Event organiser Owen Smith, of the Rotary Club of Kerikeri, said the addition of the Missionary Trail had broadened the scope of the event and made it more attractive to locals.
"We have a core group of top-flight athletes who relish the challenge of the coast-to-coast Northern Crossing," Smith said. "We wanted to make the challenge of the event a little more do-able for the average Northlander and, with the Missionary Trail, I think we've achieved this."
Overall, the event comprised a triathlon, duathlon and a shorter course for people looking for a middle-distance event.
In other events held at the weekend, Graeme Ewenson, from Dargaville, won the male individual multisport category with a time of five hours, three minutes for the 109km route. Auckland's Mary Lambie won the female category in six hours, 30 minutes.
Fellow Aucklander Brendon Erskine won the male duathlon with Kerikeri's Shirley Dryden taking the female honours in four hours, 10 minutes.
Justin Phillips, Dale Simkin and John Sanderson, all of Kerikeri, came first in the male team multisport category in five hours, 11 minutes with Anne Mortimer and Sharon Ducker, of Auckland, crossing first in the female team category.
The Kerikeri duo of David Hannan and David Whyman triumphed in the male team duathlon and Whangarei's Jane Young and Selena Wallis took the female team title.
From Kupe's first landing place at the mouth of the Hokianga Harbour, the Northern Crossing route follows ancestral pathways across the island to Kerikeri, site of this country's first permanent trading post built by English missionaries.
