Photos of Australia

Brissy Casino at night

Nat our Brisbane Host!

Greenmount

Dinner in Surfer's Paradise

A baby Koala we saw at the Koala Hospital

Our ghetto room in Coolengatta

Some surf along the way.

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Our ride!

Roadtrip

I apologize for the lack of blog updates but in our quest for quality Aussie surf we have been living a pretty rugged existence. I’m talking about a sleep in the car and eat off the spare change McDonald’s menu type gig. Here’s a run down of the collision course road trip we have been on for the last couple of days.

Tuesday, June 5^th

We woke up this morning not really knowing much about what the day had in store for us other then that our new friend Tony was getting a car at noon and that we hoped to be somewhere north of Sydney before calling it a day.

After packing and settling up with the hostel we dragged our surfboards and other luggage through the Sydney subways system until we got to our stop at King’s Cross. Then after a 5 minute walk, that nearly killed me due to the weight of all my crap, we found ourselves at a used car garage where Tony was to pick up his new ride. Unfortunately the car wasn’t ready, but we didn’t mind because it gave us time to grab a quick bite and to have one last tour of Sydney.

While waiting for our car we toured the “Rocks” area of Sydney, walked across the Sydney Bridge and scoped out the Opera House from up close. This area of the city is very spectacular, although in my head I imaged the Opera house to be much bigger.

After our tour we returned to the car shop and this time our ride was ready. It was raining quite hard at this point and it was already dark but we figured that now was as good a time as ever to hit the road, so we did.

In initially we had planned on driving a few hours each day up the coast until we reached Brisbane – where we would turn around and drive like madmen to catch my flight out of Sydney on Monday. However, due to our late start we decide that it might be best to drive as far north as we could this evening and then work our way back slowly. With the consensus being that this was a good idea, we fueled up on energy drinks and Hungry Jacks burgers and ripped up the coast.

Tony drove the first leg of the trip and I took over at around eight o’clock and didn’t stop until just after four in the morning when we were an hour outside of Byron Bay. With nowhere to stay we shuffled a few things around in the car and called it a night at the side of the road – suddenly the NZ camper van seemed pretty sweet!

June 6^th

Our roadside slumber left us a little less than rested but nevertheless energized enough to continue on our trip north. Being close to Byron Bay we figured that this was a good first stop so we spent the morning finding food and exploring the neat, but over priced shops.

The surf at Byron Bay was ok, but not entirely enticing, so we decided to backtrack a bit to a wave called Broken Head. Here the conditions were way worse, but you could tell that with a different swell this spot could be magic.

We decided to venture back to Byron to take a second lock at the waves but again they were less than appealing.  At this point we shifted our scope from looking for waves to looking for a swell forecast to figure things outs. This hunt ended at the Volcom Store when the manager suggested we jet up to the City of Coolangata as the current swell was about as perfect as it gets for that stretch of coast – he took his word and stuffed ourselves back in the car.

We arrived in Coolangata with time for a late day surf and man was it perfect. If you are at all in tune to the surfing world you have probably heard of Snapper Rocks, it’s one of the most famous point breaks in the world. What you might not know and what I certainly didn’t was that there are 5 points in a row just like Snappers – Snapper Rocks, Rainbow, Greenmount, Coolengatta and finally Kirra. On the right swell, like we found on this day, you can ride from Snapper to Rainbow, Rainbow to Greenmount, Greenmount to Coolengatta and if you’re lucky Coolengatta to Kirra. It is one of the most epic set ups I have ever seen and I raced to get in the water.

The draw back to a place as perfect as this, is that everyone knows about it and when the waves are on, so are the crowds. It’s not a matter of if you are going to get dropped-in-on, it’s when. Throw in the strong rip that continuously pulls you away from the peak and you have a very challenging situation on your hands – needless to say the place is hectic. I spent the first half of the session dodging people and finding my bearings but when I did get the hang of it I managed to get one lap of the famous loop. To put things in perspective, it took me ten minutes to walk back to my starting point!

That night we crashed at a ghetto hotel with cinder block walls directly in front of Greenmount. The hotel was crap but for $80 a night you couldn’t beat the location and the view from our room.

