Woodchopping: Rare test win emulates dad

Kyle Lemon cutting a standing block at the Sydney Royal Easter Show this year. Photo/Supplied

A Rotorua woodchopper has helped New Zealand claim a rare transtasman victory - 41 years after his dad achieved the feat.

Kyle Lemon - an underhand cutter - was a member of the seven-man New Zealand side that whitewashed the Australians 3-0 at the Sydney Royal Easter Show over the weekend.

It's believed to be the first time in modern history one country has completed a clean sweep of all three tests and only the fourth time the Kiwis had won overall since 1973, Lemon said.

His father Rusty, who was in Sydney to cheer on his son, was in the New Zealand side that year.

New Zealand didn't win again until 1997, when Lemon was a reserve.

Lemon, a police officer who has represented New Zealand for more than 10 years, said beating the Aussies was one of his career highlights.

"A lot of little boys want to be an All Black and win the World Cup," he said.

"It's a little bit like that for woodchoppers trying to climb the ranks in New Zealand ... the goal is to go to Sydney and beat them in their own backyard."

Rotorua Axemans Club president Bevin Cavey said the side's achievement would be like the Wallabies winning a Bledisloe Cup test series 3-0 after years of losing to the All Blacks.

"For axemen who know how tough it is ... it's pretty impressive," he said.

"We are pretty proud [of Kyle]. He's done really well."

The achievement was all the more impressive as it was done on Australia's home turf using their favoured gum trees, he said.

Cavey said Kiwi woodchoppers were used to cutting soft woods like pine or poplar whereas the gum was harder, cut differently and required a different technique.

Lemon was part of the New Zealand team that won the Stihl Timbersports world championship title in Germany last year and will join them to defend the title in Austria later this year.

He said timbersports was a more exciting version of traditional woodchopping, similar to the relationship between rugby and rugby sevens.

Five other Rotorua Axemans Club members also competed at the Easter show, which is known as the "Wimbledon of woodchopping".

Rotorua Boys' High School student Axel Hohneck was a member of the New Zealand U-21 Colts team beaten by their Australian counterparts, while Sheree Taylor was a member of the losing women's side.

Mook Hohneck was a selector for the senior men's side.