The Southland Twin Rivers made its annual return last weekend, sending competitors charging across two of Southland's most demanding waterways over two consecutive days of marathon jet boat racing. The event draws New Zealand's top river racing talent to back-to-back courses that push boats and crews to their limits, and the 2025 edition delivered everything the competition is known for.
Saturday 23 August brought four legs across the Mataura River, each measuring 43 kilometres. Competitors launched from Steeghs Beach, powered upstream past Ardlussa to Keowns Bridge, then turned and raced back downstream. That upstream-downstream sequence was repeated twice, making for a punishing day on one of Southland's most technical rivers.
Sunday transferred the fleet to the Oreti River and a slightly shorter 40-kilometre course. Starting at Thomsons Crossing Road, boats blasted upstream to Dipton before the downstream return. Four legs on the Oreti completed the weekend programme, combining quick open stretches with tight corners and shifting river conditions throughout.
The two rivers together present something no single venue can replicate: a full two-day examination of speed, stamina, and racecraft. From the Unlimited gas turbine class through to CX rivals and the developing FX-Evo category, every leg had a bearing on the final tally of silverware and bragging rights.
Overall results – Southland Twin Rivers 2025
Eight legs and two rivers later, the 2025 Southland Twin Rivers had produced clear class winners, with Roger and Ben Preston standing out as the dominant crew across the entire weekend.
The father-and-son pairing from Winton were untouchable in the Unlimited Class, sweeping every leg on both rivers with consistent 17-minute runs. That dominance translated into not only the class title but a clean sweep of the major trophies on offer.
CX Class belonged to Adam Wilton and Matt Melton, whose calm and reliable approach proved more valuable than the occasional burst of pace from their rivals. Justin Hill, Damian Pulley, and Craig Plunkett all had their moments across the eight legs, but Wilton and Melton's steadiness over the full distance gave them a margin that individual fast runs from the chasing pack could not close.
In FX-Evo, Aidan Flett and Jared Farquhar from Ashburton were the class throughout. Flett was quickest on the stopwatch at almost every turn, though Regan Howley came within two seconds in Oreti Leg 3, the narrowest margin of the entire weekend. That brief scare aside, Flett's pace across all eight legs was more than enough to secure a commanding result.
The prizegiving in Winton confirmed the class winners:
- Unlimited Class: Roger and Ben Preston - CX Class: Adam Wilton and Matt Melton - FX-Evo Class: Aidan Flett and Jared Farquhar
The Prestons collected four of the five special trophies. The Alan Baxter Memorial Trophy for the fastest time on the Oreti, the Longford Tavern Trophy for the fastest time on the Mataura, the Southland Twin Rivers Trophy for the fastest combined time across both rivers, and the Winton Hotel Rivers Trophy for the fastest time on handicap all went to the Winton pair. The one award that headed elsewhere was the Southern Challenge Shield, which recognises the fastest combined performance across the Waitaki and Southland events without any DNFs. That trophy went to Wilton and Melton, a fitting acknowledgement of their class consistency over the full marathon circuit.
Southland's place at the centre of New Zealand river racing was on full display across the weekend. Fierce competition, family history, and two rivers that reliably produce drama made for an event that will be talked about until the next one.
Unlimited Class – Preston in command
Roger and Ben Preston (NZ367) arrived at the Southland Twin Rivers already holding the NZ1 title for the year. The father-and-son crew from Winton backed that form up emphatically, reminding everyone why they are regarded as one of the toughest combinations in the country to beat.
Their grip on the Unlimited Class was complete across both days. On the Mataura they swept all four legs with sub-18-minute runs, recording 17:49, 17:36, 17:58, and 17:07. In each leg they finished a minute or more clear of Ben Baxter (A199) and Mike King.
Sunday on the Oreti produced the weekend's closest Unlimited moment. In Leg 2, Baxter got to within 35 seconds of Preston, posting 17:05 against Preston's 17:40. It was the nearest any competitor came to them across the full eight legs. Even so, Preston never looked troubled, finishing every Oreti run comfortably inside the 17-minute bracket.
