Started O’ing in ’83 with a 1 year old on the back and a 4 yr old reluctantly walking along. Did a 180 the first day, got lost in the cutty grass and rain – lucky to come back again! Dedicated attenders of WMOC. Set first national sprint championships and loved this event ever since – especially round the streets of European towns.

Latest toy: Young car.

Photo: Stewarts looking for a new SPRINT map!

Favourite Easter Treat: Escaping down to the beach.

Started orienteering on 10th December 1983 (still have the map!) and instantly hooked - had to count the sleeps until the next event over the summer break. First represented NZ in an ANZ Challenge team in 1987 – on Kapamahunga no less. Ended up in a group with my two NZ team mates and the 3 Aussies all helping each other through the undergrowth for about 2 hours. Went to World Champs in 1991, 93 and 95. Was planning on going in 1997 but broke leg at Nationals which pretty much halted my elite career. Did manage to come back and win Nationals in elite in 2002 and was W35 World Champ the same year. Took up mountain biking as my dodgy knee became more of an issue running, and in 2004 discovered MTBO. Did quite well in the 2004 World Champs in MTBO so had another try in 2005 and amazed myself by coming 4th. Since then I've mainly concentrated on this and have to admit I don't actually own a pair of orienteering shoes anymore!

Have always had an interest in course setting and controlling, and have had a hand in many events over the years. One of the pinnacles was being co-setter of the World Masters Finals in 2000. Controlling the Oceania long distance in 2005 was also a highlight. I've been on the National Selection Panel for ages and am temporarily the convenor.

Family: Partner of Rob Garden and "mum" to Jess, Spooky, Poppy and Neil.

Memorable O moments: Beating Pete 5 out of 6 races at the Aussie MTBO Champs was pretty satisfying!! Coming 4th (twice) and 5th at World Champs in MTBO is right up there too, as well as winning the World Masters Champs in 2002.

Memorable Mistakes: Making a 90 degree error, reading a river as a road and scaling a huge cliff to get up the other side while muttering rude things about the mapper's parentage. Only to discover that I wasn't actually on the map any more. This was about 3 weeks after winning the World Masters....

Favourite drink: A nice cup of tea.

From a background in tramping and running started orienteering around the turn of the century. Since then I have wished many times that I had discovered it earlier. Staunch AOC member with some Katoa Po victories and Nationals Relay near misses. Now turning into an unfit administrator, becoming a National Selector in 2007, and getting back to fitness after a chronic injury last year.

Memorable O moments:

• World Masters Champs in Italy, living off fresh bread, pasta, local Asiago and Gorgonzola cheese and strawberries. Orienteering was good too.
• Some wonderful memorable victories that I can bore the grandkids with.
• Beating Aussie at the ANZ Challenge.
• Running the Oxfam 100 km Trailwalker with some like-minded (mad) O buddies.

Course setting highlight: Reviving the Great Day O event in 2006 on the Woodhill Coastal Strip, run in filthy, horrible rotten weather. Course 1 was 32 km, 120 controls, won in around 4 hours.

Family: Wonderful wife Alison (Ali) and krazy kids Becky and Matthew.

Favourite drink: A nice cup of tea. Will not refuse good wine. After 20 Leppin squeezies the initial enjoyment tends to dull somewhat (see Trailwalker above).

Favourite Easter treat: Toasted hot cross buns, buttered, with (of course) a cup of tea.

Started orienteering in 1990, after a background in running. Found I got quite excited by pine trees, so kept doing it. Set and controlled many courses over the years. Also passionate about surfing.

Best Orienteering Moment: Representing New Zealand in the ANZ Challenge.

Stupidest Orienteering Moment: Running in to a manuka tree while reading the map.

Latest Toy: Longboard surfboard.

Family: Married to Sharina last year. She is now a fast improving orienteer.

Generally like to keep a low profile, but came on to the O scene radar around 2002 or so, having previously had a solid background in the outdoors generally, with an affinity for the odd adventure or two (for the main purpose of telling tall stories afterwards). Loved the O scene and people in it and wondered why I didn't get into it earlier!

Best O moment/s - beating anyone with the name Jeff, Hamish, Paul (x2), or Marquita, and/or anyone 20 years younger than me, or Australian. In all seriousness, I love the banter and friendly competition before and after each event. Love long or epic events - Jeffs Great day O was a belter, as was running the Oxfam Trailwalk with a bunch of mates..

Dumbest O moment - concussing myself on a tree at a lactic turkey rogaine seemed pretty dumb, although I seem to have pretty regular dumb moments in most races as well!

Family - I have a poor suffering partner Jen, and son Jesse - both stars and deserve medals for putting up with me :-)

Favourite toy - I love my bikes, and anything mechanical for that matter. Have an odd penchant for petrol camping stoves.

Favourite drink - hard to beat a can of coke straight after a run, or if its in the evening, mixing some of Rob G's dodgy rum with it has appeal.

Club orienteering since 1974, but did something called orienteering at Mt. Roskill Grammar in 1963. Now getting very sluggish, so have to resort to making maps. Had a fascination with maps from childhood. Also enjoy tramping and cycling.

Latest toy: is the GPS.

Favourite Drink: Spanish red wine.

Been about 15-20 years orienteering, got suckered into Orienteering due to Tony Nicholas’s creation of “What is Orienteering” in a public stand at Three Kings Public Library. Lost about 2-3 years of Orienteering due to studies at Unitec a few years back, gaining a BSC (Bachelor in Computing Systems) in the process and lost fitness to lowest level while studying at Unitec.

Like short intense runs with difficultly – hate long runs in hot weather.

Best times? when I was more fitter before Unitec studies.

Worst times? Hate being stung by electric fences

Best drink: A nice cool drink on hot days either a Diet Coke or a Orange mikeshake.

How did you get into O? I heard an announcement at Rosehill College asking for students interested in joining the school O team - unfortunately at the time I wasn't into sport or Phys Ed (bit of an under-statement) and didn't think I was a good enough runner. Now I know you don't have to be a fast runner to participate. That year the team did very well without me. The seed was planted. Enjoyed maps, motorbikes, farm life, and started tramping. >> Fast forward to 2002 >> Wanted to do more adventurous off the track tramping so did a Bush Safety course. They advised "O was a good and safe way of practising navigation, getting lost, and finding your way back again" >> Spotted a Summer Series brochure in the library. Took me a while to go to my first event in Dec '04 at what is now called Monte Cecilia Park. I was greeted by Joanna in the campomatic, and given the now famous intro to O by Alistair. After one event I was hooked and am now involved in running the summer series.

Memorable O moment? Taking a couple of minutes on course to stop and take in the awesome views! Sometimes its just gota be done.

Latest Toy? Roof Rack. Awesome. Although now I am dreaming of the stuff to put on it!

Favourite Drink? I get dehydrated very easily so water is always on the list and usually in my Camelbak. I feel lost without it. 50:50 Cranberry and Water goes down well, but a sports drink with a kick of Potassium and electrolytes to combat loss is my pick.

Favourite Easter Treat? Chocolate Hot Cross Bun. But its where you eat it that's important. Not into Cafe's. Best eaten in the middle of nowhere in particular - like up the top of a hill or on the sands. (For the post Oceania09 trip - it was 1/2 pizza for dinner on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and the rest for lunch on top of Mt Ben Lomond, Queenstown).