It was “bombs away” at the Tauranga Waterfront for the Z Manu World Champs, offering spectators a taste of Kiwiana and big splashes.

However, according to Z Manu World Champs event organiser Scott Rice, getting the perfect bomb is not as simple as it sounds.

Z Manu World Champs organiser Scott Rice.

“It’s like a golf swing. You could have one millimetre off, and you might not quite get the splash right,” Rice said.

“It’s really technical.”

Kiwis have been jumping off cliffs and bridges for years. Rice, a former New Zealand ocean swimming series organiser, aimed to create a fun and safe event.

“It’s about being able to float. It’s about checking what’s underneath you. Before you jump,” he said.

The participants were judged on the traditional Te Manu (V Bomb), in which the person folds themselves up to hit the water at the right angle.

“Back in the day, it used to just be like a cannonball, but in the ’80s and 90, the different styles were created,” Rice said.

The others – Te Tēpara (The Staple), Te Korirā (The Gorilla), Te Kāwhena (The Coffin) and Te Pōro Repo (The Cannonball) – were judged in the freestyle portion of the event.

The word manu was inherited from Mangere Bridge South and shortened, according to Rice.

After Tauranga, there are eight other events in Heretaunga (Hastings), Whakatū (Nelson), Māngere, Whangārei, Pōneke (Wellington), Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).

There are four divisions in the Z Manu World Champs: Manu Tamariki (8-12), Manu Rangatahi (13-17), Pakeke (18+) and Freestyle.

Two winners from each category were selected to attend the Grand Final in Tāmaki Makaurau on March 1, 2025, where a prize pool of $40,000 “was up for grabs,” Rice said.

Wharepapa Reiersen, who won the 2024 event, recorded a 13m splash at the grand final in the Viaduct Harbour Auckland, winning $3000 for his jump.

“We have a 2m platform here, and he jumped from a 5m one.”

Video technology records the jumps at the Grand Final, and playback can be used in the event of similar height jumps.

“We freeze frame and measure the space on the screen. It’s fair because we don’t want too many people tying,” he said.

Judge Elisha 'Manu King' Rolleston.

Even though the money was tempting, judge Elisha “Manu King” Rolleston, said the recognition of who could make the biggest splash was more important.

He said there would be two jumps per person, each worth 20 points. Judges would look for the highest splash and the best manu.

“The total count will be out of 40.”

“It is all about the splash,” he said.

Rolleston used to organise similar events in Tauranga but with no prizes or prize money, jumping off bridges and rocks, but seeing this event grow was “awesome”.

“It’s quite nice to see what they have come up,” he said.

- SunLive