The Netherlands’ Ragda Debats crossed the finish line in third, eight minutes behind Croft, in 10th place overall – the first time three women have finished in the top 10 of the race. Croft, 32, has dominated shorter distance trail races for several years, coming second at the World Trail Champs in 2019, but this year she’s concentrated on stepping up in distance. She won the 102km Tarawera Ultra overall – top man or woman – in Rotorua in February, then set her sights on chasing the 100-mile distance, heading to the United States last month to get used to the course and the heat.
How did New Zealand and the UK work together to secure the return of Hinemihi o Te Ao Tawhito, the wharenui who saved the lives of 153 people in the Tarawera eruption in 1886, who has now spent 127 years of her life in Clendon, in Earl Onslow’s Surrey .
Huge torrents of floodwaters, lahars, a massive earthquake and at least one fire have hit the country's bridges in the past, costing lives and cutting off key roads.