Many of them, for those of us who are starting to feel old but still haven’t ticked over half a century, exist only as grainy photos or brief television clips or words on paper.
My thoughts turn to Dick Tayler winning gold in the 10,000m at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch; the immortal Yvette Williams becoming the first New Zealander to win three gold medals (discus, shot put and long jump) at one games in 1954; and brother Roy winning the decathlon in 1966.
And, for this Oamaru boy, there is a special fondness for the great rowing crew from the town that dominated in Perth in 1962.
In the main, though, my favourite Commonwealth Games memories are from 1990.
It was a momentous year — New Zealand’s sesquicentennial, a landslide general election victory for National, a chubby farm boy’s first year at Waitaki Boys’ High School — and a momentous celebration of sport to go with it.
New Zealand had not hosted the Games in 26 years — and it is now 32 years and counting — but Auckland put on a heck of a show.
It was something of a breakthrough moment for women’s sport in this country and all my vivid memories from Auckland 1990 are of women.
Tania Murray winning the high jump. Anna Simcic (or Anna Swimquick, as she was labelled) tearing up the pool. Nikki Jenkins winning gymnastics gold at the age of 14.
Above all, Millie Khan. Perhaps not since the Tangiwai test had there been a New Zealand sports story with such equal doses of courage, heart and tragedy.
Khan, the "Queen of the Green", became the centre of high drama when she won silver in the women’s singles at the bowls in Auckland.
The real story — the devastating backdrop to the sport — was that Khan’s little grandson had died just outside the gates of the bowling club earlier that day.
Khan was shielded from the media and public and learned of the tragedy only after the medal game.
Perhaps, given the enlightened thinking around life being more important than sport, events would unfold differently these days, but it was a powerful moment.
I asked my colleagues and some southern sporting identities to highlight their favourite Commonwealth Games memories.
Raylene Bates
Athletics coach
It is a tough decision to find the one special moment.
In 1990, I remember standing with Trevor Bent (our coach) and watching training partner Tania Murray win gold in the women’s high jump in Auckland.
The 2006 Games were huge as it was the first time I was athletics team leader. Nick Willis winning gold in the men’s 1500m; watching the Silver Ferns win gold and Josh Blackie win gold in the men’s sevens; the men’s relay team in the final of the 4x100m — unfortunately they dropped the baton coming into the home straight, which might have been just as well, as I think I was about to have a heart attack through excitement.
The highlight was seeing all the Otago athletes from all sports in that New Zealand team performing and making the podium, a direct result of the impact of the NZ Academy of Sport: South Island.
I have two other special memories: Jessica Hamill winning silver in the seated shot put in the opening athletics event in Delhi 2010 and Holly Robinson breaking the world record on her first throw in the F46 javelin four years ago.
Roger Clark
Highlanders chief executive
I lived in Wellington in 1974 and my Nana took my cousin and I — who were both mad sportsmen — down to Christchurch for the second week of the Commonwealth Games.
I am pretty sure we were on the inter-island ferry, the Rangatira, from Wellington to Lyttelton. It was like an overseas sojourn for a couple of kids who hadn’t ventured far from home at that stage.
We went to every event we could get tickets for, but the highlight was being lucky enough to secure finals tickets for the 1500m, acknowledged by the press as the “Greatest Middle Distance Race Of All Time".
We were seated on the 200m mark in the temporary grandstands — I don’t think there was such a thing as health and safety then — and when John Walker came past us on the final lap, the whole crowd rose to their feet and the stand shook.
It was an amazing race with the then-22 year-old Walker pipped at the post in a world record time by Filbert Bayi (3min 32.16sec).
Lots of Kiwi kids, including the two of us, started pounding the pavement the next day.
Wendy Frew
Former Southern Steel captain
The Commonwealth Games have delivered some of New Zealand’s most iconic sporting moments over the decades. For me, it’s the Black Sticks women’s hockey team winning gold on the Gold Coast in 2018 which ranks as one of the greatest.
Form wasn’t flash leading into the Games but they played with true grit and determination to dominate when it counted. And to beat Australia 4-1 in the gold-medal match was just epic.
Craig Cumming
Former Black Cap
What sticks out in my mind is the sight of Craig Adair exploding with enthusiasm in the commentary box during the 1990 Games in Auckland.
Adair won gold in the 1km time trial at the Brisbane Games in 1982 and brought all of that energy to his new role.
In the commentary box, he was standing on the desk and yelling out the window for the New Zealand athletes to "go". It was absolutely hilarious and brilliant. He got so into it and was so parochial.
Adrian Seconi
ODT sports reporter
Nineteen eighty-two ushered in some new emotions for an 11-year-old from Whanganui — shame, regret and inspiration.
Shame? Well, if you ever had to wear a canary yellow tracksuit out in public, you would understand — and this was long before Kill Bill made that kind of kit trendy.
The regret came later. It took the best part of the year, and I had to chew my way through a tonne of gum, to complete the Stars Wars trading card set. If only I had held on to those.
The inspiration came courtesy of champions like Neroli Fairhall, Mike O’Rourke and Anne Audain. Still remember gathering around a Philips K9 in the school library with my classmates to watch Audain power away down the home straight to claim gold in the 3000m. I started running shortly after that.
My kids are the age I was then. I hope they discover their own inspiration.
Jeff Cheshire
ODT sports reporter
It is certainly hard to go past the greatest netball game ever played, in the Delhi 2010 Games — well, that is the New Zealand label for it.
Who will ever forget Maria Folau (then Tutaia) letting the ball go and sinking a match-winner to beat Australia in double extra time?
Little had split the two teams in an intense game that just went on and on and on.
The game was the talk of Otago Boys’ High School the next day.
That perhaps says as much as anything — netball was a very rare topic of conversation at the school, in the mid-late 2000s anyway.
Unfortunately, the men’s 4x100m relay botched baton change from the 2006 Games in Melbourne will always burn in the brain, too.
Not so much for the change itself but it certainly increased teenage Jeff’s paranoia around baton changes in his own, admittedly mediocre, track career.
