Ports of Tauranga Half Ironman Triathlon , was held in Mt Manganui New Zealand  8th Jan 2006 with a record field.
Over 900 competitors lined up to take part in 2 km swim in Pilot Bay, four lap 90km bike course along waterfront followed by a 21.1 km run around the base of the mountain 

NZ Ironman 2006, was held in Taupo New Zealand on Saturday 4th March 2006 with a record breaking field of 1490 entrants
Approximatley 45% of those entrants are competing in the Ironman for the first time, so in most cases this day is a culmination of over a years training for the 3.8 km swim, 180km bike and 42.2 km marathon.
Completion of the Event means they will now be able to call themselves an ‘IRONMAN’