New Zealand yachting produced a stunning final day to the Rio Olympics regatta, taking three medals including gold.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie opened proceedings on Guanabara Bay on Friday (NZ time) with a hard-fought silver in the women's 470s.

Burling and Tuke won gold overnight. Photo: NZ Olympic Team Twitter.

Four-time world champions Burling and Tuke followed up with gold in the 49ers. They were already assured of gold ahead of the medal race and rubber-stamped their authority with a win on their victory lap.

Then youngsters Molly Meech and Alex Maloney delivered silver in a nail-biting finale to the women's 49erFX.

Added to the earlier bronze medal by Molly's brother Sam Meech in the Laser class, this represented an unprecedented medal haul for New Zealand yachting at the Olympics.

Burling and Tuke were delighted with their effort and just as happy with the overall team performance.

"We always go out to win yacht races," beamed Burling. "It was great to put in the performance we wanted to."

Added Tuke: "It was unreal to cap it off with that race. What a day!"

Proud parents! @peteburling #BeTheInspiration pic.twitter.com/gdS3n3hgst

— NZ Olympic Team (@nzolympics) August 18, 2016

The real drama for New Zealand came in the women's races as the well-funded team went on a medal hunt.

Meech and Maloney entered their medal race with just one point covering the top four teams.

Maloney and Meech after winning silver. Photo: NZ Olympic Team Twitter.

They got a jump on their opponents in the opening beat.

But Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze turned it into a match-race and got a vital windshift to overtake the Kiwis on the last beat and held on in the spinnaker run to the line for the honours.

In the end Meech and Maloney were were just two seconds away from gold, such was tightness of the drag race finish.

Aleh and Powrie showed their world class in the 470s.

They completed a remarkable comeback after enduring two disqualifications that effectively ended their hopes of defending the gold medal they won in London four years ago.

Aleh and Powrie battled back to enter the medal race in second place on the points table.

They sailed a smart finale to cross the line third in the double points medal race to make the podium and claim a hard-earned silver.

Britain's Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark had the gold wrapped up before the medal race, turning the tables on the kiwis who beat them into silver in London.

Reigning world champions Camille Lecointre and Helene de France (France) took the bronze.

Having had the 470 finals postponed on Thursday because of a lack of breeze, sailors were greeted by an ideal 16 knots of wind as the Rio yachting programme wrapped up.

Aleh and Powrie did a magnificent job of covering off their rivals for silver – the United States, France, and Japan.

It was a frustrating regatta for Aleh and Powrie who showed their class, winning four of the 10 fleet races and being in the top four in three others.

But the two 21-point results they incurred for their disqualifications in race one where they came sixth and race six which they won, proved an insurmountable handicap.

Powrie couldn't remember a tougher time during their remarkable partnership that stretches back to 2009.

"It's been an incredibly tough week. We've had not much go our way," she said.

"But just to battle on right through has been incredible. I'm proud we kept fighting well enough to come away with this.

"It's been a rollercoaster for sure, all we could do was just hang in there."

.@sumostevenson from @skysportnz chats with Alex and Molly