The four day Secondary Schools Orienteering and Rogaine Championships kicked off in various locations around Ōtautahi Christchurch in July. The national orienteering championships marked an important milestone as it follows an announcement by the International Orienteering Federation that Canterbury, New Zealand will host the Junior World Orienteering Championships in 2029. Many of the secondary school athletes competing today will be potential contenders for that event, making the next years of competition an exciting and highly contested pathway towards the world stage.

Relay – Thursday 16 July  
Despite delays student athletes travelled from all parts of the country to reach the first day of the Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships. Those arriving from Auckland had flight delays due to fog, and some driving from Otago had flooding  to avoid. The relay started in the afternoon and kicked off the events , Sophie Herde started her Senior girls relay run with commando roll but recovered quickly, but her team finished 15 minutes behind the local Christchurch Cashmere team. In the senior boys, the Mt Albert team just pipped the Havelock North team by 13 around minutes.
SENIOR RESULTS:
Senior Boys: 1st  Mt Albert GS: William Wood Charlie Milne Tahi Harris
Senior Girls 1st  Cashmere HS: Anna Wright Torun Joergensen Greta Prince 1:26:38

Long distance: Friday 17 July 
 A frosty start gave way to a classic Canterbury winter’s day with crisp blue skies as competitors tackled a unique long with the technicality of a middle event. Runners went through the intricate Waikuku Beach dunes, where accurate navigation and constant map contact were required. Zara Töes fresh from Europe produced a winning lead of 10 minutes in senior girls, but the second to sixth places a very close contest. It was a double duo on the podium in second, with the Hoare twins managing to finish at exactly the same time and Christchurch local Anna Wright in third.

The senior boys seemed to go full force attack on brambles. Tahi Harris finished first with Isaac Stewart following 2:24 minutes behind, and Luke Jansen just over a minute later.

Shift to sprint – Saturday 18 July 
The pace lifted for the final event of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships as competitors took on a fast urban sprint at Lincoln University. Speed was just as essential as precise map reading, with a complex area of repetitive architectural features where it was easy to lose your place.

The Senior Boys produced a fast and closely contested race, with Isaac Stewart taking the first position,  27 seconds in front of William Wood. Luke Jansen just eight seconds further back took third place.

The Senior Girls race was equally competitive and a closely fought contest. Zara Töes claimed a second top placing with a 13-second winning margin, while Niamh Hoare out ran her twin sister, Orla today finishing 38 seconds ahead. 

Rogaine is the perfect finish – Sunday 20 July 
“You can’t avoid a contour here,” remarked one participant while planning their route in the Port Hills for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rogaine Championships. A freshly updated map made it easy to find memorable control sites, including the summit of Sugarloaf / Te Heru o Kahukura and a hidden valley cave, rewarding competitors who had technically accurate navigation.

The orienteering events attracted competitors from across New Zealand, and Peninsula & Plains Orienteers as organisers have expressed gratitude to the local landowners and communities for their support, interest in the competition and cooperation throughout the championships

Full results: https://www.nzssochamps.nz/results

Photos: Peninsula and Plains Orienteering facebook 
• NZSSOC Relay photos
• NZSSOC Long event – part 1
• NZSSOC Long event – part 2 
• NZSSOC print – part 1
• NZSSOC Sprint – part 2 
• NZSS Rogaine photos