Auckland for Surfbreak

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Auckland for the AGM of the Surfbreak Protection Society.
I was honoured to get voted back on the committee for my second year, and look forward to doing whatever I can for the organisation.
Pic to left taken after the meeting at the Auckland Law Courts building somewhere in the centre city.
Left to right: Geer Iseke, Paul Shanks, Nic Reeves, Mike Gunson, Monique Olivier, Allen Pidwell, John Shaw, missing David Storck and Scotty Grieve.
New Surfbreak Facebook Group I made a few days ago

Surfbreak Protection Society | Promote your Page too

Above:: Taking off from Dunedin airport flying low looking towards waldronville (middle circle), where I live, with Blackhead headland to the left circled, suburbs Fairfield in the foreground, Green Island to the right. Closer to the sea is the Refuse Transfer station at the head of the Kaikorai Estuary which leads out to the sea past Waldronville. I love where I live!
Next pic below is of the Kaikoras shrouded in clouds on the way up.

Above: A night shot of Auckland from the street. And then my short trip to flat Piha. Last photo at bottom is from the plane window taxiing along the runway at sunset.

A few shots from away

Took a trip up to Christchurch a few weeks back to pick up and drop off a board. meet some friends for a surf. Some moody pics of the journey up, and some of the surfco crew

So I've been absent from the blog a bit. Other issues happening in my life right now that need attending to. Life is a priority.

Ashburton Beach

Trip up to Ashburton for a stay with daughter Amber for a few days. She took me for a drive over to Ashburton beach, there was a North Swell hitting a straight drop-off from the beach.

A little Trip

Was a gorgeous morning on Tuesday, there was a solid south swell knocking through about 4foot offshore. But it was overcast and not great for pics.. nobody out either!.

Westport - the Journey Home

A few pics from our journey home from Westport.



We stopped in Oamaru checked out the surf shop, and got an invite upstairs for a skate.
Below Hayley getting some height.

Team Dunnos - the trip up

Just some of the Dunnos team who travelled up in three cars together. Here we stopped in Timaru at the skate park.
Below, the journey up, Jonos car.

Below, Andy going incognito with the pizza base from lunch ( note he has a seatbelt on) and right as we were pulling in to a petrol station in Christchurch he leaneed out the window to call Jonos car into the station too, relaxing the belt off his shoulder to do so, immediately we were boxed in by a police car and Andy was accused of not wearing his seatbelt, and promptly given a $150 ticket. Nothing any of us could say made any difference, even the offer of photographic evidence.

Finally got to Kaiks at about 5pm and booked in to the Backpackers, then shot off to check Meatworks. Two pics below, last thing at night and first thing in the morning the first day of the 3 day comp.

6am get up for a 7am start at Meatworks, A stunning sunrise greeted us, and after a slight delay the comp was underway. Above, dawn at Meatworks with the judges tents semi erected.
Below, the boys go out for a free surf. Left Jono, right Nathan.

Jordan had a run of bad luck with his board snapping a fin within ten mins in the water, later in the comp after changing to twin fins, he snapped one of those too, and had to borrow a board for the rest of the weekend, which wasn't much bigger than his shoe size.

Post for Day 1 of the comp will be up thursday night.
Final results, the guys at the SISA website who are always on to it quickly with results and event info, check out the Final Results Click Here.
Along with their writeup of the Cold Water Classic Event here

Hell Mission - miniscule peelers on a 13ft Board

Sunday the 23rd March - Hell Mission -A trip up the line

You may ask why the post is titled 'Hell mission', that is not so much the lack of powerful waves but the entertainment that scab and beano provided bitching about whether of not the spot was going to be working, the constant overheating of the car and the need to have the heater on FULL to alleviate the impending blowing up of the motor (on a hot day for a longish trip). The precarious manner in which the Olo was tied tandem to the car with softracks, and the constant need for scab to remind beano to slow down before his arm fell of trying to hold the board down out the window.
But by the end of the sesh they were mates again, sharing waves and smiling when they came in.


I'm stoked that Caity had a go on the board, and managed to get a few long rides. Its twice as long as her board and she's not experienced on a Mal.

I was gutted that I could ride the board too, with still nursing my injured knee, I couldn't even get closer to take pics, so most of the above were from a long distance and cropped in.

We made it back all in one piece, and all sugared up with a trip for munchies at the shop on the way home, thanks beano.

Quarry Beach Team Rider Trip

Last year in October Caity and I took a Trip down the Catlins with Carsey and the Quarry Beach Surf Team Riders. Good things take time.. and the following is the highlights of the weekend as a photo montage.

Cape Classic Westport - The Journery Up

Friday the 19th October.. Setting off for Westport for the Cape Classic surf comp run by the Buller Boardriders to be held at Tauranga Bay by Westport. Four in the car, Me, Hayley, Jono and Jordan. Jono did the pickups and we eventually got everything squeezed into his car and were out of Dunedin by 7.30am. Armed with some good sounds and heaps of snack food the predicted 9-10 hour drive up to Westport seemed a little less daunting.


Above two pics, Driving through the Canterbury Plains with the Southern Alps in the far distance. After a quick stop in at my daughter Ambers' flat in Ashburton to pick up a box full of Bakery ends for the weekend. Somehow while it was my turn to Drive we took a 'shortcut' to Arthurs Pass, and managed to get lost through the myriad of backroads, got on track eventually and headed cross country through the Southern Alps (pic Below entering the Pass)





After a gorgeous scenic trip through Arthurs pass and up the West Coast from Greymouth to Westport we arrived at The Camping Ground in Westport at about 5.30pm, quickly dumped out gear and took off to check out Tauranga Bay for a free surf.

(pic above, just take note of how calm the Bay is, in the next few posts over the week you will see a drastic change in the surf conditions). Below two Hayley and Jono surf the Bay.




Below, registration night for the Cape Classic hosted by Buller Boardriders.

Come back tomorrow for the next blog post in the westport trip - Highlights from day one of the Cape Classic Surf Comp