Ryan (17) won three medals in the under-18 grade at the Oceania championships at three different South Island venues recently.
He won the sprint at Lincoln, near Christchurch, when he beat Joshua Newman (Australia) by 4sec in 16min 45sec.
Newman turned the tables in the middle-distance event at Duntroon in North Otago when he beat Ryan by 7sec. Ryan was timed at 40min 44sec.
Ryan won a one-sided long-distance race at Craigieburn when he beat Brett Sceats (Hawkes Bay) by 8min in 1hr 17min 18sec.
"I'm pretty stoked about my performances," he said. "It hasn't really kicked in yet."
Ryan started orienteering when he was a pupil at Macandrew Intermediate.
"I needed to get fit and found orienteering more fun than running," he said. "I like having to think when I'm running."
His next target is to perform well at the national secondary schools championships in Palmerston North in July and be selected in the New Zealand schools team to compete against Australia.
Ryan and twin brother Joel are pupils at Kings High School.
Joel does not compete in orienteering but he is captain of the school first XI cricket team and is in the first XV.
Other family members competing at the championships were Tane (23), an engineering graduate who was a member of the New Zealand team in the elite grade, and Riki (21), a surveying student who finished 10th in the middle-distance event in the elite grade in 42min 43sec.
Father Owen finished in the middle of the 30-strong field in the men's over-55 age grade.
"We talk about orienteering a lot at home," Owen said.
"We like the sport because you have to think at the same time as you run. It makes it interesting."
Riki finished 123rd in his first world junior orienteering championships in Lithuania in 2006 and also competed at Dubbo in New South Wales the following year.
Tane finished 120th in the same event in Switzerland in 2005.
Riki followed Tane into the sport eight years ago when they were both pupils at Kings High School.
"I like the sport," Riki said. "You have to see through the bush and think the whole time. It's actually a pretty dynamic sport.
"And the compass really isn't that important.
"It's about finding the best way to get from one point to the next, and running there as fast as you can.
"Most people find it's a real mental challenge. You have to make decisions quickly, watch where you're running and be prepared for anything."
Nine years ago, Tane, at the age of 14, became the youngest climber to reach the summit of Mt Aspiring.
