The Queenstown Swimming Club fended off 11 rival clubs to retain the Earlybird Shield at a swim meet in the resort on Saturday.
A team of 39 swimmers from the club won the trophy for the second year in a row at the annual Earlybird swim meet at the Queenstown Events Centre.
Club president Richard Hutchens said the meeting had found a niche as the first competition of the season.
It attracted about 130 swimmers, aged from 8 to 17, from throughout the lower South Island.
''It's a great opportunity for our club's younger swimmers to get a taste of competition,'' Mr Hutchens said.
Holding on to the shield for another year showed the club was in good health, with growing numbers of children taking up the sport.
The meet again featured swimmers from Auckland's Howick Pakuranga Swimming Club, as their families regularly holidayed in the resort.
Alexandra Swimming Club finished second, followed by the Wanaka Swim Club.
The event began with a minute's silence to honour Queenstown swimming stalwart Colin Walker, who died in August.
