3 Colin Smyth reaches milestone (marathon)
If you had gone down to watch the top runners cross the finish line at the Rotorua Marathon this year, you wouldn't have seen Rotorua's Colin Smyth. Smyth was still out on the road trying to complete his 50th consecutive Rotorua Marathon. It took him 11 hours, but he finally completed the race - becoming the only person in history to finish every Rotorua Marathon since the event started in 1965. Sadly, Smyth passed away two months later aged 76. He will long be remembered as a legend of the event.
4 Danny Lee wins first PGA tour event (golf)
Lee had by far his best season as a professional golfer this year, winning his first PGA Tour event in May before earning selection into the Presidents Cup in October. The Rotorua product has another huge year ahead of him and, thanks to his performances this past season, has already qualified for the first three majors in 2016.
5 Sam Cane captains the All Blacks at World Cup (rugby)
He grew up in the rural township of Reporoa and this year captained the All Blacks during a Rugby World Cup match (against Namibia) in England. While he did not get an opportunity to impact on the final against Australia, he still played in every match during the successful World Cup campaign. He is in line to take over as Richie McCaw's replacement and enjoyed another memorable season this year.
6 Western Heights High School win 10th national title (volleyball)
The Western Heights High School senior A boys' volleyball team won their 10th national title this year. The school has a great culture of excellence when it comes to volleyball, and the school's top team were simply unbeatable at the nationals in March. They went undefeated through the tournament in Palmerston North before beating an Australian team 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-20) in the final.
7 Rotorua men's team win title (tennis)
The Waikato Bays premier interclub tennis competition started during the 2014/15 season to give tennis players in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato some much-needed, tough competition. Rotorua were dominant all season and eventually won the overall title in March, at home, beating Otumoetai 5-1 in the final.
8 Waikite women's team go undefeated (rugby)
The Waikite women's rugby team went undefeated this season to claim the Baywide women's rugby competition title. The top side had a few close calls, but managed to keep their perfect winning streak intact all season. They also won the Bay of Plenty Club Sevens Tournament in Paengaroa last month, marking a fine double.
9 Rafters win medals at world champs (rafting)
The World Rafting Championships were held in Indonesia at the start of this month. The New Zealand men's and women's open teams, and New Zealand men's and women's masters teams were mainly made up of paddlers from Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty. The two open teams both claimed silver medals, under some tough conditions, and the two masters teams brought home gold.
10 The Bay of Plenty men's and women's sevens teams (sevens)
Rotorua hosted the National Sevens tournament in January, which attracts the best provincial sevens teams from across the country. Bay of Plenty exceeded expectations when both the men's and women's team went deep into the tournament, qualifying for the semifinals. Unfortunately, they both lost their semifinal matches but gave the home crowd plenty to cheer for.
- Notable mentions:
Steven Adams (basketball), Ngongotaha netball team, Scott Curry (sevens).
