There are 500 students competing in eight different sports and 130 of them are playing ultimate frisbee.
Alex Beattie (21), an earth science student at Waikato University, started playing the sport eight years ago at Western Heights High School in Rotorua.
''It was played on a field near my house and it looked like a lot of fun,'' she said.
''It is a sport that flies under the radar but is really an engaging game.
''It is played at a fast pace and is challenging. But what I like the most is the spirit of the game. It attracts a cool kind of person.''
There are no referees or umpires and the players control the game.
''It is a very honest game, is a lot of fun, and the players show a lot of spirit.''
Her team lost to Victoria University 13-9 in a tight game.
The biggest wins of the day went to Canterbury University, which beat Massey (Wellington) 17-1 and Auckland by the same score.
The coach of the Canterbury University team is Courtney Gravett (30), who settled in New Zealand from Colorado nine years ago.
''I started playing at Canterbury University when I was an international student,'' she said.
''It was the way I met most of my Kiwi friends.''
She enjoys the game.
''It is a really fast game and you've got to be thinking all the time. It's really smart, as well as athletic, and that is why it is fun for me.''
She gave clear instructions to the Canterbury team.
''I told them to do the basics well, chill out, and don't push things we don't need to,'' Gravett said.
Ultimate frisbee is a non-contact sport but the scoring is similar to American football. A point is scored when you catch the frisbee over the goal line.
Players are not allowed to run with the frisbee and if it drops to the ground it is the other team's turn.
An ultimate field is 64m long and 38m wide. Both end zones are 18m long.
A game can last up to 1hr 40min, but sometimes ends early when one team reaches 17 points.
A team consists of seven players and two must be females. The largest squad at the New Zealand University Games is 16 and the smallest nine.
The sport used to be called frisbee but because frisbee is a registered trademark the Frisbee Company objected and the name was changed to ultimate two years ago.
Ultimate frisbee was established in New Zealand in the 1970s and a 30-strong New Zealand squad was selected in the late 1970s. The tournament director is Otago Girls' High School relief teacher Matt Grace.
''It is a little bit like touch and a little bit like netball,'' he said.
''A team's goal is to pass it among themselves and and catch the disc in the opposition's end zone to score a point.
''It is a hand-over if the disc goes out, drops to the turf or is intercepted by the other team.
''It makes for a lot of running, a bit of strategy once you have some skills, and a lot of fun.''
Ultimate is a game for all ages. At last year's national championships at Auckland the youngest player was 17 and the oldest 65.
It is played with special discs that cost $20 and are imported from the United States.
They weigh 175g. The game is played 12 months of the year and there is an indoor variation played on a basketball court.
Grace said there were 3000 registered players in New Zealand and 130 in Otago.
Aaron Neill, of Wellington, has been contracted to an American All Stars team and will be the first professional ultimate player from New Zealand.
''It is a college scholarship sport in the United States,'' Grace said.
Ultimate frisbee will be a new sport at the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin next February.
