Boxing Day races at Wingatui
If there is any ham and pav leftover, they would make a tasty treat between races while you are enjoying Mosgiel’s "micro-climate". The Mosgielians claim to get better weather than Dunedin. The sun is hotter, they say.
But what will be hotly contested is the first two races. They are part of the ODT Southern Mile series, which ends with a blockbuster $200,000 final in March.
That would be worth the 15-minute drive out into the sticks.
South Island Colgate Games
It is the biggest week on the sporting calendar for hundreds of 7-14-year-old athletes and Athletics Otago is hosting the event early next year, from January 12-14.
The event is run in collaboration with Athletics New Zealand and has been going for more than 40 years.
It is the largest junior athletics competition in New Zealand and attracts about 2000 participants between both the North and South Island events.
While medals are awarded for the 10-14 year olds, the focus is on participation for the younger competitors.
The national 10,000m championships will be held at the Caledonian Ground during the event, which will coincide with the 50th anniversary of Dick Tayler’s gold medal effort at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.
National Surfing Championships
Not going to pretend we know much about this one. But it is in our patch from January 7 to 13.
The champs have been running since 1963 and the event caters to a wide section of the surfing community. There are 27 different divisions, including the premier open men and women’s categories. Should be rad, dude.
Cricket at Molyneux
Three days of cricket. Six games. Beer. Sun. And if you a lucky a spot in the shade. Where else would you rather be? The Otago Volts and Sparks play T20s at Molyneux Park on December 28, January 1 and January 3. The televised Boxing Day games against Canterbury at Hagley Oval are other fixtures worth checking out.
More cricket
It is a bit of wait and it is not in Otago. But the Black Caps are hosting Australia in two tests this summer.
The first gets under way at the Basin Reserve on leap day. Circle that date.