June 7^th

This was a seriously action packed day. I woke up at the crack of dawn to get out in the water before things got to nuts. Before Mike and Tony had even woken up I had two laps under my belt and was pretty stoked for a second go at it. After checking out of the hotel and eating some eggs and bacon it was time for another round of the loop – this time with more people. I got another lap in before we decided to head up the coast to see what was shaking there.

We decided to check out Surfers Paradise, which we heard would have no waves and was kind of trashy, but with a name like Surfers Paradise we had to take a look anyways. All of us were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Though the numerous clubs and gift shops did give off a hint of the trashiness we had heard about, it wasn’t nearly as bad as people had made it out to be. Of course there were no waves but we had fun checking out the shops and enjoyed our $10 lunch meal.

The two hours we spent in Surfers Paradise were more than enough, so at around 4pm we decided to hit the road again for Brisbane where an old friend of mine from home and her boyfriend are living. On a complete whim we called her up when we got to town and after about and hour of trying to find her house we arrived.

My friend and her boyfriend were very excited to have visitors and we enjoyed a few drinks before heading downtown on the bus.

Brisbane is an awesome city and we were so grateful for the tour our friends gave us. We spent time that evening sharing a drink at an outside bar and taking in the many sights along the river that were colourfully lit and really cool to look at night.

At about 1am we called it a night and retreated back to the comfort of the couches and floor of my friend’s house. Way better than the car!

June 8^th

It was sweet to wake up for a second morning in a row and find myself within the shelter of a four-walled structure that wasn’t a car! After downing several cups of coffee we thanked our awesome hosts and were back on the road again. This time we were heading south with plans of seeing the places we had driven past on our way up.

We headed back to the Byron Area not entirely sure where we were going to surf. I was thinking either the bay, back to Broken Head or to Lennox Head. In the end I jumped in at Broken Head and got a few mushy beach break bombs.

After an hour of surfing we hit the road again for Coffs Habour. I had heard that there might be some waves there and we decide to take a look. When we arrived the waves were pumping and really punchy. I had a hard time getting out to the beach break and got really slammed on the first wave I went on. The last wave I got was pretty solid and definably made the trick swim worth the effort.

After our surf we head south again to Port Macquarie were we found a cool little hostel with comfy bunks and free breakfast. 

OZ

Well here we are in Sydney. It’s hard to believe that this is the second last stop on the surf tour. Since Fiji things have gone so quick, it seems like it was ages ago that we were boating out to Cloudbreak for the first time.

Sydney is a pretty cool city. In many ways it’s like a lot of other big cities I’ve been to and there is a certain Euro meets America feel to it, if that makes any sense. Last night Mike and I toured around the downtown area. We saw the Sydney Bridge and the Opera House which were both really cool as they were lit up with different colours for a event going on called Vivid.

Today we walked the city again in the morning and then in the afternoon took the bus and the train to Bondi Beach for a surf. Bondi was pretty cool and you really get the sense that people here like to be active. There were people running and biking on the walkway, skateboarders at the skate park over looking the beach and lots of surfers in the water. We surfed for a few hours before calling it quits and grabbing a bite to eat at a pretty cool Italian Café.

Tomorrow we’re going to begin our journey North to Brisbane with our new friend Tony from Spain who was looking to do the same route as us and just bought a car today.

Random Stuff

This blog will be all over the map. Here are a few random stories from the past few days, pictures to come.

Small World

It’s funny how small the hockey world is. I’m sure that I could walk into a dressing room anywhere in the world and share a mutual friend or past teammate with at least one person in the room. This holds true even on the other side of the world in New Zealand.

In Dunedin I met two hockey players who I had friends in common with. Meeting a friend of a friend is always awesome and to make a long story short we ended up joining the hockey team for a night out bowling and found ourselves staying in a pretty awesome house over looking the beach!

Cadbury

We toured the Cadbury Factory and got a ton of chocolate. Simple as that!

University

The University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest university and ranks one of it’s finest. The campus is a mixture of new and classic stone and ivy buildings that house faculties ranging from music to business. In many ways it felt like Queen’s University in Kingston, even the schools colours were the same.

With strong on shore winds and no surf to be had we found ourselves wandering the Otago campus, which eventually lead to us stumbling into the school’s MBA office. Mike recently graduated from Dalhousie’s MBA program and if all goes as planned I will follow suit in a year from now. With these backgrounds we were very keen to check out how a Masters of Business operates in this part of the world and to compare the differences and similarities between our school and Otago.

