Welcome to Taitonga SIOC2026
Nelson and Marlborough Orienteering Clubs invite all orienteers to Te Tau Ihu o te Waka-a-Maui to celebrate high-quality spring orienteering during the A-level 2026 Taitonga South Island Orienteering Championships, Labour Weekend of 24-26 October 2026 in the beautiful Tasman District.
We look forward to welcoming fellow orienteers from the South and the North Island of New Zealand, and hopefully also new and old friends from overseas!
Many thanks and acknowledgements are due to all volunteers who contributed a great deal of time to plan, control, and organise these events.
This website is the best place to be for everything you need to know about Taitonga SIOC2026, and any updates/changes.
The same information is available in PDF format:
- Bulletin 1, version 1.0 (July 2026)
- Bulletin 2, expected beginning of October
- Start List: Sprint, Long, Middle, Overall
Programme 2026
| Date | Location | Planner | Controller | First Start | |
| Sprint | Saturday 24/10 | Tapawera | Fergus O’Neill (PAPO) | Oliver Egan (NOC) Tane Cambridge (PAPO) | 1 PM |
| Long | Sunday 25/10 | Teetotal – West, Nelson Lakes | Will Tidswell (HBOC) | Georgia Whitla (NOC) Michael Croxford (NOC) Jenni Adams (PAPO) | 10 AM |
| Middle | Monday 26/10 | West Bay, Nelson Lakes | Stephen Bardley (MOC) | Catrina Forbes (MOC) Michael Croxford (NOC) Carsten Joergensen (PAPO) | 10 AM |
Event and Terrain Description
Sprint Distance – Tapawera
The small rural town of Tapawera has never been used for orienteering. The town features a number of small parks, buildings, playgrounds, and sports fields. To the south of the town is Tapawera Area School. Stock up for the weekend after your run at the Four Square supermarket.
Long Distance – Teetotal Flats West
Teetotal Flats is a mix of public conservation land and OneFortyOne leasehold forestry. The eastern end of Teetotal Flats has been used for previous Southern Region Champs and the NZ Relay Champs. The western end has a mix of open river flats, native scrubland and beech forest.
Middle Distance – West Bay
West Bay is the site of the first-ever orienteering event at the top of the South Island in 1992. The map features kanuka/mānuka scrublands with glacial moraine, erratic rock features, and river terraces. It is unforgiving and difficult to master. It is the true test for precision orienteering.