From the icy slopes of Mt Ruapehu to the lumpy water of Lake Taupo, the annual Crater-to-Lake 140km multisport dash attracted 400 competitors on Saturday, many of whom competed in teams.
It was no ordinary triathlon-style run-cycle-kayak event. Snow skiing and water skiing make the event different enough to attract competitors
year after year, some of whom just want to finish while others want to improve their performance times.
Saturday's event began on the mountain's slushy ice and snow in a near-blizzard.
From skis competitors changed to mountain bikes and then road cycles.
Mountain biker Mark Light, aged 17, took on the fast downhill ride from the Whakapapa ski resort in conditions he said were the most challenging he had faced.
"I felt the hail hitting my face on the way down the Bruce Road and it was pretty slushy up the top - a bit scary in places," he said.
The weather across the Volcanic Plateau - sleet and driving rain one minute and sun the next - meant no record times were set. But all six disciplines of the event, organised by the Lake Taupo Events Trust, went without a hitch.
Bridget Robertshawe of Havelock North, the winner of the women's title last year, was among a handful of competitors who took on the entire course solo. She finished - but in a slower time than last year thanks to 16km of Tongariro River kayaking that was left out of last year's event because of high winds and waves.
Of the 33 teams entered, Team Construction Chemicals of Taupo were the first home in the event's corporate section, in a time of 5h 18m 38s, while Auckland's Sonic Hedgehogs snatched the winning bib in the social challenge.
The promoters say the snow skiing and water skiing make the event unique, which is why international competitors are expected next year for the 10th anniversary of the first Crater-to-Lake event.