We ended up meeting the MBA Director who gave us a fantastic tour of the facilities and who explained a lot about how the program works at Otago. We were also given a chance to sit in on a finance class, which we eagerly accepted – I know it’s weird to want to go to a finance class on vacation. By the end of our tour we had made some really valuable connections for both for our school and our personal use and were thoroughly impressed with what we saw. Otago is definably a place I would love to go on exchange to.

B & B           

After leaving Dunedin we drove five hours north to Christchurch to catch our flight to Australia. After dropping off our camper van we booked into a bed and breakfast for the night and packed for our flight (which we didn’t catch) the next day.

This was my first time staying at a B&B but I have to admit I’m a big fan. The people we stayed with were really nice and we woke up to an awesome spread of food in the morning. If you are ever in Christchurch I strongly recommend staying at the Belmont on Harewood. It’s very clean, convenient and they will even drive you to the airport!

Rugby

In Christchurch we attended a professional rugby game. Although I have to admit that I enjoy watching hockey more, rugby is a pretty sweet sport. It’s the perfect blend of athleticism, passion and aggression that make a sport fun to watch. I think if I had of been born a Kiwi I would have taken up this game.

Pissing money into the wind

Yep, that pretty much sums up our trip to Christchurch. After missing our flight because we were to lazy to double check our flight schedule online, paying for another night’s stay and getting dinged $20 per kilo for excess baggage, I feel pretty ripped off right now. The last two days have cost over $300 not to mention the day we lost in Australia. My Visa says ouch!

Australia

OZ by sun down. It looks like its going to happen as I sit waiting for the plane to board. What a disaster that would be if we missed our flight again!

Hockey Night in Dunedin

I love hockey. I love watching it, I love playing it, I love teaching it. It’s a game that has always been very special to me and one that I think I will always be involved with in some form for the rest of my life.

Yesterday on our drive back from surfing we drove by a sign that in big blue letters read, Dunedin Ice Centre. Now back in Canada I would probably have just driven past but seeing an arena in the southern hemisphere is a little different, so naturally I had to go inside for a closer look.

What I found inside shocked me. I knew there was a bit of hockey being played in New Zealand but I did not expect to find a rink of this quality. The ice was in awesome condition and the boards were the NHL kind with a nice give to them. At the far end of the rink was a big grandstand and to the side of the hockey rink was a curling surface. It was a facility that in all honesty would make most small towns in Canada drool.

As I wandered around the rink I got to talking with the day manager and he told me that if I came back in the evening I could watch the pick up leagues play and the Dunedin Thunder of the Semi-Pro NZIHL practice. My interest was totally piqued so that night I returned with a jacket and tuque to take in some hockey action.

As I watched that evening I noticed a man running some kids through some off ice hockey drills and I went over to introduce myself. I explained that I own a hockey school in Ottawa and told him how excited I was to see hockey in New Zealand. He explained that he was the coach for the Dunedin Minor Hockey Association as well as the Dunedin Thunder and asked if I had skates to practice that evening. I told him that I didn’t but that I would still enjoy watching the practice.

After our conversation I posted up in the lobby to watch some more hockey and found myself talking to some of the hockey parents and kids about playing hockey in Dunedin. It seems like there is a growing crop of young hockey players down hear with dreams of one day playing for the Ice Blacks National Team and maybe even professionally in North America or Europe.  

One hero of the hockey kids in Dunedin is a young guy who happens to play for the Thunder named Paris Hynd. Paris has represented New Zealand internationally several times and is the first Kiwi to sign a professional ice hockey contract abroad. Paris spent last year playing in the first division in France and is home for the summer to play for the Thunder and to attend University.

As I was being told about Paris by one of the hockey moms Paris happened to hobble by on crutches. I was introduced to him and told him how cool it was to see hockey in New Zealand. I also told him about the offer the coach had extended to me and Paris generously offered the use of his equipment to me for the practice. This was an offer I couldn’t refuse and next thing I knew I was suited up and putting myself through the paces with the Dunedin Thunder of the NZIHL. How cool is that!

Getting ready

Don't mess up the drill Johnny!

One of the guys was from Ottawa and they had a GeeGee's jersey, right city wrong school!

The boys.

The World's Fastes Indian

I feel like me and Mike are just finding our groove in New Zealand as we round the corner of our last week. Over the last month Mike has mastered the manual shifting of our big rig and we seem to be surfing more often than not. It’s all starting to come together and I have to say that the last couple of days have been some of the most fun.

