Spiders have long been some of Hamish Hall's best friends - and now spiders have helped him win international acclaim.
The 11-year-old Northlander returned home triumphant from Wisconsin, US, this week after placing second in the finals of the International Future Problem Solving contest.
Hamish, who invented a programme for curing arachnophobia,
or fear of spiders, was the first New Zealander to make the world finals in the individual problem-solving category.
He devised Overcoming Arachnid Repulsion in the hope of curing his mother's arachnophobia, so he would be allowed to keep his eight-legged pets indoors.
Hamish and his parents, Shon and Jane Hall of Kerikeri, spent four days at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with more than 2000 competitors and supporters from around the world.
Help from adults was banned as he set up his project - where the problem to be solved was defined as "How can I, Hamish Hall, change the younger generation's attitude towards spiders, so they recognise the importance of spiders in the global ecosystem" - and was interviewed by judges.
He didn't know it, but he was also being judged during an open evening when he spent three hours answering questions from members of the public.
Being called up on stage on the last night to receive his trophy was "pretty cool", but waiting to hear the results was nerve-racking.
Kerikeri Primary School problem-solving coach Pam Scahill was trying to follow the prizegiving via a live internet feed.
"But it blacked out just when they came to the junior individual problem solvers, and came back on again just as I was walking off the stage. Luckily dad sent her a text. When she found out, she nearly fell backwards over a chair."
Hamish said his favourite souvenir from the trip - apart from the trophy, - was a 300-million-year-old Trilobite fossil.
The family came home via Disneyland and all four grandparents were waiting at Kerikeri airport when they arrived home on Monday afternoon.
Hamish said he was now planning a "very long rest" but would create a spider resource kit for teachers and maintain his Overcoming Arachnid Repulsion page on Facebook.
His love of spiders was undimmed.
"I still love 'em. Always have, and always will."
