North West Orienteering Club runs an annual rogaine series in May and/or June, typically featuring three events on different maps around the North West Auckland region. This year saw record participation, with the final event bringing over 800 competitors. In the past, attendances were usually around 300, with some pre-COVID events reaching 500. We are keen to find out more behind this significant growth in numbers.
• Rogaine 1 was held in Riverhead Forest on the Barlow Road map with 450
competitors.
• Rogaine 2 was on the Hucks Avenue map in Woodhill Forest with 600 competitors.
• Rogaine 3 was at Grass Track Road, Muriwai in southern Woodhill Forest with 800+
competitors.
Rogaine 3 was run in conjunction with the AKSS Rogaine Champs for 2025 which was a key factor in the number of competitors. The previous two events were marketed to Schools as the ideal warm-up/training events for the 2025 Champs.

Other factors driving the surge in participation include the introduction of orienteering (in a rogaine format) to the AIMS Games in 2024, with the sport returning to the programme again this year. Additionally, the growing popularity of the AKSS Sprint Series, held each February and March, has played a key role. This series offers many students their first taste of orienteering, and the rogaine events provide a natural next step to stay involved.

North West Orienteering Club promotes the series through social media and a database of past participants, who receive direct email updates. The Auckland Schools Orienteering website and Facebook page also serve as key channels to reach students and share event information. 

A surge in participation is partly due to orienteering’s addition to the AIMS Games in 2024, returning again this year, and the growing popularity of the AKSS Sprint Series. These events often introduce students to the sport, with rogaines providing a natural next step. North West Orienteering Club promotes the series via social media, email updates to past participants, and through the Auckland Schools Orienteering website and Facebook page. 

There is always keen competition amongst experienced orienteers to obtain the ‘perfect score’ while the Course Planner and Controllers aim to place controls such that a ‘clean sweep’ is not easy, if not impossible. The overall size of the map and the terrain of the area influence the outcome too; rogaine 2 on the Hucks Avenue map this year was relatively compact and the terrain of mature pine forest on a sand dune base which is mostly clean underfoot with lots of contour detail and fairly good visibility made for fast running and several competitors were able to collect all controls with several minutes to spare.

North West believes the success of events is due to the ‘something for everyone’ factor. The mass start format with this number of people is exciting to watch in terms of seeing competitors set off on different routes and at various speeds! Those eager to get all controls set off at pace while for others, their approach is more leisurely. Competitors also find it exciting to be part of such a large field with people all over the course, coming from all directions, without it being crowded. The maps used are well loved whether they are in Woodhill with fast open forest, interesting range of climb, vegetation and contour detail to keep you on your toes or in the gnarly Riverhead forest, known for its understory vegetation, gully spur terrain with significant slippery sections and mud, due to high rainfall.

A prize-giving concludes each event with a significant number of spot prizes as well as prizes for grade winners. We have a very large and popular lolly scramble at the start of each prizegiving, and most people stay for this as some of the spot prizes are high-value back packs. North West Orienteering Club promotes the whole series via social media, email updates to past participants, and through the Auckland Schools Orienteering website and Facebook page.
With information from Jenny Cade & input from Rob Garden