After leaving Queenstown we headed south, about as south as I will probably ever get, to Ivercargill. If you have ever seen the movie the World's Fastest Indian you might remember that the motorcycle loving main charter in this true story was from Invercargill. Aside from motorcycle racers my friend McKayla, also lives in Invercargill.

I met McKayla on my first stay at camp in Hawaii. She was traveling with Claire, who we met in Nelson, and became a good friend who I have kept in touch with over the years.

McKayla showed us an awesome time during the day we spent in Ivercargill. After breakfast, which consisted of eggs, New Zealand style bacon, toast and coffee we headed to a place called Bluff where they host an oyster festival every year. The festival was was pumping and there were oyster delicacies galore, beer, a stage with music and even the Prime Minister of New Zealand showed up to take in the festivities. I tried everything I could stomach – some good and some gross.

Mix and me slugging back a few cold oysters - can't say I'm a huge fan of these critters

This was more my style. 

After the oyster fest we went to the Invercargill Museum to track down more information about the Worlds Fastest Indian. Essentially, the story goes like this, Burt Munro was a motorcycle enthusiast from New Zealand who is famous for setting the under-1,000 cc world record, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August of 1967. What is so impressive about this, is that Burt’s record still stands today and that his motorcycle was done on such a shoe string budget. Burt made most of the parts himself and traveled to Bonneville, Utah all on his own dime. His story is a really awesome one of tenacity and Kiwi ingenuity. He’s definably someone that New Zealander’s are very proud of.

The Fastest Indian (replica)

After our day with McKayla we bid her farewell and headed out to find some surf in a town called Riverton. To send us on our way McKayla gave us the indgediants to make the Original Kiwi dip. We whipped on up the other night and it was awesome! - Receipt to come.

Mountain Bike Action

After leaving the west coast we headed in land to Queenstown via Frans Josef. Frans Josef was a small town with some tourist attractions built up around the Frans Josef Glacier just outside of town. I had hoped to get a peek at the glacier but due to a big hole that recently formed in the ice the only way up was with a guide and a helicopter. With funds getting low the $200 plus airfare just wasn’t in the cards.

Instead Mike and I decided to have a little man date and we went out for some delicious ribs followed by a dip in the local hot springs. It was a relaxing way to end our drive to Frans Josef, which was a mess of hairpin turns and one-way bridges – some of which were also shared with trains!

Queenstown is in many ways like Whistler. It’s a ski town with a village framed by mountains, fancy shops and hotels. With ski season just around the corner in this part of the world the shops were filled with colourful ski and snowboard gear. You could tell that in a couple of weeks the place would be buzzing with snow enthusiasts looking to cut their first tracks of the year or to extend their north of the equator season.  

While winter is the main attraction in Queenstown there are a host of other activities to do which range from sky diving and bungee jumping to water pursuits like river rafting and parasailing. I chose to spend my morning mountain biking and I rented a plush All Mountain bike from one of the shops and headed for a series of trails called 7 mile.

When I got to the trails some guys from Ireland were just about to head out and I asked if I could join them. They gladly let me join and we spent the next 3 hours flying through the woods.

The trails here were some of the best I’ve ever seen. They were made up of a series of moderate climbs followed by some really flowing downhill switchbacks with berms, whoops and small jumps. My full squish bike climbed like a billy goat and on the way down felt like a dirt bike as it ripped around the berms and soaked up the bumps. I left the woods a bit muddy and more stoked than I have felt in days. It was awesome!

Westcoast

If surfing scared me in Kaikoura, surfing the rugged West Coast terrified me – to the point that I didn’t get in. Seriously, even with the Internet sites forecasting perfect swell and wind ratings the place was incredibly absent of surfers, and other people for that matter. The vistas here are amazing and remain very untouched and spectacular - but what could you expected given the no gas for 90km sign that we saw.

Mike and I spent the day searching the stretch of highway from Westport to Greymouth in an effort, that by the end the day, was less about finding a wave and more about finding some other lost souls to surf with.

