future - this will give her the final part of the three New Zealand marathon swims (alongside Lake Taupo and Cook Strait) known collectively as the New Zealand Triple Crown. 

Enrolment Timeline for 2020 

Pre-enrolment Evening

Thursday 9 May 2019   
4:30 to 5:30 pm - tours of school at 10-minute intervals. Please meet in the college hall.
5:30 – 6:00 pm – presentation by staff and students
 
Daytime Tours
Monday 13 – Friday 17 May 2019 
Families will be able to book daytime tours of the school the week following the pre-enrolment event 13 – 17 May. Booking details will be posted on the college website closer to the time and instructions given at the pre-enrolment event