The event is inspired by Scotland’s long-running world championships and fuelled by a recent burst of global interest in the sport.
Lake Hāwea Station tourism manager Richie Laming said he discovered Scotland had been hosting world championships on Easdale Island since the 1980s, prompting him to call organisers to ask whether New Zealand had ever run its own nationals.
"I said ‘I noticed you had the odd Kiwi there. Did you know if New Zealand have a championship?".
"It’s good timing for stone-skimming," Mr Laming said, pointing to a popular documentary centred on a stone-tampering cheating scandal that has attracted more than 100,000 views on YouTube.
Last year’s scandal involved competitors rounding off stones to make them skim further, but the Lake Hāwea Station team is determined to keep things clean.
A registration process and a dedicated "taskforce skim" crew would ensure all competitors select their stones from a designated part of the Lake Hāwea shoreline.
The event aimed to raise money and awareness for Melanoma New Zealand, and organisers hoped to secure a sponsor so all proceeds from entries and on-the-day activities could go to the charity.
"We wanted to incorporate communities from around New Zealand. Stone-skimming is almost a birthright — you grow up doing it. It engages people around the country," Mr Laming said.
May was chosen for its low-wind conditions in Hāwea, which was notorious for gusty spring weather.
"We want to make it competitive, and we want to send our best skimmers," he said.
Tickets had been on sale for two weeks and more than half had already gone. The event would host about 150 entrants and more than 100 spectators.
