The merchandise tents were jam packed for much of the morning and early afternoon as punters sought shelter and browsed for bargains while waiting for the Slopestyle event to begin.
Pia Roemer had made the trip from Whakatane for the event.
She said the event had been good so far, and she was looking forward to things getting under way despite the rain.
It was initially hoped the event would kick off between 10am and 12 noon, but persistent rain throughout the day meant the event could not run.
The riders were clearly raring to go, making their way up to the top of the course for a practice run as soon as the sun appeared mid-afternoon.
Their appearance drew huge cheers from the crowd, many of who had spent several hours waiting for things to get under way.
They managed to get in a few practice runs before the rain started to come down again shortly before 4pm.
The Slopestyle event in Rotorua has extra significance compared to most events.
New Zealand's grand master of the discipline, Kelly McGarry, and his building partner, Tom Hey, designed and built one of the best slopestyle courses in the world before McGarry died in 2016.
The event was renamed in his honour.
