The local Mount Maunganui team has pulled an early lead during the first day of competition at the second largest Surf Life Saving sports event in the country held in Tauranga this weekend.

The Eastern Region Championships draws in over 800 athletes from around New Zealand, predominantly from the east coast of the North Island, and features two full days of competition.

While the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service have built up a 32 point buffer, Piha Surf Life Saving Club in second aren't far behind and promise to threaten the locals today with a team of 72 athletes.

Chasing them in third is Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club from Gisborne, while one of the largest teams with 79 athletes, Orewa Surf Life Saving Club, is only a few points behind in fourth.

A few athletic superstars feature in this year's event, including Olympians Lisa Carrington, who is competing for the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, and Marty McDowell, who competes for Titahi Bay Surf Life Saving Club, along with a bunch of junior world lifesaving champions from the Black Fins.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand Eastern Region Sport Manager Mark Inglis says the first day of the competition has been close and it will be a great battle for top honours today with the majority of finals being held.

'Everything has been great here at Mount Maunganui. The weather has been perfect and feedback from the athletes tells us they're enjoying the new format. Although the small swell means that a lot of the races are quite close so it's going to be a close fight today,” he says.

'And of course the calibre of the athletes is second to none. They've all been fantastic out there today and it's obviously great to have people like Lisa [Carrington], Steve [Fergusson] and Marty [McDowell] competing too, because it shows our younger athletes that they can rise to the top.”

The Eastern Region covers 19 clubs on the eastern coast from Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel to Midway Surf Life Saving Club near Gisborne.

The action kicks off from 8am at the main beach at Mount Maunganui, where athletes will tackle a series of events including the demanding Iron Man and Iron Woman events. Spectators are welcome and spectator entry to the event is free.