The 89-year-old from Auckland arrived in Dunedin not knowing anyone, but she left having formed firm friendships.
Riley took the New Zealand Masters Games by storm, securing four titles.
As soon as she landed in Dunedin she experienced a welcoming environment.
At the airport she was a little confused about where to go, but fellow rower Garry Aitchison greeted her and acted "like a knight in shining armour", giving her a lift to the registration hub at the Edgar Centre.
He even dropped her at her accommodation and picked her up the next day to return to the venue.
The mood at the Edgar Centre was "fantastic".
"The people were all friendly," Riley said.
Her first competition was indoor rowing in the 85-plus category.
She had not raced on the indoor machine before, using it simply for strength training.
"I just did the rowing because it was an exercise for powerlifting."
Despite this being only her first competition on the machines, she secured three gold medals in the 300m, 500m and 1000m events.
Next on her schedule was powerlifting.
Weighing in at 51kg for the under-53kg class, Riley lifted 43kg, 45kg and 48kg in the deadlift to secure another top podium finish.
It was a remarkable feat given she was nursing a lower-leg injury from her rowing triumph.
"The machine bit me," she said.
"So that was unfortunate, it was just before my last race."
"I’m an action girl," she said.
Originally from South Africa, Riley moved to Auckland in 1999.
Her path to the gym began decades ago while still in South Africa, not as an athlete, but as a mother ferrying her son, Adam, to training.
"In South Africa, you can’t drive until you’re 18. So of course I had to take him to [the] gym.
"So instead of sitting there, you see, I participated, I started doing gym. So that’s how I started."
Her road to the New Zealand Masters Games included making a notable contact.
Riley had planned to enter powerlifting at the previous Masters Games in Whanganui, but had been given pause by believing she did not having an officially approved belt, which could cost hundreds of dollars.
She had the idea of reaching out to Olympic weightlifter Precious McKenzie.
"He is South African, we were both born in Durban.
"I am a month older than he is, he will be 90 in June, I will be 90 in May."
Riley wrote to him asking if she could borrow a belt.
"Then we met up and we became friends."
While she has trained for years, Dunedin marked her debut in competitive sport.
She travelled south alone, navigating a new city and staying at St Margaret’s College on the University of Otago campus.
She described Dunedin as friendly and welcoming with a "lovely atmosphere".
"I just think it’s beautiful, it’s just got such a lovely feel about it."
