Plenty of choices in weekend action

Thousands of Aucklanders ran, paddled, sang or chanted over the weekend while even more cheered from the sidelines.

For some the end of daylight saving meant an extra hour in bed yesterday - but not for entrants in the HSBC Round the Bays annual waterfront fun run.

One sweating runner said the start should have been an hour earlier to beat the heat. "Daylight saving was a killer."

An organiser, Elizabeth Leitch, who estimated 72,000 people took part, said the event's timing after the end of daylight saving this year was because that was the date allocated by the Auckland City Council.

Other events included a Takapuna Beach mardi gras, a Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar international multi-faith conference and the round four Super 12 rugby game between the Auckland Blues and the Crusaders at Eden Park.

Daylight saving did not seem to bother entrants in the National Secondary Schools Dragon Boat Festival at the downtown Auckland Viaduct Harbour.

"It really has been rocking," said festival director Pip Fleming.

About 1250 students - mainly girls - took part yesterday and in the corporate and open event on Saturday more than 1000 competed.

Pip Fleming said organisers found it hard to attract boys to dragon boat racing. "You'd think with that many girls' crews it would be an instant hit."

An RNZAF team was first in the corporate championship grand division on Saturday and the Kiwi Paddling Club won the Mai FM Open.

Northcote College came second and Manurewa High School third after a Shirley Boys High team from Christchurch won yesterday's grand final for boys. The winner in the grand final for mixed crews was Wairarapa College, followed by Upper Hutt College and Kaipara College.

Epsom Girls Blue won the girls' grand final. Westlake Girls Red was second and Epsom Girls Gold, third.

The theft of two laptop computers and a camera in a break-in at the ASB Bank Cultural Festival office on Saturday marred the end of an otherwise successful event.

The burglary was discovered yesterday after the festival's banking had been done but involved the loss of much information gathered during the three-day festival at the Manukau Sports Bowl.

Event director Craig Seuseu said 8500 performers had taken part before 100,000 spectators.

But he said because the venue was close to capacity during the event its future use would be evaluated in the next few months. "We're looking forward to a great festival next year."