An emphatic Papamoa performance at the BP Surf Rescue NZ IRB championships in Whangamata has seen the Bay of Plenty club prise the overall club trophy away from Taranaki hands for the first time in nearly a decade.
Amid a difficult final day in tricky, blustery onshore conditions and heavy seas, Papamoa only picked up one win - an under-21 single rescue win by Michael Hoebergen and Nick Coulter - but their total team performance was enough to lift them 27 points clear of defending champions East End.
"It was all about consistency for us - we told the guys just to keep making finals and then see what happened from there," Papamoa coach Justin Martin explained. "That's exactly what they did and I'm so proud of them. I'm super, super happy at the moment."
In an illustrious 20-year racing career, Martin twice missed out on the overall prize with his former Wainui club so was thrilled to finally claim it, alongside long-time crewman Nathan Teutenberg.
It was doubly emotional for Coutler, dedicating his single rescue win to his grandfather, who passed away last week, while the team were boosted by the return of twins Kirby and Chad Wheeler and Mitch Brady, who cut short travels overseas to come back and race.