In 2008 well-known sports writer Joseph Romanos chose the victory of the 1972 rowing eight as the best team performance by New Zealanders at the Olympics.
In 2010 the world rowing championships returned to Lake Karapiro. For the first time the regatta ran over two weekends and featured a separate opening ceremony and four days of finals.
Lake Karapiro's potential to become the best rowing venue in a country with few straight sheltered courses was soon recognised and it hosted the 1950 Empire Games and the 1978 World Champs
In the late nineteenth century, challenges for the world professional sculling title were among the most hyped (and gambled on) contests in the English-speaking world
