Just 10 semifinals were held in the morning, before conditions forced competitors off the water for the rest of the day.
However, there was enough time for a couple of Otago crews to book spots in finals.
Hazel Cunliffe, Natasha Bonham-Carter, Juliette Alm-Lequeux and Hannah Duggan finished a close second in their women's coxless club quad.
The Otago University rowers clocked 7min 31.37sec, just 0.99sec behind Hamilton Rowing Club's winning crew.
Cunliffe and Bonham-Carter were not so fortunate in the women's club double, as they missed out on a spot in the final after finishing sixth in their semifinal.
Dunstan's Macaela Turfus and Sydney Cook also missed, but Oamaru's Sydney Telfer and Maysie Scott comfortably won the other semifinal and will feature in the medal race.
Five-time world champion single sculler Mahe Drysdale, of Auckland RPC, recorded an emphatic win in the premier single scull semifinal.
The 37-year old blitzed the field to finish almost 10sec ahead of second-placed Hayden Cohen, of Southern RPC.
Racing is scheduled to resume at 7.30am today, with further semifinals scheduled before the finals get under way.
