Northland hosts the National 4 Star One Day Championship after 31 years

There had not been a 4 star level cross country track in Northland since 2001. Crystal Wilson on Top Notch. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The National 4 Star One Day Championship returned to Northland after a 31-year hiatus.

But thanks to the new 4 Star Track at Whangārei's Barge Showgrounds, Tai Tokerau will be the host again next year.

While the event was originally known as the "One Day Championships", the format seems to have extended over two days to allow more top riders nationwide to compete.

Of the 200 riders from across the North Island entering the competition, Northland's highest level rider Helen McGrath finished fifth in the three-star class race while Taranaki's Mathew Grayling won the National 4 Star One Day Championship title.

Monica Spencer from Taupō on her horse, Artist, led after the dressage with Grayling trailing, but after the jumping phases their places reversed as Grayling was quick around the cross country.

Selectors for the national team, who are priming the New Zealand squad for a Melbourne trip in June, also attended the weekend's event.

Juliet Wood on Stirling Falls at the National One Day Eventing Champs at Barge Showgrounds, Maunu. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Cross country convener Kate Wood said the weather and ground held up and the event was exciting without any major dramas.

"Until about a week ago, we weren't allowed to have spectators and we were very lucky to have welcomed more than 1000 spectators.

"We were going to have bubbles of up to 100 people, but all that changed last minute and threw them out the window."

The organisers were able to slip the national competition in between changing alert levels last year but did not attract a similar crowd, said Wood.

The event coincided with the opening of the new 4-star track which cemented Whangārei as the host of Nationals again in April next year.

The National One Day Champs were last held in Northland in 1991 at the Finlayson's property in Waimate North when it was a Trans-Tasman Team event. There had not been a 4-star level cross country track in Northland since 2001.

The track was under construction for more than a year and Wood said the water fence was the focal point. It presented an opportunity for people to see the far side of the showgrounds "which a lot of people don't even know exists".

The UK's Mike Etherington Smith was commissioned by the Eventing Northland Committee with designing the track. He flew to New Zealand to visit Barge Showgrounds in 2019.

Harriet Gelb on Henton High Class. Whangārei's Barge Showgrounds will host the Nationals again next year. Photo / Michael Cunningham

However, as Covid-19 got in the way, the project was passed on to Auckland cross country course designer, Chris Ross.

Local home-grown Olympic gold medallist in Eventing abroad Ready Teddy in Atlanta in 1996 Blyth Tait assisted Ross and designed the two and three-star cross country tracks.

While the designers worked on the blueprint, Aranga-based course builder Graham Fox built the track and would visit Whangārei weekly to finish the project.

More than 1000 spectators attended the National One Day Eventing Champs at Barge Showgrounds, Maunu. Sharlene Mitchell on Charlton Chime. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Convener Wood said the members of the Eventing Northland Committee assisted Fox and the organisers were grateful for generous grants from Pub Charity, Oxford Trust and TAB NZ.

Wood also acknowledged the contribution from Keith Andrews Trucks for sponsoring the Nationals and said it was a "touch of glamour" to have eight trucks parked around the venue.