Double Olympic champion Hamish Bond was back where it all started on Saturday.
Bond was the special guest at the North End Rowing Club's 125th anniversary celebrations in Dunedin over the weekend.
It was a special occasion for Bond, who was made a life member of the club at a dinner on Saturday night.
Not a bad effort for a humble bloke who is only 31 and admitted when he first started rowing in 1999 as a year 9 pupil at Otago Boys' High School he struggled.
''I had never done any water sport before and it was completely foreign to me. It was a feeling of being like a fish out of water, only in reverse,'' he said.
''But, over time, you get a feel for the water. I was quite fortunate, as I had some really good coaches here and they helped me out.
''I was a boarder at Otago Boys' and I did not have a summer sport at the time. It was cricket or tennis, more or less, so I was sort of forced into it.
''But I found out pretty soon that the greater the effort you put in, then the greater the reward. And that is the great thing about endurance sports. The effort you put in usually equates to the rewards you get out of it.''
Bond said it was a struggle at times on the chilly Otago Harbour but that aided him throughout his career.
He had hung up the oars for now and was focusing on a cycling career. He appeared in the time trial for New Zealand at the world championships in Norway but an early puncture dented his chances.
It was an evolving cycling career that still had some way to go.
''I'm still feeling the process and seeing how good it could be. There is no doubt, it is a big mountain to climb ... but I'm loving the challenge of it.
''I was a little bit unfortunate at the world championships with the puncture, but those things happen and you have to learn from them.''
He would not be lining up in the Tour of Southland, where he finished sixth last year, as including the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he had been competing and training for 24 straight months, so he needed a break.
His aim was to win selection for the time trial at next April's Commonwealth Games and then, ultimately, attend the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
''I have not put a finite date on when I want to achieve certain goals ... but in saying that, I'm not going to bang my head up against a wall incessantly. I will make the decision or people around me can let me know about being honest.
''The thing is, you have got finite years in the sport to be at the top. I can be a weekend warrior for the rest of my life.''
Bond, who has lost 8kg in converting to the bike, has not ruled out a return to rowing but at the moment it was two wheels for him.
''Cycling is my sport at the moment. I want to achieve in Tokyo and I am giving everything I can achieve at this point.''
Bond was one of about 200 who attended the celebrations for the club. A get-together at the club took place on Saturday morning after drinks on Friday night, and a dinner was held at Toitu on Saturday night.
