Spectators were treated to world-class beach volleyball action in sweltering summer conditions for the final day of the Mount Maunganui Beach Volleyball Open yesterday.
As part of the Volleyball New Zealand National Beach Volleyball Tour, the tournament was the final testing ground ahead of next weekend's New Zealand Beach Volleyball Open in Mairangi Bay, Auckland.
New Zealand's top teams were out in force as well as several international teams including Japan, America and Fiji.
In the open women's events, the Japanese duo of Chiyo Suzuki and Sakurako Fuji claimed gold medal honours with a straight-set win against Julia Tilley and Alice Bain.
Suzuki and Fuji made an impact earlier in the tournament after they powered their way into the final by knocking out New Zealand Commonwealth Games representatives Shaunna Polley and Kelsie Wills in a gripping semifinal.
In the final New Zealand senior women's representatives Julia Tilley and Alice Bain, who was suffering from illness, were outplayed by the visiting team, going down 14-21 in the first set and forfeiting the second set with seven points on the board.
Chiyo Suzuki, 24, and Sukurako Fuji, 27, have been playing internationally since 2011 and 2009 respectively.
It was an all-Kiwi affair in the men's final as national champions Rene Kapa and Morgan Seymour added another victory to their belts against Tauranga locals Sonny Hirini and Sam O'Dea.
The match promised to be an exciting one following Kapa and Seymour's win at last week's Waikato Open and Sam and brother Ben O'Dea claiming the top spot in the Volleyball New Zealand Commonwealth Games trial.
Kapa and Seymour ruled supreme again to claim the win with straight sets in an aggressive match against Hirini and O'Dea with a final score of 21-15, 21-17. The victory also gave Kapa and Seymour a clean sweep of the National Tour so far.
Teams will lay down the final challenge at the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Open at the Mairangi Bay Beach Volleyball Centre next weekend.
The final tournament in the tour will see New Zealand's best face international talent with qualification on January 26 and pool games, quarter-finals, semifinals and finals on
January 27 and 28.