I have done a bit of surf exploring in Canada and I have been fortunate to surf some fairly intense waves in Hawaii, but to be honest, with the exception of some of the biggest days in Hawaii, I have never been so scared to get in the water than I was today. It’s a eerily thing paddling out to an unknown break with only the comfort of your friend on shore and the distant support of an unknown community many miles away. While I did see some pretty nice waves I just couldn’t bring myself to get in and surf them. It’s kind of disappointing but I’m just not confident enough in my own abilities at this to take on that risk.

Glassy

Kiwi

Whoops

Thanks for the tow.

Fox Creek

Pancake rocks.

Until Next Time

When I moved to Halifax two years ago I met Dex on a chance Facebook connection. Not knowing each other we decide to rent an apartment together and have since become very good friends.

  

When Dex decided to join me on the second half of my trip I was so excited. I’m so happy that we got to share so many amazing, hilarious and sometimes terrifying memories together in Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand.

The boys!

Sunny Nelson

My three extended stays in Hawaii have produced some amazing friendships with people from all parts of the world. If you have ever traveled you know that whenever you leave somewhere its pretty common to say to your new friends, “Hey, if ever you’re in Canada look me up.” While you hope to see your friends from abroad again you know that as a general rule you probably won’t. It sucks, but it is true.

One friend that has continually broken this rule is my friend Claire. I met Claire on my first trip to Oahu and since then she has visited me in Ottawa and even joined my brother and I on a backpacking trip through Europe - along with some other Hawaii friends. I knew heading to NZ that a stop at Claire’s house in Nelson would be very necessary. I've looked forward to this stop for a long time.

Our weekend Nelson was a ton of fun. On Saturday, Claire and her sister Julia showed us an amazing time. We toured the beaches around Able Tazman National Park, ate fejoas, attended a professional New Zealand League Basketball game, and partied the night away in Downtown Nelson.

The next day, despite our screaming hangovers, we still managed to hike to the centre of New Zealand and feast on a couple of delicious meat pies in the afternoon. That evening we took Claire and her sister out for dinner to thank them for an amazing time.

One Monday we bid farewell to Claire and her sister with the standard, “Hey, if ever you’re in Canada look me up.” knowing that at least this time there was some truth to that statement.

Claire and Me at Abel Tazman

Dex Make's the Jump

Sunset in Nelson

Southbound and down

After leaving Wellington last Thursday we headed southeast to Kaikoura. This stretch of coast was like nothing I have ever seen and was very different than the green meadows we passed through on the North Island. The terrain here was rugged and windswept with a desert yellow colour scheme.  In the background were towering snowcapped mountains.

After scoping out a few blown out surf spots on our way into Kaikoura Town we stopped into a local sports store where the owner was able to give us some advice. We also saw a pizza joint in town called Dexerellies, which Dex naturally had to take a peak inside. This was actually good fortune because the owner happened to be a surfer and turned out to be a valuable source of information.

The surf spot we were referred to by our friends in town had perhaps one of the most beautiful backdrops for a surf spot I have ever seen. If one of us had of been a decent photographer, and one of us could do something cool on a wave, we easily could have landed the cover of any surf magazine. It was that impressive.

Amazing

The weird thing about New Zealand is that while it is so rich in amazing surf no one seems to surf. I’m sure the spots around the big cities have their days but in the country the chances of seeing another surfer is very rare. There are simply too many spots and not enough people to surf them. While you’re probably thinking that’s awesome in many ways it’s a double-edged sword because you really question things when you show up to a break that is pumping and there isn’t another soul in sight. You start to wonder why no one else is out and it makes for some really nervous surfing.

I ended up surfing that evening alone and while I got a few good waves I couldn’t really get comfortable enough to surf to my full potential or to stay in for that long. After about 5 waves I retreated to the camper van and we headed back to town for some pizza at Dexerellie’s.

The pizza at Dex’s was really good and we learned a bit more about the area from Dexter himself. One thing he told us to do was to hit up the trivia night at one of the local bars, which we did. We had a ton of fun at trivia and even got to meet the Mayor, who after a couple Montheith’s Brews told us that we were free to park the camper van wherever we liked in town that evening. Again, nothing but the finest Kiwi hospitality.

Dex and Dex

The next day when we woke up the surf was a bit bigger and the wind was down. We decided to check out a few spots but after not seeing anything we like we headed back to our spot from yesterday, which to my relief had two other surfers in the water. Success!

