Noelene Bettjeman (81) and husband Mac (87) are retired sheep and cattle farmers from Te Kuiti.
They now live in Auckland.
They were joined on the trip by fellow Auckland tenpin bowlers Eileen (80) and Denis Ralph (83).
It was special for the Bettjemans to see Dunedin-born Maia for the first time.
She is the daughter of Laura and Bodhi Bettjeman.
"It was a good excuse to get away from Auckland for two weeks," Noelene Bettjeman said.
It was the first Masters Games in Dunedin for the four friends.
There are no age categories in tenpin bowling and the octogenarians held their own against younger opponents.
They played a more sedate game than their younger opponents.
It worked for them because Mac and Dennis won a gold medal in the men's doubles and Noelene and Eileen did the same in the women's doubles.
"It's a very friendly game and there are lots of outings," Mac Bettjeman said.
"It is a game senior citizens can handle."
The Ralphs grew up in London and emigrated to New Zealand in 1970.
He worked as a Telecom technician and she was a typist before retiring.
Denis Ralph will return to Auckland with a bag full of medals after winning 10 - seven in table tennis and three in tenpin bowling.
His other medals at the Bowl Line were a silver medal for points over all the men's events and a bronze in men's singles.
Australian Kevin Gilmore (74) won the bronze medal in the men's doubles with Ron Thomson (Dunedin).
He is a former owner of a tenpin bowls centre at Burleigh on the Gold Coast.
