Canterbury University lift Habberley rowing shield in Whanganui

The men's eight race was made up of (closest to furthest) Otago, Auckland, Victoria and Canterbury. Photo / Bevan Conley

Canterbury and Otago have come out on top at the AON New Zealand Universities Regatta in Whanganui.

Event co-manager Grader Howells of the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club said rowers were treated to fine weather and good conditions.

"They all arrived on the Friday and had two nights here. It's great to have that number of people coming to town.

"I suspect the majority of them would never have been here before."

Seven tertiary teams, made up of 204 rowers, descended on the River City last weekend.

It was the first time Whanganui had hosted the event since 2015.

Attracting regattas to Whanganui was getting harder, Howells said.

"Lake Karapiro and Lake Ruataniwha are very much organised in terms of all their facilities and infrastructure now.

"Next year this regatta will be at Lake Hood in Ashburton though, so Rowing New Zealand is doing its best to spread things around the provinces a bit."

Howells said racing on the Whanganui River had been competitive, which was good for rowing enthusiasts and for those who hadn't seen the sport before.

"There was quite a crowd on the Railway Bridge on Friday (September 23) to watch the boats go under.

"We had over 50 people helping out on the day, on and off the water. That's a big number of the local fraternity giving their time to make sure things happen"

Canterbury University's men's eight lifted the Hebberley Trophy for 2022, while Otago University won the overall points competition.

Whanganui rowers Grace Hogan, Phoebe Collier and Nathan Luff made up part of the Canterbury University team.

"That trophy is pretty interesting historically," Howells said.

"It was crafted by the first Māori carver (Thomas Henry Hebberley) to work at the Dominion Museum, in 1928.

"More wood has been overlayed on it and it's just got bigger and bigger.

"Now it's about a metre all around and weighs 50 kilograms."

Next on the agenda for Whanganui rower was the Tonks regatta next month, followed by the Durie Cup in December, Howells said.