Before the other surfers got out I clawed myself into my wetsuit and jumped in the water to join them. From the comfort of our camper the waves didn’t seem that big but once I got in the water I quickly realized the size, as well overhead sets pushed through and peeled dangerously close to the cobblestone beach. Furthermore, the very deep offshore that makes Kaikoura a whale watchers paradise also makes for some very powerful waves and some very fast rides.

I caught a few waves but I had a really hard time controlling my short fat tailed small wave board in the punchy surf. When my new friends got out, I decided that it was time for me to go in as well and I paddled to shore narrowly escaping the pounding shore break which had grown in the hour I was in the water.

On my way back to the camper I spotted a familiar face. It was Dex the pizza guy. Not quite surfed out and excited to see another soul I ran back to the camper the got a more suitable board and jumped back in. Together, Dex and I got some waves until the winds ended our surf session. This time when I went to get out I wasn’t so lucky with the shore break and got absolutely pounded to the point that small cobblestones fell out of my wetsuit zippers when I got changed! Ouch.

North Island Wrap Up

It’s just after eight in the morning and we are about to set sail for the South Island. Over the last 11 days we have traveled the North Island from Auckland down the west coast to Wellington. Our journey on this island was fantastic. While we didn’t get the waves we had hoped for the countryside and the cities we have seen have all been spectacular. More importantly the people that we have met have been really amazing. Everyone in this country seems so willing to help us out. Whether we are looking for a wave, searching for a place to sleep or hill starting our camper van when we stall it, we always feel that some friendly Kiwi will come to our rescue.

Yesterday we spent another day in Wellington and while the weather wasn’t the greatest; the cold, wind and rain gave us an excuse to check out some of the cities indoor offerings.

Our first stop for the day was at the Te Papa Museum. Te Papa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand and has a broad array of things to check out with displays covering the history of New Zealand’s, geography, animal life and people. As a history minor I particularly enjoyed learning about the past of New Zealand’s people and I couldn’t help myself from drawing parallels between New Zealand’s history and present day existence and the history and present day existence my own country, Canada.

In our travels thus far all of us have said on numerous occasions how similar we have found New Zealand and to be to Canada. The people, culture and general feel both countries have almost mimic each other. In both countries it’s not uncommon to be overly thanked or apologized to for the simplest things, or to hear a sly quip about a larger neighbouring country. Similarly, the pride that comes over a Kiwi when you mention how good their nation is at rugby is not unlike striking up a conversation with a Canadian about hockey, although both countrymen will humbly admit that the rest of the world probably doesn’t care as much about their respective sport as they do. At Te Papa it was cool to see first hand how historical similarities have shaped two countries on opposite sides of the world to be so alike.

After Te Papa we set out on foot to cruise parts of the city that we had missed on our previous days excursion. During our walk through of Wellington’s Cuba Street District we stumbled into a small bar that was hosting a few comedy acts that evening as part of the 20^th Annual New Zealand International Comedy Festival. By chance as we passed through the front doors one of the evening’s acts was leaving and after a quick introduction we found ourselves on the free guest list – score!

We returned that evening to the club and over a few beers laughed the evening away. Our new comedian friend, Nick Gibb, had some really funny material and the following act, which was a Flight of the Concords like show, had us in stitches. After the show we shared drinks with the comedians before heading on to a university style pub with lots of free pool tables. Another great day in NZ.

The ferry ride

Graffiti wall at Te Papa

Comedians in Wellington

NZ Dino

Wellington

A small part of me will always remain in Fiji and a small peice of me will always be from New Zealand.


As you may recall I lost a tooth a few weeks ago in Fiji. Yesterday I finally got that tooth fixed. In between getting a new tooth her are some of the days other highlights.

I wouldn't go that far.

All Blacks Star... Dex Giitens

Joining in the fun.

Rain at night.

Fun at the Dentist.

I started growing a mustache the day I chipped my tooth. It was shaved this morning, thank God.

Where are we?

You’re probably wondering where we have been for the last couple of days, so are we. Since leaving New Plymouth on Friday we have been driving in an area of New Zealand called the Taranaki Coast along a stretch of road called Surf Highway 45. While one would expect to find hordes of surfers along such a highway, the opposite is true. In fact, the entire area seems eerily deserted - less the hundreds of cows and sheep that litter the countryside.

