Tipper has just returned to competitive running after a five year absence, and only came into the team as a late replacement.
Fellow team members Mark Smith, Aaron Anderson, Russell Lund, Dalise Sanderson and Brent Halley referred to him as a ''super sub'' and the ''Stephen Donald of Ariki''.
Ariki had not claimed line honours since 1986, and its only other victory under the Ariki banner was in 1979. It won as St Kilda in 1953 and 1956.
Handicappers over the years may have been swayed by the club's depth of talent, as it often featured in the challenge for fastest time honours.
This was especially the case in the 1980s when, with internationals such as John Campbell, Paul Allison and Brent Halley in its ranks, Ariki won the fastest time trophy eight times.
Halley fondly remembers that decade, and is one of the only remaining members from that time still running competitively. He ran the penultimate leg of the six leg event on Saturday, which encompassed the 5.6km Cape Saunders, Sheppard Rd and Allans Beach Rd loop.
Competing from a handicap of 18 minutes, Smith got the team away to a steady start on the first leg between Portobello and Sandymount Rd, before Anderson, the Otago under 20 cross country champion, ran himself to a virtual collapse on the arduous 3.2km climb up Sandymount Rd to the Highcliff Rd intersection.
Although not known for his downhill ability, Lund brought the team within five minutes of the leaders before changing over to Sanderson at Portobello. Sanderson, who last week won bronze in her age group at the national cross country championships, maintained the team's progress on the 4km run to Cape Saunders Rd.
She then handed over to Halley, who at the completion of his leg had reduced the time deficit to 3min 15sec, setting Tipper up nicely for the 7km run around Papanui Inlet to the finish at Portobello Domain.
Tipper leapt into second place and, as the course dropped on to Harington Point Rd, found the firm footing of the sealed road to his liking as he powered into the lead.
Ariki won in an actual time of 2hr 1min 7sec, finishing 34sec clear of Leith 2 and Hill City University 3.
The race for fastest time was hard fought between Hill City University 1 and Caversham Wolfpack.
The Hill City University team of Aaron Lynch, Shauna Pali, Mike Wakelin, Oli Chignell, Tom Spencer and Jarod Monk, clinched the silverware in 1hr 43min 41sec, despite a delay at the changeover to the fourth leg.
Caversham Wolfpack (1hr 44min 4sec) had second fastest time, and Leith 1 recorded 1hr 47min 34sec.
