Farewellington 2025

Inside the 1st Kelburn 1909 Scout Hall, timers rested across competition tables as speedcubing competitors gathered to close out the year. The Wellington, New Zealand venue hummed with the steady clatter of turning layers, inspection countdowns, and the quiet focus of competitors preparing their gear across two days of head-to-head action running from December 31 through January 1, 2026. The atmosphere carried the distinct rhythm of a holiday gathering built around a shared passion for puzzle solving.

Reaching this cubing competition meant making deliberate journeys across regions and borders to ensure the year ended at the puzzle tables. While local solvers arrived from across the Wellington area, international entrant Samuel Lee crossed the Pacific from the USA to test his skills against New Zealand competitors. Sixteen dedicated entrants made the trek to take part in Farewellington 2025, which featured seven official events and eight rounds of intense, focused play.

The premier 3x3 results brought sharp competition to the tables, testing every competitor's speed and execution on the classic Rubik's Cube. Vincent Da Col secured victory in the 3x3x3 Cube final, logging an impressive winning average of 8.66 seconds alongside a single solve of 7.47 seconds. Dylan Himmelfarb claimed second place on the podium with a 9.13 average, while James Macdiarmid took third place with an average of 9.57 seconds in the sixteen-solver field.

Dylan Himmelfarb produced a standout weekend by claiming multiple titles across the schedule. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Himmelfarb won the event with a lightning-fast average of 1.53 seconds and a best single of 0.84 seconds across two rounds, finishing ahead of Jack Maddigan at 2.61 and James Macdiarmid at 3.19. Himmelfarb returned to the top of the podium in Square-1, recording a winning average of 17.91 seconds to finish ahead of Aneurin Hunt with 19.89 and Riley Wicks with 24.30.

James Macdiarmid dominated the mid-sized big cubes, claiming gold in both the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube categories. In 4x4x4, Macdiarmid posted a winning average of 37.07 seconds, edging out Dylan Himmelfarb at 38.25 and visiting American competitor Samuel Lee at 38.28. Macdiarmid followed up with victory in 5x5x5, logging a 1:07.51 winning average to top Liam Wadek at 1:12.00 and Vincent Da Col at 1:14.01.

Liam Wadek delivered an impressive performance in the 6x6x6 Cube, securing first place with a 1:57.55 average over James Macdiarmid at 2:07.06 and Alex Asbery at 2:32.44. In the Clock division, Riley Wicks took the title with a swift average of 5.95 seconds and a single of 4.33, outpacing Dylan Himmelfarb at 8.42 and Liam Wadek at 8.94. Across all seven disciplines, New Zealand solvers collected twenty podium positions, while the USA earned one podium spot.

Beyond the top podium spots, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the weekend schedule. Levente Swanepoel entered all seven events and recorded a series of significant improvements, dropping their 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 14.6 percent down to 3:56.61, improving their 4x4x4 Cube mark by 8.7 percent to 52.01, reducing their Square-1 best by 7.3 percent to 23.94, and earning a 6th-place finish in Square-1. Julian Sico took on seven events and earned a 4th-place result in 2x2x2 Cube, while Tom Nelson also tackled seven events and secured 4th place in Square-1.

Other dedicated solvers marked important progress across the competition brackets. Miguel Yap entered three events and established a new personal best of 1:24.17 in the 4x4x4 Cube while placing 14th in 3x3x3 Cube. Oscar Welton-Rosie competed in three events and achieved a 14th-place finish in 4x4x4 Cube. Harry Davies took on six events to place 9th in 4x4x4 Cube, while Elizabeth Young stepped up across three events to secure a 16th-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube.

The 2025 gathering at Farewellington 2025 delivered an energetic display of speed cubing, uniting solvers across varied events from the smallest mechanical puzzles to complex big cubes. With multiple podiums claimed and numerous personal milestones reached across the tables, the WCA competition offered an exciting showcase of speed and skill in Wellington to ring in the arrival of the new speedcubing season.