Aaah. Kawerau!!
The good news is we got third. The bad news is we found enough checkpoints to be at least second, we just didn't write them down. The good news is, we finished in 5:20. The bad news is; that was 40 minutes of time we could have been collecting points!!
Leg 1 - 45 min rogaine close to Tarawera Outlet. There were options for bike and foot but we stuck to the bikes on open forestry road to avoid congestion which worked well for us. Good nav, found lots of CPs but arrived back right on 44 mins, freaked out about time penalties, and gave up on writing onto our points card.
Leg 2 - We ran along the edge of Lake Tarawera, then had a steeeeeeeeep climb straight up to the top of the northern ridge. Given the disaster of Leg 1 and that we were now behind the general flow, we skipped the advanced loop, which was unfortunately very early in the trek........... a decision that bit us on the bum later. Unfortunately a couple of hunters had taken offense to CPs being placed on 'their' track and decided to throw them into trees, so there was a bit of luck involved in finding some of them, or seeing a marshall to tell you it wasn't there to be found! We navved around the hut early and were rapt to sneak past a number of teams hunting for a tricky CP in the wrong valley - getting it bang on ourselves. Highlight was a gorgeous trek down a dry river gorge - very wild, including wild rocks which jump up and pound on your shins making them bleed.
Leg 3 - Out on the bike for some fun - again we missed an early checkpoint that we judged would take ages on foot to give ourselves time for the fast wheeled checkpoints. Made our way around the simple ones in good time and were amongst some fast mixed teams heading towards the finish. (They'd got more CPs than us earlier!). We were fairly quick to find all the letters hidden in the forest and to unscramble the words "Whanau" and "Whenua" but one of the teams nearby couldn't work it out. After trying to wheedle it out of us, they tried to read it over Taryn's shoulder on her mapboard!! :) We were still with this team at the next activity -which was a series of 6 CPs, spread over forest pines, with detail compass work. 85m @ 145 degrees. As we headed off on the first step, all the blokes were faster running - but as they spread out they fanned off course and had to come sideways to where I found it. Rinse and repeat - until eventually they just waited to see what direction I ran in. The very last step, I was the westernmost runner and glimpsed the CP just to my West - but as I glanced over my shoulder to try and read it the others noticed my movement so we couldn't even lose them there. From there I took a bearing to hit a path shown on the map just beyond us, for smooth running back to the bikes. Slightly proud, slighly frustrated, to have 7/8 people follow us, with one saying "Why are we going this way Tui, our bikes are over there somewhere??"
Final few CPs and we realised we had stuffed it all up - finished way too early, navved ourselves off the map with potential points too early in the day to go back for. Decided to punish ourselves by biking back to the car! 
Learning Points
In a short time leg, in dry weather - write straight on to the Points card - no transferring necessary.
Always know what the time penalty is!!
Allow ourselves more time - don't risk crippling penalty points
Use all the time allotted - don't miss early CPs and nav yourself off the map.
You can win it and lose in in the organisation!
Successes
Nav tight all day
Nailed a remote foot section with compass work in open pines - collected copycats!
