Mahe Drysdale wins Olympic gold in photo-finish
Excellence is what we've come to expect from five-time world champion Mahe Drysdale a rower who's hovered at the sport's pinnacle for over a decade.
But the towering Tauranga-product had recently shown rare signs of fallibility, leading many starting to question whether his best days may have been behind him.
Drysdale himself certainly wasn't listening – arriving in Rio with a point to prove as he tore through the single sculls heats before battling to hold off a furious comeback by Croatian Damir Martin over the last 150m of the final.
Only a photo could separate the two - and after a nervous wait, Drysdale and thousands of bleary-eyed supporters back in New Zealand could finally celebrate as his name flashed at the top of the leaderboard.
"We're sitting there and Damir [Martin] sort of looked at me and said what's the result and I said I had no idea. I'm very happy that I was on the right side of it," said the jubilant 38-year-old after securing his second Olympic gold medal.
So were we, Mahe.
Nikki Hamblin's 'Mother Theresa' moment in Rio
Middle-distance runner Nikki Hamblin left for the Rio Olympics with dreams of capturing the athletics' world's attention.
Instead, she captured the eyes of the globe with one act of kindness which many saw as the very embodiment of the Olympic spirit.
The 28-year-old's entanglement with fellow 5000m heat competitor Abbey D'Agostino and her subsequent coming to aid during the biggest race of their lives saw her grab headlines around the planet.
"I can't even imagine what else I could do in my life that could get more attention than that - even winning a gold medal," Hamblin would later say.
It was a touching moment that will live on in Olympic lore, and one which bought the nation even more pride than perhaps even a podium finish.
Brendon McCullum's sets record for fastest century in final Test match
The Dunedin-product may have been on the cusp of retirement but there was no way he was going out quietly, and on a sunny day at Christchurch's Hagley Oval he provided his career's magnum opus in his penultimate stand at the crease.
With his side struggling at 32/3, 'Baz' entered the fray and slaughtered the Australian attack to the tune of a 54-ball whirlwind century, breaking Viv Richards' 20-year-old record by just two deliveries and leaving both the crowd and bowlers alike bewildered.
Ultimately departing for 145, it was an unprecedented display of belligerency which embodied everything we'd come to love about the Master Blaster 2.0.
You couldn't have written a better script. Long may the record stand.
Hurricanes break their Super Rugby drought
The Wellington-based franchise were somehow, despite sporting some of the most talent-rich squads over the competition's 21 years, the last of the New Zealand teams not to have won a Super Rugby title.
2015 saw them fall just inches short in a heart-breaking loss in the final to the Highlanders, but this year they weren't to be denied.
Lead by juggernaut Dane Coles and conducted masterfully by the phenomenal Beauden Barrett, the Canes rolled through all-comers – winning their last eight games on their way to their maiden title in front of a jam-packed Westpac Stadium.
And Wellywood breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Joseph Parker wins WBO heavyweight title in Auckland
The Polynesian pugilist was one of the heavyweight division's busiest fighters in 2016, brushing aside four challengers and in doing so, positioning himself as the WBO's number one contender.
Miscreant Tyson Fury stumbled through a drug-induced breakdown and was ultimately stripped of his titles in October, opening up a golden opportunity for Parker to cement himself in the upper tier of the heavyweight world.
After a barren 16 years of boxing relevance since the halcyon days of 'The Terminator' Tua, Kiwi sports fans eagerly embraced Parker's rising star, and the announcement of a title fight against Mexican Andy Ruiz on New Zealand soil sent pay-per-view bookings skyrocketing.
December 10th was a night to remember at Vector Arena, as Parker needed every ounce of the hometown support in enduring a torrid 12 rounds against the hard-nosed Ruiz.
The referee's decision may have been contentious in the eyes of some, but either way, the belt's now firmly around the South Aucklander's waist.
