Waitangi weekend was a relaxed affair with a great turnout from other clubs (especially from PAPO). A relaxed vibe is how the club started 50 years ago, so it was fitting that the weekend followed through with this once again. There were no start times and everyone was camping or staying nearby, and incorporating the National orienteering League (NOL) events brought a good turnout of keen members. 

Friday’s sprint event planned by Charlotte Cotter and controlled by Tim Webber on Little Mt Ross incorporated many butterfly loops and common controls with some loops in the opposite order and different versions of the same course starting simultaneously. The night event planned by Darrell Thomson and Controlled by Myles Thayer continued the butterfly looping theme in rocky gully/spur terrain with gold mining features featuring historic ruins. It was impressive to see the top athletes keeping up top navigation and running speeds in uneven terrain in the dark. Myles has some advice for southerners who may want to contemplate organising evening events in summer and the dedication that is required  He says with sunset is at about 9pm, it is likely that the event will not start until 10pm and pack-up may not be completed until 1am! This map on Mount Ross Station was first mapped by Michael Wood, Mapsport Services in 1997. It was first used for the 1998 National Championships. It has been used many times in the intervening period but has not been significantly updated. 

Saturday brought on the OY events, and the long course was made even longer for the NOL competition levels, so other orienteers definitely got their money’s worth as they were out in rough ground and difficult terrain for some time. The planner for the six courses on the Gladbrook long was Daniel Johnston with controller Nick Mortimer. This area of Lake Matarae and Mt Ross has been used for many decades. It was first used for the Milo 7 Day in May 1986. Gladbrook was mapped at 1:15,000 by the same team of Swedish mappers who mapped Naseby for APOC 84, and who returned to make this map for the Milo 7 Day. Photogrammetry was by Greg Reed, fieldwork by Kjell Melander, Johan Sandstrom, Gert Jonsson and Don Bruce, and cartography by Kjell Melander and Neil Sutherland. Minor modifications have been made down the decades. LIDAR has not yet been flown for this area.

The 50th celebration at Middlemarch Hall officially began on Saturday evening, with the hall opening earlier in the afternoon so people could browse the memorabilia. Two of the first ever club members Pat Ehrhardt and Judy Wilson joined the evening to celebrate along with many families who were part of our early sporting community, with Judy also testing the walkability of the terrain on the weekend.

Sunday brought along yet another beautiful day and a novelty mass start event with lots of variety planned by Jenni Pelvin and controlled by Jim Cotter. This area was first mapped in 1983/4 by the Swedish mappers who came to map Naseby for APOC84.  Matarae was first used for the Milo 7 Day in 1986. It had similar butterfly quirks and many orienteers choose variety of different directions from the start box. 

It was a memorable way to spend the long weekend and to see the community gathering for the sport – it is a real milestone for the Dunedin Orienteering club.