Wednesday 18 February 2026
On Saturday 7 February, the King’s College Under-18 8+ won the 90th running of the Head of Harbour race at Lake Pupuke on Auckland’s North Shore. Beating Westlake Boys High School by clear water, the crew managed challenging conditions in the final 300 metres, holding their nerve and capitalising on a strong start to claim victory in this prestigious race.
The rest of the squad also performed well. Girls’ Captain Frances Ogilvie (Year 13, Middlemore) won the Under-18 Girls’ Single, the Under-15 and Under-16 Girls’ 8+ squads both placed in the top three in their events, and the junior boys claimed multiple age-group wins in 8+ and 4+'s.
The day was punctuated by the success of the Under-18 Boys’ 8+ who won Division 1 for the first time since 2006, alongside a Division 2 victory by our second 8+. It was a fantastic performance, made even more special by the presence of Old Collegians, parents, and supporters following the Rolf Porter evening which had been held earlier that week.
To cap it off, the junior squad performed a haka in honour of the victorious 8+ crew.
Ayden Miller (Year 13, School) (cox of the winning boat),"We did everything we wanted to in the warm-up, which put us in a really good mindset going into the race. We came out fast in the flatter water and were seat for seat with Westlake early on. At 600 metres the conditions were more challenging, and we knew we had to find a bit more length. That change gave us the confidence to control the race, and when it was time to go in the last 200 metres, we went. Winning for the first time in 20 years made it pretty special.”