The day was that part of O Week when 3500 students from the city's residential colleges turn up to pass, volley and kick balls around in a huge sports event where nobody wins or loses or gets a prize.
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Instead, the day was about bonding.
As an example, at a netball game there was a young man from one team wearing a goal shoot bib and a young woman from the other wearing a goal keep bib.
The pair were settled in under the hoop at one end of the court and were so deeply engrossed in conversation they failed to see play heading their way until it was almost too late.
It happened, in fact, on more than one occasion.
As Unipol sports and facility officer Sam Sinclair put it, "What better way to bond with your peers than through a bit of sport?"
The energetic mass of students wearing green, blue, black, red and purple T-shirts were at the sports ground representing colleges from Toroa to Carrington, Arana to Salmond and Knox to St Margaret's.
They filled the ground, sporting face and body paint, and sat in large groups cheering on their colleges.
Mr Sinclair said there were 17 residential groups in total, playing volleyball, touch rugby, soccer sixes and netball.
"It's strictly participator; there's no prizes, no winners or losers.
"It's just getting people here, getting them active.
"It's sort of a teaser for some of our more competitive things later on in the year.
"It's a great way for all the colleges to get in one place and develop a little bit of inter-college rivalry - they've been here all of three days in their colleges, some even less, and what better way to bond with your peers than through a bit of sport?''
On the success of the day, Mr Sinclair said the first couple of games "are always chaos, as you can imagine with this volume of people'', but things were starting to fall into place by early afternoon, on a day that was the busiest held so far.
"This has been running for a number of years now, but this is the biggest.''
