The Australian Orienteer Magazine – September 2018 issue is published online.

Tattered markers on an orienteering course have received a much needed makeover thanks to  a team of clued-up kids. Year 6 students at Grovetown School near Blenheim have given a new lease of life to the orienteering course at Mistletoe Bay Eco Village in the Marlborough Sounds.

Kiwi orienteering star Tim Robertson claimed New Zealand’s first ever medal at a World Orienteering Championships on Sunday in Latvia. In a historic performance in which the 22-year-old led at every split time, Robertson was ahead by 0.7 seconds at the final pre-warning before being edged out of the gold medal by Switzerland’s Daniel Hubmann by a slim 1.1 seconds to take silver.

A Hawke’s Bay Orienteering club member, Amron has been drawing and constructing maps voluntarily for the past 10 years and for him, volunteers were essential for sport in the region.

Three year 9 girls are turing heads in the orienteering world, after they came away from the North Island Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships with an award.

Despite limited orienteering experience, Waiuku College’s Millie Thompson, Charlize Aicken and Beanie Rattrie came away with the small school section from the event, where the three girls’ aggregate score topped the leaderboard for the category.

On Queen’s Birthday weekend, 2 to 4 June, as the rain hammered much of the North Island and many of us crawled a little deeper under the duvet, Kurtis was traipsing through mud and bush in the depths of West Auckland, as he continued challenging his body in the sport of orienteering.

Adventure racer Sam Bain continues to learn how to push the barriers in his life and play.

The Year 9 Cambridge High School student completed the gruelling Hillary Challenge at Tongariro National Park as a part of an eight-member school team in May.

If Will Tidswell’s dedication is an indicator it’s no surprise he will become the youngest Kiwi to compete at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Hungary in July.

Nelson Central School’s orienteering fundraiser is back. Designed for all ages and abilities, the Central Challenge is a unique fundraiser involving teamwork, exercise and cunning, but above all it’s about fun.
Event organiser Janja Heathfield was excited to see it run again for its second year.

Stuff Article – Pukekohe Intermediate School’s best orienteering students are off to the North Island Secondary School Orienteering Championships in Levin this week.
The 26 students will be defending their 2017 titles for best overall boys and best over all school.
Their success was recently honoured with the Junior Team of the Year prize at the Counties Manukau Sport Franklin Junior Sports Awards and Volunteer Recognition Ceremony.

Moving fast and finding your way around an unfamiliar area are two very different skills. But they are pair that go together well for Tom Spencer and Alistair Richardson.
The Dunedin duo will be among the top contenders at this weekend’s South Island orienteering championships, to be held in the Dunedin Botanic Garden and on Signal Hill.
More than 200 people from around New Zealand and Australia are expected at the event, with one competitor coming from as far away as Israel.

Hundreds of people were forced to leave a large Auckland forest after illegal poachers fired gunshots.
The incident has sparked a warning from local iwi for poachers to stay away from Woodhill Forest in north-west of Auckland.
Woodhill forest – which was popular for mountain biking, tree climbing, horse riding and paintball – was evacuated when gunshots were heard during Easter weekend.

Navigating unknown fields and running distances of up to 12 kilometres has earned a Pukekohe boy an accolade at this year’s Counties Manukau Sport  Franklin Junior Sports Awards and Volunteer Recognition Ceremony. Callum Farmer has been orienteering since he was year 7 and now at year 10, Callum is claiming awards and travelling parts of the world for the sport he loves
He claimed the Pak’n Save Pukekohe U16 Sportsman of the Year at the recent awards, which were held in Pukekohe, and said he was proud of his achievement. 

Stuff newspaper article: Schoolchildren were well-represented at a Geraldine orienteering event at the weekend, with one third of the 357 competitors aged 11 to 18.
Event controller Mike Harding said his hope for the Geraldine Rogaine Autumn Muster, held near Woodbury on Sunday, was to get young people interested in orienteering, so he was pleased with the turnout.
“Quite a few families too,” he said.

An event which will see people mapping out a route during a race around Geraldine will help raise money for a refurbishment of the Geraldine High School gymnasium.
The school’s PTA has organised the Geraldine Rogaine Autumn Muster (Gram) this Sunday, and proceeds from the event will go towards a climbing wall for the gym.

Wellington College student Joseph Lynch has navigated his way to victory. The 17-year-old won both the senior boys’ sprint and long titles at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships in Masterton last month.

Not all of the competitors at the rogaine champs were there to win some just wanted to make friends.