Otago rowers concluded their last major regatta before the national championships with another haul of medals at the weekend.
After winning 30 medals at the Canterbury championships a fortnight ago, Otago rowers left the South Island championships on Lake Ruataniwha with 45 medals - 17 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze.
Seventeen of the medals, including seven gold, were won by masters rowers, which bodes well for the Masters Games regatta on Otago Harbour this weekend.
But it was not just the masters shining.
Natasha Bonham-Carter and Hazel Cunliffe, of Otago University Rowing Club, recorded a good win against a fellow Otago crew in the women's club double sculls.
The pair faced a fierce challenge from Oamaru's Maysie Scott and Sydney Telfer, but managed to hold them off down the stretch and win gold in 7min 48.27sec.
Scott and Telfer were just 2.50sec back in second, while Southland's Katelyn Froude and Maddie Green were a further 9sec back in third.
Bonham-Carter and Cunliffe also combined with Hannah Duggan and Georgia Bewley to win gold in the women's club coxless quad sculls.
The crew controlled the A final from start to finish to win in 7min 13.31sec, almost 5sec ahead of Avon Rowing Club's crew.
Wanaka's Riley Bruce had a good win in the men's club single sculls.
After finishing third in his heat in 7min 57.55sec, he won the final in 7min 42.95sec.
Nelson's Wade Puklowski was second in 7min 46.23sec.
Bruce and North End's Corey Lewis combined with Cantabrians Matthew Rae and Harrison Davies to finish second in the men's club coxless quad sculls.
Oamaru Rowing Club's Mark Taylor, Charlie Wallis, Jared Brenssell and James Scott won the race in 6min 31.74sec, a few seconds ahead of the combined crew.
But Taylor, who won two gold medals at the Canterbury championships last month, had to settle for second behind Canterbury's Harrison Joseph in the men's under-19 single sculls.
Just like the Canterbury championships, the Dunstan Arm Rowing Club had another brilliant weekend. Its rowers won 16 medals, including seven gold, in A finals.
Two of the club's gold medals were won by under-15 rowers.
Ella Creagh and Iona Morton beat fellow club rowers Erin Calder and Aisha Born to win the girls under-15 double sculls in 8min 10.43sec.
The four then combined with coxswain Jake Galletly to dominate the girls under-15 coxed quad sculls in 8min 0.76sec, 10.01sec clear of Ashburton's second-placed crew.
Macaela Turfus and Sydney Cook, of Dunstan, had a commanding win in the girls under-19 double sculls, and also won silver with Lucy Geddes, Keryn Tubbs and coxswain Sophie Smith in the girls under-19 coxed quad sculls.
Dunstan's women's novice coxed sculls crew of Kaea Anderson, Jas McIntosh, Emma Borland, Sophie Williamson and coxswain Smith were also winners.
The national championships will be held on Lake Karapiro on February 16-21.
