Seventeen boats contest the 2026 Golden Homes Southland River Race today after a week of heavy rain gave way to favourable river levels and settled weather.
Speaking with the River Racing team, Roger Preston said the Oreti River had dropped from approximately 72 km on Wednesday to 48–50 km by Friday, leaving what competitors described as some of the best racing conditions in years.
Local A Class racer Ben Baxter, partnered with Michael King, said the river offered a good mixture of fast and tighter sections. "It's probably about as good as it gets as far as an easy run," Baxter said. "It's not tight or in flood or anything silly like that, so it should be a pretty clean day."
Preston returns to competition after missing the previous round due to an accident. His boat was restarted only last Saturday following an intensive rebuild and taken off the trailer on Wednesday. "We didn't want to miss this race," Preston said. He noted the upper section between Dipton and Lumsden was the straightest it had been for years, though his boat remained a work in progress with a new nozzle still to be tested.
Riley Smith, racing the CX 166 with Scott Smith, ran the river twice on Friday. "It's dropped perfectly, so it should be a fast day tomorrow," he said. Smith's boat has received a new front section and strengthening after years of contact with banks and shingle bars.
Recent rain has forced a change to the race programme. The Leg 1 finish and Leg 2 start will now be at Pluto Road West rather than Lumsden Bridge, which lacks suitable launching and retrieval access. Spectators are specifically asked to avoid Winton Bridge, with safer viewing available along the riverbanks.
The first boat departs at 8:30am. The morning leg runs from Thomsons Crossing to Lumsden and return, with the afternoon leg covering Thomsons Crossing to Dipton and return.
Watch it live on the New Zealand Jet Boat River Racing Association Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NZJBRRA
Race programme
| Leg | Route | Briefing | Start | Distance | River cleared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomsons Crossing Rd → Lumsden Bridge | 7.45am | 8.30am | Approx. 66km | 9.45am |
| 2 | Lumsden Bridge → Thomsons Crossing Rd | 10.15am | 10.45am | Approx. 66km | 12.00pm |
| 3 | Thomsons Crossing Rd → Dipton | 12.45pm | 1.15pm | Approx. 40km | 2.15pm |
| 4 | Dipton → Thomsons Crossing Rd | 2.30pm | 3.00pm | Approx. 40km | 4.00pm |
Oreiti River entry list
| Class | Boat number | Driver | Navigator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | NZ1 | Andrew Scott | James Pooley |
| Unlimited | NZ2 | Roger Preston | Ben Preston |
| A | 248 | Justin Hill | Josh Hamilton |
| A | 417 | Nick Sullivan | Fraser Guise |
| A | 26 | Hamish Wright | Mat Wakelin |
| A | 199 | Ben Baxter | Michael King |
| A | 321 | Ant Holland | Ethan Mathieson |
| A | 377 | Tom Kelly | Matt Grant |
| CX | 32 | Damian Pulley | Paul Cross |
| CX | 166 | Riley Smith | Scott Smith |
| CX | 797 | Brad Monk | Jeff Lancaster |
| CX | 71 | Craig Plunkett | James Dickson |
| CX | 666 | Robert White | Anthony Bradley |
| CX | 28 | Craig Robinson | Liam Robinson |
| FX EVO | 121 | Byron Campbell | Tuffy Harkerss |
| FX EVO | 589 | Michael Morris | Matt Oconell |
| FX EVO | 144 | Mike Hanson | Roger Wilson |