In our quest for surf we have been relying heavily on our GPS, a New Zealand Surf Guide and the friendly advice of local shop keeps and bar tenders. At the end of almost every road and behind most cow pastures you are almost guaranteed to find a set up that on any day, given the right conditions, could produce an epic wave. Our issue is figuring where that spot is given the variables of the day.

Today we set out on the road early with hopes of finding our wave quickly and having enough time for a marathon surf. However, nothing on this trip ever seems to go as planned and only several minutes into our journey our progress was stalled when we ran into a bridge and found ourselves pacing round the remnants of our satellite dish – insert four letter word here. After a couple minutes spent surveying the damage and making duct tape alterations to our vehicle we hit the open road again with high hopes of finding a wave.

Today the wind was blowing very strong from the northwest and we decided that our best bet would be to venture south.  Here we predicted that the bend of the coastline would be more favorable to the brisk winds and we journeyed down hoping to find the flawlessly peeling pointbreak waves that our guidebook promised.

Our down south hunt began in a small farming town called Opanake and our first stop was the town beach. The waves hear were mostly closing out and we decided to cruise past to another spot bookmarked in our guide called Sky Williams. When we finally located our wave, a cow pasture and a No Trespassing sign lay in our way. We decided that we had already had enough misfortune for the day and that it was better not to push our luck.  We decided that our best option would be to go back to town to see if anyone could tell us an alternative route to our destination.

As it was Sunday, nothing was open in town with the exception of a smoky pub. I ventured inside the pub, guidebook in hand, and was met by a friendly bar tender. I began to explain to the bar tender our predicament and he told me that he didn’t think that it would be a problem to trespass but that just to be sure he would call a surfer friend to double check. After the his phone call, the bartender reported back to me with the fruits of his effort. He assured to me that we should have no problem crossing this land and also suggested that we check out another spot called Green Meadows, as his surfer friend predicted that Sky Williams would probably not be working today.

With some local knowledge in hand and our trespassing problem solved we finally felt that we were getting somewhere. At Green Meadows the trail got hotter as two other cars with empty board bags in the backseat were already there. Finally it seemed that our hunt was over, but after crossing the meadow that appropriately gave this spot its name we came to a stunning beach with no surfer life in sight and what could have been a right pointbreak minus a wave.

Feeling slightly defeated we moped back across the green meadow towards our camper van. On our way back we crossed paths with the driver of one of the cars with the empty board bag. He had his surfboard in hand and the same defeated look as us on his face. He explained that today just wasn’t the day for any of the points but that maybe we might have some luck at the beach in town on the full tide.

Pocketing his advice we drove back into town this time in search of food. We decide that our best and only option was to pay another visit to the pub. Apparently on a wave-less afternoon in Opanake this is the spot to be because inside the place was full with a hodgepodge of local folks and a full on pool tournament was in effect. We placed our lunch order at the bar and somewhere between the bar and making it to a table we got roped into signing up for the $2 buy in pool tournament. None of us are very good at pool but we figured why not.

After our meals, which were unbelievably delicious, it was time to make our New Zealand pool playing debuts. I was the first to the table and got thoroughly spanked by a pleasant Moari lady in my best of three series. Dex was next and he too followed suit getting handily beat. Mike rounded out our attempt and after going oh-for-none in his first match and making an unsuccessful rally in round two, he sealed our fate losing his second match and completing the town’s sweep of the Canadian boys.

Retired from pool we stayed and chatted for a while until my tide watch began to read full and in a last attempt to surf we headed for the town beach. As we rolled down the hill to the beach our spirits began to rise as we spotted the familiar black floating dots that represent wetsuit-clad surfers. We were so excited to see other surfer life and even though the waves we pretty crappy and mostly closing out we got in anyways.

The surf session in the end proved to be a success. Mike was able to work on getting the hang of his Pyzel shortboard and the inside white wash section was perfect for Dex to master his pop up skills. I pulled into probably 30 close out waves but got a few good turns so at the end I was pretty happy.

Tomorrow our hunt resumes. As I finish writing this it’s only nine o’clock but already everyone in either KOed or about to pass out. What a day.

Pool hall action!

On the road early.

Friends in low places.

The waves are at the end of the rainbow right?

Surf Hwy 45

"Taranaki's hemispherical coast collects 180 degrees of ocean swells. You can be almost certain that the surf will be pumping between New Plymouth & Hawera." - newzealand.com


This is where we are and there is swell on tap. More to come soon!