Bay of Plenty officers will swap their police hats for rafting helmets today as they compete in the annual New Zealand Police Association Raft Race on the Kaituna River.

This year will mark the eighth anniversary of the extreme event which has grown into one of the largest police sporting events.

Around 180 officers will go down the Kaituna River for the 2015 annual New Zealand Police Association Raft Race.

This year's showdown will include two different race types - whitewater rafting and riversurfing.

Some 36 teams of four will compete, coming from as far away as Wellington and Northland.

The races will be held on a 1.2km stretch of the Kaituna River, which includes seven sets of grade three rapids with names like The Abyss and Boiling Pot.

And if that wan't enough, competitors will need to navigate three waterfalls – one of which is the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall – just reach the start line.

Event organiser, Sergeant Aaron Holloway, describes the event as 'socially competitive and a great team-spirited event”.

'This is a highly contested event which has grown significantly from the nine teams who competed in the inaugural event,” says Aaron.

'The rules state that there is to be no "grabbing" of other rafts – however competitive contact between the rafts is encouraged!

'This is a spectacular part of the country, and we are lucky to have the Kaituna River on our door step. It's the perfect location for the NZ Police Association Raft Race.”

Aaron says there will be six whitewater rafting heats and two semi-finals held across the day, with the finals expected to take place between 5pm and 6pm.

Teams enter the Kaituna River at Okere Falls, and raft over three waterfalls to reach the official start line below the Tutea Falls. One member from each team stands on a metre high rock, jumping into the river and swimming to the raft to officially start the race.

As in previous years, there will be four heats of river surfing with first and second going into the final.

Riversurfing is a known technique which involves navigate down the grade three section of river with the aid of flippers and a riversurfing board.

'This event provides a very different experience to rafting as you are in the water and at the mercy of the rapids,” adds Aaron.

'A Department of Conservation walking track adjacent to the Kaituna River provides excellent vantage points for supporters and members of the public.”