CX Class – Wilton's consistency pays
The CX Class produced the tightest leg-by-leg racing of the weekend.
Wilton (229) opened the Mataura with a four-second win over Justin Hill (248), recording 19:48 to Hill's 19:52. Hill is a World Champion in both A Class, from 2017, and CX, from 2019, and he is rarely far from the front. Robert White (666), Damian Pulley (32), and Craig Robinson (28) all finished within two minutes of the lead.
Leg 2 saw Wilton push faster, running 18:49 to extend his advantage. White's 19:38 moved him briefly ahead of Hill, while Pulley and Robinson dropped back through the field. In Leg 3, Wilton held steady at 19:52 and Hill was again right there, just four seconds behind. Pulley, however, suffered a disastrous 27:26, which allowed Craig Plunkett (71) to jump ahead of him in the standings.
The fourth Mataura leg produced Hill's best result of the day. He ran the fastest CX time of the session at 18:46, nine seconds quicker than Wilton. Pulley recovered to 19:47, while Plunkett and Robinson held their mid-field positions.
Moving to the Oreti, Wilton continued to set the pace. His opening leg of 18:53 put him 31 seconds clear of Pulley (19:24) and 36 seconds ahead of Hill (19:29). Leg 2 tightened the field further: Wilton ran 18:00, with Pulley and Plunkett both clocking 18:25.
Leg 3 on the Oreti went against Wilton. A 22:25 allowed Hill (19:39), Pulley (19:31), and Plunkett (20:33) all to beat him on the stopwatch. His accumulated advantage from the earlier legs kept him ahead on overall standings, however. In the final Oreti leg he closed out the win with 18:12, just five seconds in front of Plunkett's 18:17.
FX-Evo Class – Flett untouchable, Howley's challenge
FX-Evo serves as River Racing NZ's entry-level class, providing a pathway through to CX and A/Unlimited competition. The category may be developing, but the racing it produced across the weekend was anything but tame.
Aidan Flett (525) from Ashburton was the standout performer throughout. On the Mataura he ran all four legs in the 22 to 23-minute range, with his opener of 22:44 already nearly three minutes clear of Regan Howley (110). Matthew Thomson (144) and Joseph Kelly (A307) completed the class but trailed by four to nine minutes per run.
The Oreti again went Flett's way overall, but Leg 3 provided the weekend's most dramatic moment in the class. Having won Leg 1 in 23:01 and edged Howley in Leg 2 with 21:58 against 22:20, Flett was nearly matched on the third run: his 24:04 to Howley's 24:06 was the closest class finish across the entire two days, separated by just two seconds. Flett then put any lingering doubt to rest in the final leg, running 21:31 to seal the result convincingly.
As the trophies were distributed and the trailers loaded, conversation among competitors was already turning toward the next event. The Twin Rivers reinforced what New Zealand river racing has long known: the talent pool runs deep, and the racing only gets quicker.
2025 Golden Homes New Zealand Marathon – race week preview
The country's most significant river racing event is on the horizon, with the 2025 Golden Homes New Zealand Marathon scheduled for late October across several of the South Island's most celebrated rivers. Four days of competition await.
The week begins on Tuesday 21 October with technical inspection and a welcome function, with the venue still to be confirmed. Racing then opens on the Rakaia River.
Wednesday 22 October features short legs run from the Lagoon to SH1. Thursday 23 October steps up to long legs from the Lagoon to Gorge Bridge.
The programme then moves to the Waimakariri system. Friday 24 October runs the Upper Waimakariri course from Gorge Bridge to Esk Pool. Saturday 25 October brings the finale, with racing from the SH1 ramp to Alpine Jet, Rubicon, one of the most demanding and iconic stretches of river in New Zealand.
The event is organised by Byron Campbell and is widely regarded as the ultimate examination in jet boat racing, combining outright speed with navigation skill and the endurance of both crew and machinery across multiple rivers over multiple days.
