But the shift to Dunedin has given him a golden glow.
Trembath (15), a member of Osca coach Gennadiy Labara's squad, won five gold medals in Wellington last week.
When he returned home from the New Zealand championships early this week, Trembath's luggage rattled with the 10 individual medals he won in swimming and the eight in surf life-saving. He also won three relay medals.
Trembath's life changed dramatically when his home in the suburb of Avonside was in the red zone and almost wrecked by the earthquakes.
"Our house was pretty much destroyed and we couldn't rebuild on the land,"he said.
His parents, Margaret and Dennis Trembath, shifted to Dunedin to find a new home and Trembath joined the Osca squad and the Neptune club.
Trembath and his brothers, Michael (17) and Hamish (13), were pupils at St Bede's College in Christchurch. The two younger boys now attend Otago Boys' High School.
Trembath had been a member of the QEII club in Christchurch, which trained at the 1974 Commonwealth Games pool destroyed by the earthquake.
Trembath won a New Zealand surf life-saving title when he lived in Christchurch but had not reached the podium in pool swimming.
That changed at the New Zealand spring short-course championships.
The move south has improved his swimming.
"I like Dunedin," Trembath said. "It's not a big city and is pretty relaxed. "Getting 21 medals was pretty good."
It was a dramatic change for Trembath.
"I've become more disciplined and am taking swimming more seriously now," he said.
"The squad environment is a lot better in Dunedin.
"I like Gennadiy's disciplined approach. He never takes the soft option and makes you work hard. "
Trembath competed in the boys aged 15 grade at the short-course championships and won three gold medals, four silver and three bronze. He also broke nine Otago age-group records.
His gold medals were won in the 50m butterfly (25.96sec), 200m backstroke (2min 03.92sec) and 200m individual medley (2min 05.97sec).
Trembath was a member of coach Labara's Osca squad that won 46 medals: 17 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze. The squad also broke 27 Otago records.
The performance was the best medal haul by Otago swimmers at a national championships since the halcyon days of Duncan Laing in the middle to late 1970s and in the 1990s.
Trembath was a member of the St Clair team at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand pool championships that were also held in Wellington and he won two gold medals, two silver and four bronze in the boys under-16 grade.
His gold medals came in the 200m obstacle race and the 100m rescue medley. They were both New Zealand records.
Trembath attended an Osca training camp in Queenstown this week but will put his swimming on the backburner when he sits his first NCEA examinations in two weeks.
"I'll still swim in the morning but will take the afternoons off to study," he said.
Trembath learned to swim at the age of 6, joined the QEII club in Christchurch at 9, and quickly became one of Canterbury's promising age-group swimmers.
Trembath spends 24 hours training each week - nine sessions in the pool and three on land.
To get success in the pool and still pass his school examinations requires discipline.
"I don't get time to do anything else," Trembath said. "I make the most of my time by studying at school, because I don't have time at night. I use my weekends, as well."
Trembath's immediate target is to make New Zealand age-group squads and, longer term, to compete at the Olympics.
His favourite events are the 200m backstroke (best short-course time 2min 03.92sec) and 200m individual medley (2min 05sec).
Andrew Trembath
At a glance
Age: 15.
Education: St Bede's College, OBHS.
Sport: Swimming, surf life saving.
Coach: Gennadiy Labara.
Medal haul in Wellington: 10 medals - three gold, four silver, three bronze - at NZ short course championships. Eight medals: 2 gold, 2 silver, four bronze - at NZ surf life-saving pool championships. NZ record in 200m obstacle race and 100m rescue medley.
Osca medals at NZ Spring championships: 46 medals: 17 gold, 18 silver, 11 bronze.
