The Aussie contingent in this weekend's New Zealand's biggest surf lifesaving race will have some handy local knowledge to draw on.

Tomorrow's Dexion-sponsored Mount Monster – a gruelling 25km, four-stage epic event along the stunning Mount Maunganui coastline – has attracted another quality field in its fourth year, with a squad from Queensland's Mermaid Beach club joining the fray.

Mermaid's coach is former Mount local and professional ironman Mike Janes, who is bringing a handful of elite surf athletes to take on New Zealand's best.

'We're real pumped to come over – I've been trying to get it organised since I first took over at Mermaid but the timing had always clashed,” says Mike. 'This year, she's all on.”

The Monster starts and finishes on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach, with a 5km beach run, a spectacular swim leg which includes a jump off Moturiki Island's blowhole, a 12km ski leg to Omanu and a 6km board paddle.

Mermaid Beach ironmen James Lacy and Luke Cuff will be chasing individual glory, while the Kiwi challenge will be led by Midway's Cory Taylor, defending champion Ben Cochrane from Omanu club and recently-crowned world paddleboard champion Sam Shergold, from Mount Maunganui club, who was third last year.

Cory, the 2013 champion, is competing against James and Luke on the Nutri-Grain Ironman series in Australia, with James currently sixth in the overall standings, having finished second and fifth in the last two rounds, Cory up to 11th and Luke in 17th.

James says the trip back to his old stomping ground is a great break from the hectic Australian scene.

'The season in Aussie is so much longer and we've been going hard since June, so this trip is about getting outside the comfort zones.

'We're treating it like an intense training camp and race in the pre-Christmas break, as most guys switch off a little bit during the festive season.

'It will be great to give the boys a little more long racing, especially coming off the Torquay round which has an endure-style race.”

Tomorrow's women's field features the return of inaugural winner and ironwoman star Danielle McKenzie, who also has a gap in her schedule on the Summer of Surf series in Australia. She'll try and dethrone two-time champion Kirsty Wannan, while a large field of under-19 females will be snapping at their heels.

The individual race, which also has French and Great British national team members in it, had attracted nearly 100 entries earlier this week, with another 219 surf athletes taking part in the teams' race.

Notable teams include the Sassy Tsunamis, with triple surf lifesaving world champion Laura Quilter roping in Olympic K4 kayaker Kayla Imrie and top ironwoman Natalie Peat, while previous Olympic kayakers Teneale Hatton (team) and Mike Walker (individual) will also compete.

Meanwhile Ben recently finished second in the elite male section of the short-course Coolangatta Gold but isn't taking a defensive mindset into tomorrow's race.

'It has got to be a fresh attack, as the race is going to be so different,” says Ben.

'I have been out of the water the last 10 days with some concussion issues but started training again on Monday so for me, it will be relying on my fitness from the Cooly Gold and just enjoying it.

'I am super keen on getting home, seeing the family, my dog Zeus and all the Omanu boys –and I can't wait to line up and grind for a couple of hours and see how I go.”

The Mount Monster also features a unique prizemoney split, with $1000 going to the first open male and open female and a ‘Monster Pot' – awarded to first overall in the male, female and teams based on the number of entries in each division.

Mount Monster is on tomorrow, December 17, at Mount Maunganui Main Beach. Racing starts at 10am.