After a five-year hiatus, the legendary OceanaGold Waihi Walrus Swim splashed back into life in the first week of September, with staff braving 15°C water to race the 110-metre polishing pond at the Waihi water treatment plant.
Five swimmers lined up — and six finished, after an organiser jumped in for the final 25 metres “to show how it should be done,” drawing cheers from the crowd of 30-plus supporters.
Results
- 1st: Zibo Lin (Underground Mine Engineer) — well clear of the field
- 2nd: Thomas Trott (Processing Manager)
- 3rd: Michaela Malone (Environmental Officer)
“It wasn’t as cold as I expected, but 110 metres has never felt so far,” said organiser-swimmer Skye Wilkins. Second-placed Thomas Trott quipped the dash was “not the usual way we monitor water before we discharge it into the river.”
None of this year’s swimmers had competed before, and everyone who swam took home a prize, with fun certificates for “Best Walrus Lookalike,” “Loudest Cold-Water Shriek,” and “Most Realistic Shivers.” The coveted Walrus Trophy — fashioned from a steel mill ball used to grind ore-bearing rock — goes to the winner for a year.
The polishing ponds hold treated water pending independent lab results before controlled release to the Ohinemuri River. The Waihi site operates with a net water surplus and safely discharges about 3.5 million m³ annually under consent, supported by regular water-quality monitoring at ten river sites and biomonitoring at nine sites upstream and downstream. An annual independent report goes to Waikato Regional Council.
With the Walrus back — the first run since 2020 — organisers say they’re planning to make it annual again. “There are mythic stories about relay teams in previous years,” one committee member said. “That sounds like fun — and we want a bigger field next time.”
