Some people collect stamps, other people badges. Steve Prescott collects New Zealand masters swimming records.
He added six more to his list in Oamaru at the weekend and he now has 35 records in his collection.
The super-fit Prescott (55), the Dunedin City Council's aquatics services manager, broke six of the 15 New Zealand records that were beaten at the South Island Masters championships.
His records were all in the freestyle events in the men's aged 55 to 59 grade: 100m (58.89sec), 200m (2min 08.21sec), 400m (4min 32.95sec), 800m (9min 33sec) and 1500m (17min 58.95sec).
Three of the previous records were set by Barry Young (North Shore) in 1994.
Prescott reduced the 400m records by 32sec, the 800m by 1min 11sec and the 1500m by 2min 58sec.
Just for good measure, Prescott was a member of the Dunedin 4x50m freestyle relay team that set a record of 1min 53.04sec for teams with a combined age between 200 and 239 years.
The other members of the team were Richard Jongens, Peter Graham and Stephen Clarke.
Prescott started swimming competitively at Otarohonga in the Waikato in 1964, at the age of 7.
"I never get sick of it. It means so much to me, he said.
I still relish the challenge to be up there with the best.
"They have to work hard if they are going to beat me. Nothing has changed. I'm just getting older."
Prescott, one of world's best masters open water swimmers, won the gold medal in the open water swim at the world masters championships in Edmonton in 2005.
He also won three silver medals and two bronze in the pool.
Eight of the other records were broken by members of the QEII club, of Christchurch, and the other one by Christine Jones (Foveaux), who broke the 200m backstroke record in the women's aged 50 to 54 grade in 2min 54.13sec.
