Waihi Olympian Dylan Schmidt provided the star turn and host Ryan Fox dusted off any cobwebs ahead of a massive 2024, as The Fox charity golf and fishing event provided a record boost to local coffers.
Fox, New Zealand's best golfer and fresh from an incredible 2023 season in which he rose to No 28 in the world, helped raise $66,000 for the Waihi Surf Lifesaving Club and the Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard.  Enlisting fellow sporting celebrities, trampoline star Schmidt, rower Tom MacKintosh, rugby referee Ben O'Keefe, golfer Mark Brown and Fox Snr, former All Black Grant, he's now raised $175,000 for the two charities over the four years the event - presented by Shimano Fishing New Zealand - has been running.
Schmidt's 13.5kg kingfish and 8-handicap golf swing was the key to helping his team - 24/7 Environmental, featuring Grant Hooker, Sam Dunlop, Andy Roach and Glenn Ross - to the overall title and he was delighted to help out.
"I've still got a lot of mates down here and the community still really supports me, so it's really special to be able to come down and support two great local charities, who do so much for others," 26-year-old Olympic bronze medalist Schmidt said.  "I also like to recharge down here and my golf career started out here on the Waihi Golf Club course when I was pretty young - I used to come out after school on a Tuesday or Thursday for a lot of years before trampolining took over.  After 2016, I watched Lydia Ko play and was determined to get back into golf - it's such a great escape from the high pressure of sport."
Like Schmidt, Fox will be gearing up for the Paris Olympics after a extraordinary year which saw the 36-year-old make his debut at The Masters and win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, England — the DP World Tour’s showcase event, beating a field that included Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland.
He earned a full-time PGA Tour card for 2024 by finishing fifth on the DP World Tour but has already committed to coming back to Waihi Beach next summer to continue his association with the charity event which bears his name.
"I play better when I'm enjoying golf and this event is a lot of fun," Fox said.  "I actually hit some good shots and I haven't played golf in three weeks, since getting home with a bit of tennis elbow, so it's nice to hit some balls again. Plus fishing is my happy place - I don't think about anything else when I'm doing it and that's a nice place to be. It's great to get the chance to relax because it's going to be a pretty busy year next year."
Friday's fishing day was tough on an immaculate Bay of Plenty day for many of the 20 teams but Schmidt's kingfish - his first, caught jigging - proved one of six landed, while O'Keefe's team took the day's honours.
The weather gods also smiled on Saturday's golf, where Fox, unsurprisingly, led the way in the long-drive competition and provided shots for every team on the par-3 eighth hole and the par-5 12th.
Highlight's from Saturday night's charity auction included a cricket bat, signed by cricket immortal Don Bradman and New Zealand great Martin Crowe who both scored 299 in a test, which went for $9000.
Event director, Sports Inc's Kelsen Butler, was absolutely delighted with the support from teams and the local community.
"We know a lot of people are doing it tough these days and that's what makes our record charity total even more special," Butler said.  "This is exactly the time when amazing community organisations - like surf clubs and coastguards - need support most and it's been a privilege to be able to help.  And to lock Foxy in for next year - with the schedule he'll have in 2024 - just shows how important this event is to him, and the character of the man."