KEY POINTS:
Until yesterday, the greatest moment in New Zealand lawn bowls history had been the two gold medals won in the pairs and triples on the same day at the 1988 world championships in Henderson.
But the exploits of Peter Belliss, Rowan Brassey (pairs) and Phil Skoglund, Morgan Moffat and Ian Dickison (triples) may have been topped yesterday at Christchurch's Burnside club with another double dose of gold.
Gary Lawson, a home-town hero, skipped Russell Meyer, Richard Girvan and Andrew Todd to a 20-10 win after 17 ends over the Mark Casey-skipped Australian line-up in the world men's fours final.
Jo Edwards and Val Smith, close friends from their Nelson school days, made it another gold for New Zealand by overwhelming England's Ellen Falkner and Wendy King in the women's pairs.
So dominant were Edwards and Smith, the match ended with two ends remaining - with New Zealand ahead 28-8.
What made yesterday's double success so special was that it came on top of the wins of Lawson and Meyer in the men's pairs last week and of Smith in the women's singles.
Edwards also completed a double, as she won the world women's pairs title in England in 2004, with Sharon Sims.
The glory of the Black Jacks' performances in these championships was summed up by a jubilant Edwards soon after her win yesterday: "Six medals, four of them gold - how big an achievement is that?"
In a word, colossal, and certainly all the answer needed for Government agency Sparc, which had stipulated New Zealand must win three medals at these championships to maintain the sport's grants.
Lawson, as he has been all through the tournament, was in commanding form but he preferred to pay homage to his front bowlers, Todd, Girvan and Meyer, for starting so strongly and virtually shutting out the Australians, noted front-runners, by jumping to an 11-2 lead after seven ends.
"It was a perfect game of fours," he said. "The boys up front were phenomenal. I've been in some good fours teams but this might be the best."
The only time New Zealand came under pressure was on the 14th end, when the Australians picked up a four to make the score 14-10. But there was an immediate recovery, with two New Zealand shots on the next end.
Though a superb team effort, Girvan was the outstanding New Zealand player and the Australians may have found it ironic, even galling, particularly on their national day, that most of the New Zealand team are Australian-based.
Girvan, indeed, at No 2 in the four was directly opposed to his Taren Point clubmate and close friend in Sydney, Wayne Turley, with whom he won a New Zealand fours title in 2005.
Agreeing that he had played his best bowls of the week, Girvan immediately after the match darted straight to the stands where among the spectators was his father, Alan, with whom he started playing bowls at Auckland's Okahu Bay club 20 years ago when he was aged 14.
"Up until today, one of my greatest days in bowls was winning with my dad the Okahu Bay club pairs title," he said. "It all started there."
Girvan's contribution to the win was singled out by Lawson, who said the number of shots he had played under pressure had been phenomenal.
The two Englishwomen were probably at a disadvantage against Edwards and Smith because some of the edge had gone off their game after their epic semifinal late on Friday against Australia's Karen Murphy and Linsey Armitage.
Edwards acknowledged this, saying England had an especially tough draw, meeting Malaysia in the quarter-finals and Australia in the semifinals.
The rub of the green also didn't favour England yesterday but that might also have been a reflection of the way the New Zealanders played.
Though up 8-0 after only four ends, Edwards emphasised neither she nor Smith had relaxed.
"It was only when we got a five on the 13th end [making the score 25-5] that I began to get a few emotions," she said.
Smith described the win as a fairy tale ending to some hard work.
"Winning the world championship is a fantastic feeling but winning with your best mate beats that," she said.
The championships conclude today with the men's singles final between Malaysia's Safuan Said and Australia's Aron Sherriff and the women's triples final between Australia and South Africa.
While New Zealand have no involvement, there will be plenty of interest in the singles match at least.
If Safuan wins, it could mean that for the first time New Zealand will win the men's team prize, the Leonard Trophy.