Competitors focus during the jigsaw puzzle racing. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Seven seconds - that was the difference between first and second place as competitors tackled a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle against the clock.
Jigsaw puzzle racing was a new addition at the last Master Games in Dunedin and it sold out within a day when it returned this year.
Individuals have a maximum of six hours to complete it, but the competition is fierce.
Walking through the door, the room is reduced to the clack of puzzle pieces on the table and muffled whispers.
Adrenaline is high and the tension is palpable.
Competitors sit intently focused on the pieces laid out in from of them, some with headphones on and snacks beside them.
The quicker competitors are expected to take between two to three hours, but some have the borders nearly finished within 15 minutes.
Games manager Vicki Kestila watches on.
"It's very intense, very quiet. You can sort of hear the hearts beating," she says.
Around the 39 minute mark, all eyes are on two competitors who only have a handful of pieces left to go.
A hand goes up and the room applauds as Dunedin resident Julie Eyles finishes her puzzle in 39 minutes, 38 seconds.
Dunedin resident Julie Eyles wins gold after finishing her puzzle in 39 minutes, 38 seconds. Photo: Supplied / Media Matters
Seconds later, another hand goes up and more applause as Karen Easterbrook records a time of 39 minutes and 45 seconds.
Julia Eyles is excited to win gold after competing for the first time about two years ago.
"The good thing is I had no idea it was eight seconds until second place. I was just focused on what I was doing, I had an audiobook going and ... I had no idea where anyone else was at," she says.
"I always do the edges first ... I have to do the edge, I can't go to the middle until I've done the edge so I just turn them all up the right way, pull the edge out. Make the edge and then decide where I am going next."
She is hoping to compete in an international competition in Spain in 2028.
Karen Easterbrook is stoked with silver after travelling down from Whangārei especially to compete.
She was hooked after doing a few Jigsaw Puzzle Association competitions.
"I'm pretty pleased with myself. I've done a lot of practice - a 500 piece puzzle pretty much every evening for the last couple of months so I'm pretty proud," she says.
"I like to listen to a podcast so I'm really just in the zone of looking at all the different puzzle pieces, trying to match the colours mostly for different areas.
"Colours and patterns are the most important, rather than shape, and then I'll just get a bunch of them together and figure it out."
Karen Easterbrook was only seven seconds off the leader, recording a time of 39 minutes and 45 seconds. Photo: Supplied / Media Matters
The puzzling community is really welcoming and anyone who wants to give it a go can look on the Jigsaw Puzzle Association website for more details, she says.
Bronze goes to Sonja Dobson with a time of 50 minutes and 31 seconds - she only started doing puzzles after arriving in New Zealand just over three years ago.
She got into puzzling to relax while doing a PhD and usually likes to take her time with longer puzzles.
"I came here to do a PhD, I finished my PhD and now I'm puzzle racing," she says.
"I like animals. I think those are really fun to do, not the biggest fan of most landscapes or really artsy ones cos it's quite hard to see what the picture is on all the small pieces. I've done a few circular ones which are pretty cool."
Most competitors get their photo taken with the puzzle before it gets scrunched and packed up minutes after finishing.
"You did it. Now what? Sit around, looking at it? Well it's not as exciting. I guess the exciting part is actually doing the puzzle and then once it's done, on to the next thing."
Sonja Dobson gets a bronze medal with a time of 50 minutes and 31 seconds. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Next on her list is a 3000 piece puzzle and she recommends people keep an eye out for puzzles at op shops if they are interested in giving it a go.
Donnalouise Watts took fourth place in 54 minutes and 28 seconds - her best competition time yet.
She travels internationally to compete and loves to meet other puzzlers as it is often a solo activity.
"I've always loved jigsaw puzzles and I wanted to use them for art on my walls. Well, when my walls got full, I thought 'I need to justify buying more puzzles' so I started a YouTube channel. So that's what I do now - content creation all about jigsaw puzzles."
After retiring as an engineer, she now puzzles 40 to 50 hours a week.
Jigsaw puzzle racing started as a fun event in the 2024 Masters Games, but they have since made changes to align with the official racing rules.
Donnalouise Watts welcomes the changes that mean the time is displayed and anyone who does not finish in the allotted time gets all their connected pieces counted up and recorded.
"Imagine they're nearly done and they have 20 pieces left, you don't want to give them a 'do not finish'."
Dunedin resident Donnalouise Watts got her best competition time yet, finishing in 54 minutes and 28 seconds. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
She also completed a 54,000 piece puzzle that was like walking through a gallery with famous artworks on the wall.
"It was in 27 bags of 2000 pieces each so I love ginormous puzzles that just come together and make just a beautiful image."
It was more than eight metres by two metres and took several months to do.
The group jigsaw puzzle racing is on Thursday.
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