Please click here to download the Event Bulletin (version 20/11/25)
Golden Bay Revisited – OY5
Saturday 22 November 2025 – Canaan Downs, Takaka Hill
- Registration open: 10 AM
- Start window: 11 AM – 1 PM
- Course closure: 3 PM
- Map: Canaan Downs
- Mapper: Michael Croxford (2022, minor updates 2023, 2024)
- Planner: Richard Greatrex
- Controller: Katie Malthus
Golden Bay Revisited – OY6
Sunday 23 November 2025 – Kaihoka Lakes
- Registration opens: 9 AM
- Start Window: 10 AM – 12 noon
- Course Closure: 2 PM
- Map: Kaihoka Lakes, new map (2024)
- Mapper: Michael Croxford (Autumn 2024)
- Planner: Fleur Murray
- Controller: Neil Murray
General event information
Directions and parking
Each event will be signposted with square orange/white orienteering signs and a directional arrow and there are required parking areas.
Event Centre
Each race will have an event centre or arena, which will incorporate Registration, Finish, Download and the unofficial O-Lynx results display. Registration is where competitors pick up their pre-hired SI cards. This is also the place for any Lost & Found property.
There will be no tent space available for competitors, so participants are encouraged to bring their own tents.
Mobile phone coverage is spotty to non-existent during OY5 and OY6.
Clothing
Full body cover is recommended for both events, to protect arms and legs from vegetation.
Smoking
Open fires or smoking (including vaping) is prohibited during the two events.
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed at any of the event sites during the Golden Bay Revisited event.
Waste
Golden Bay Revisited aims to be eco-friendly, and to leave each site at least as clean as you found it, tidier no problem. This event will operate under a ‘Pack-in, Pack-out’ policy, so if you carry it into the venue, please carry it out again.
Medical emergency & First aid
A First Aid kit will be available at Registration. In addition, we ask that you bring your own first aid kit and tend to minor injuries such as cuts and grazes yourself.
In a medical situation where you need professional help while in Golden Bay
- For a life threatening medical emergency in Golden Bay dial 111. A PRIME response will be issues via St John’s to the triage doctor and local ambulance crew.
- If the medical emergency is urgent but not life threatening call Golden Bay Community Health Centre (10 Takaka Road, Takaka) on (03) 525 0060 at any time and listen to the recorded instructions.
The closest emergency department as part of a hospital is in Nelson: Nelson Hospital Emergency Department on 98 Waimea Road, Nelson. Phone number: (03) 5468881
For urgent medical attention, but not an emergency: go to the ‘Medical & Injury Centre, 98 Waimea Road, Nelson, next to Nelson Hospital Emergency Department, Nelson. Phone number: (03) 546 1800.
Nelson hospital is at least a 70 minute drive from the Middle (Canaan Downs) or a 150 minute drive from the Long (Kaihoka Lakes).
Whistles
It is strongly encouraged to carry a whistle.
The recognised distress signal is a series of six short blasts on a whistle. Pause and listen for reply and repeat to allow them to locate you. Please only use your whistle in an emergency. Competitors are expected to render assistance to anyone who is injured and requires help. Please make event officials aware of the issue, so they can organise the appropriate response, including adjusting your overall time.
Weather
The weather at this time of the year can vary, with temperatures between 8 and 24 degrees Celsius. New Zealand weather is quite variable and prone to rapid changes, especially in the mountainous areas. Please be prepared with warm and/or dry clothing.
Evacuation
Competitors are responsible for their own safety. Evacuation could be required in a number of scenarios, including fire, strong wind, a tsunami or an earthquake. Make sure you are safe, which could include abandoning your course. Help any other competitors to evacuate if that is safe.
The evacuation direction is indicated per event.
If safe, evacuate to the Event centre, inform organisers, and download your SPORTident. If you evacuate to somewhere else for safety reasons, contact organisers. Call 111 if there is a fire or you require emergency assistance.
Photos and video
During the event, photos and videos may be taken and published on the Nelson Orienteering Club Facebook page and this event website. We encourage anybody who would like to share their photos for publishing on the Nelson Orienteering Club Facebook page, to please contact the organisers via email.
Competition information
Fair play
All competitors shall behave with fairness and honesty, and must abide by the IOF fair play rules. A competitor who breaks any rule, or benefits from the breaking of any rule, may be disqualified.
Maps
Competition maps are digitally printed on synthetic waterproof paper. The maps are produced using the current International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM).
Control descriptions
For all classes, descriptions will be printed on the front of the map and be available loose at the start. For red courses, only IOF symbol descriptions will be used. For those on orange difficulty courses, both IOF symbols and English written descriptions will be available. For classes on yellow and white courses, only English descriptions are provided.
Map legends
Legends are not printed on the map.
Controls
Each control is equipped with:
- one electronic punching station (SI unit). Some control sites with high traffic (e.g. Finish) may have two SI units;
- one backup needle punching device, only to be used if SI unit fails;
- a white / orange control flag.
The control code is located on top of the SI unit, or on the tag on the side. There are many controls in the competition terrain, so it is important to check the control code when you punch.
Radio controls will be used at the Finish and might also be available on course.
Electronic timing
During OY5/6, the SportIdent (SI) electronic punching system will be used, where the orienteer carries an SI Card (also known as ‘dibber’) on their finger. Each visited station at each control writes the time of the visit to the card. The control times are read out after the finish line to determine total race time, spli times, and whether all controls were visited in the correct order.
Electronic punching
Please read the following instructions carefully:
- SI cards must be cleared and checked before each race at the stations located in front of the start area – this is the responsibility of each competitor. Use the ‘clear’ box first, to remove data from your chip, and then punch the ‘check’ box.
- At each control, either insert your SI-card into the control unit until the unit beeps and flashes.
- If you punch an incorrect control, ignore it and continue to the correct control; the extra punch will be disregarded by the results software.
- If an SI unit does not function (there is no beep and no flash) then use the pin punch attached to the control stand and punch on your map in one of the spaces provided. If you have pin punched any controls on your map you must hand the map in at the Download before leaving the Finish area and explain what you have done.
- A competitor with a control punch missing or unidentifiable will not receive a result, unless it can be established that the punch missing or unidentifiable is not the competitor’s fault. If a competitor punches too fast and fails to receive the feedback signals, the card will not contain the punch and the competitor will not receive an overall time, even though the control unit may have recorded the competitor’s card number as an error punch.
- If you have hired a SI card for your races, please return it to Registration after your final download. Lost or broken SI cards will incur a charge to cover the cost of a replacement.
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Start
The start procedure will be simply lining up behind the correct course – participants start with fixed intervals (most likely 2-3 minutes). The competition area is out of bounds for competitors until you’ve start.
The pre-start area has Clear and Check boxes in it: make sure to clear and check your SI card before starting each event.
Finish
The Finish is in / near the Event Centre for both events. All competitors, including those competitors who do not complete the whole course, are required to pass and punch one of the Finish control boxes at the Finish. Each competitor must download their SI-card at one of the manned download stations. This is also where potential downloading problems will be handled.
Competitors who do not download will be considered as missing, resulting in a search for this competitor. If you decide not to finish your race, please come back to the download area, so we know you are back safe and sound.
Results
Provisional live results will be displayed on the O-Lynx results display at the Arena. Official results will be available on the results page of the event website. Results on winsplits will be posted as soon as possible after each event.
Route Gadget and maps for each event will be published as soon as possible afterwards.
Results queries
If there is anything a competitor wishes to clarify about the download, or if a control failed to beep and flash, was missing, or any other problem occurred on the course, please proceed to the download station. The controller will assist to resolve the issue as soon as is practical.