Junior team leaves cold behind for European summer | Bay of Plenty Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Bay of Plenty

If everything goes according to plan for Tauranga kayaker Callum Gibb, he won't see a full winter for the rest of his teenage years.

The 16-year-old headed off on another European odyssey with the New Zealand junior whitewater slalom team last week, joining fellow Tauranga paddlers Jane Nicholas, Shaun Travers, Bradyn Church and his brother Ben Gibb.

Gibb attended the junior world championships last year, will compete at the junior pre-worlds in France this year, and potentially has two more years racing in that age group.

And after finishing 26th at the junior worlds last year, Gibb also knows he's got a lot of potential to tap into.

"Some of the European countries don't attend the pre-worlds so this year won't be as full-on as the junior worlds. I just want to see how well I can race - the pressure won't be as intense so it will be interesting how high my finish is," Gibb said.

The team landed in Augsberg, Germany, after a stop-over in Bangkok this week and collected new boats before their first race in Merano, Northern Italy, this weekend.

Gibb's highlight this trip will be the chance to compete against the best K1 paddlers in the world - including Tauranga seniors Mike Dawson and Johann Roozenburg - at the World Cup race in Pau, France in late June.

"It is a bit more laidback and the idea of us competing at this world cup was just for experience. It's well out of our ability to medal at them because the competition includes Olympic champions and paddlers like that."

After this weekend's international C-class event, the team will head to the French town of Foix in the Pyrenees for the junior pre-world competition, where they will also link up with British coach Andy Raspin.

Raspin, who also coaches the Welsh senior team, has been working with the New Zealand contingent for the last four years.

The two Gibb brothers and Church all competed in Europe last year but for Nicholas and Travers, it will all be new.

Nicholas won't be completely naive about the trip, however - older siblings Ella and Bryden have both been regulars on New Zealand teams while mum Sue Clarke is again the team manager.