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!

Highway from Hell

We are slowly becoming nocturnal beasts. Our massive camper van scares the crap out of us so we have decided that driving at night, when there are no other cars on the road, is our safest mode of transportation. After a few days of no showering we are also starting to take on the smell of a beast as well.

After waiting until nightfall to hit the roads I assumed the role of co-pilot and Mike took the wheel for what would become without a doubt the scariest ride of our lives. We locked and loaded our GPS and set out for Raglan – one of New Zealand’s finest point breaks. At that point we though it would be a quick cruise down the coast but little did we know that our GPS had other plans for us and we were lead down some seriously sketchy roads. Over the next four hours our bowel control, maximum heart rate threshold and most importantly Mike’s newly acquire manual driving skills would be tested to their limits. At one point on our journey down the highway from hell we stalled going up one of the many massive hills. Lucky for us an other night rider arrived on the scene after about ten minutes and we where able to do a quick Chinese Fire Drill and borrow his hill starting abilities to climb to the summit! 

Like a sick joke when we finally reached what we thought was our final destination we learned that we were nowhere near Raglan and that we would have to repeat the hairpin nightmare drive that we had just finished narrowly escaping! F#$%!

Lucky for us round two proved to be a success and as I write this I am looking out at the type of point break that dreams are made of. Picture to come soon.

Piha

Last night after getting our RV we drove to a place just outside of Auckland on the west coast of New Zealand called Piha. Piha is one of New Zealand's premier surf beaches. It’s two black iron-sand beaches split down the middle by a big rock known as Lion Rock. 

We surfed at Piha for a few hours and got some awesome waves. Just before nightfall we traveled back into town to try and find free McDonald's WiFi – without any success. 

Sorry for the delay - here is what I would have posted if we had wifi.

Lion Rock at Piha.

Home is were the RV is parked.

Piha

Landing in the long white cloud.

After an amazing nine days in Fiji the boys have landed in New Zealand. Fiji exceeded all of our expectations and we owe a huge part of that to Teh at Go Surf Fiji and Mama of Mama’s Tropic of Capricorn Resort. Thank you – Vinaka. (http://www.adrenalinfiji.com/activities/surfing, http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/fiji/nadi/25128/)

Loading up the plane for New Zealand

We arrived in New Zealand on Sunday night and spent that evening and Monday exploring the city of Auckland. Dex and I did a quick hike on an island across from the city called Rangitoto before meeting Mike via ferry on the North Shore. The view of the city from the top of Rangitoto was amazing and Dex and I made recorded time to the summit in order to catch the bi-hourly ferry back.

Auckland is a beautiful city and in so many ways it reminded me of Canada. The parallels between Auckland and Vancouver are striking as both are very clean with water and mountains that frame the fore and backgrounds.

Auckland at night. Although I said the city reminds me of Vancouver the CN Tower like structure helps Auckland do a pretty good Toronto impression as well.  

The view from Rangitoto.

Dex on the ferry.

On Tuesday morning we left our Auckland hostel to go pick up our camper van. For the next month this will be our home as we will be traveling New Zealand’s North and South Island in search of great waves and good hikes. Our camper van, or what was to be a van, is pretty sweet. Initially we had rented the basic van model however when we arrived at the depot we realized that there was no way that all of us and our surfboards were going to fit for a month in such a tiny space. The people at the camper van depot we very accommodating and upgraded us to a full on RV for only a few dollars more. We have a full kitchen, microwave and even satellite TV – score!

The one problem with our new pad is that it is stick shift and I have only driven standard a handful of times. For now Mike is doing the driving but hopefully I can learn as we go.

Dex with our new ride.

Pro for a day

The last 48 hours have been without a doubt some of the best days of surfing I have ever had. I still can’t believe how things have unfolded. Here is my best attempt at putting into words what we have done. I know I won’t do it justice.

DAY ONE:

On Wednesday morning we woke up at the crack of down and headed out on the road. No boat today because we were headed to a new river mouth sandbar that just formed after the recent floods in Fiji. Waves, the kind surfers like, are shaped by the underwater landscape. Reefs, sandbars, ledges and rock piles all help to make ocean swell energy standup in a way that is fit for a surfer to slide down the face. Teh, our guide, had taken Dex and Mike to this spot the day before and with the rising long period swell figured we would be in for a serious treat if we could get on it at low tide. Teh was right and we arrived that morning to a perfect a-frame wave with serious barrel potential on the lefts and rights. For over an hour and a half while Dex and Mike debated getting in Me and Teh alternated taking turns with our new toy. Teh got seriously tubed and I worked hard at destroying the lip on every wave I took off on.

If you can find this road you're in for a treat.

We surfed the wave from probably 7:30 in the morning until noon. Dex and Mike joined in the fun and so did a few others as the word got out over Fijian Coconut Wireless about this epic new wave. At noon we broke for lunch and went up the road for some local cuisine; chicken curry, rice, a few unnamed Indian breadballs with a couple cans of Coke was our available fuel and we filled the tanks.

After lunch we had the wave to ourselves again and a few more great rides were had. I went to work trying to find a few barrels on the left (with some success) and Mike got wiped out by the biggest set of the afternoon. It was seriously a solid wave!

Arms tired, but not quite surfed out we decide to leave our new “secret spot” and hit the reefs with the boat. While we were stacking our boards I rounded the corner of the truck and came face-to-face with a low hanging tree branch and smashed my head, knocking me flat on my back. As I lay on the ground in pain I felt with my tongue a gap in which just moments before was a huge smile. I guess when I knocked my head my bottom jaw came forward and chipped my front tooth right in half. Great!

A frame perfection - where is everyone?

After brushing the sand off my back and spitting the blood from by cut lips we got in the car and raced back to catch our boat. My missing tooth could wait as the internet hear is too bad to make a phone call home and it was already the middle of the night in Canada so the chances of getting in touch with a dentist was slim – besides we heard that Kelly Slater was in town and the chance of sitting shoulder to shoulder in the line up with him was too great to miss.

We got to the boat just as it was about to push off and I loaded my boards and took a seat at the bow of the boat with a fresh coffee intended to give me a little kick for my final surf of the day. However, the ocean had other plans for my hot beverage and as we bumped along bit by bit the contents of the cup spilled out. When we finally got to the wave all that was left was a dash of cold coffee and the broken promise of caffeinated energy on my board shorts and the floor of the boat. Oh well, the sight of stand up barrels at a famous break called Restaurants was enough to get my energy up again.

After getting some pointers from others on the boat I jumped the bow, board in hand, and headed for the break. After studying the wave from the line up for a bit I decided to go for one. The razor sharp reef is never a few feet away at Restaurants and I carefully grabbed my front rail and pig dogged the take off before getting a quick cover up. In total I got three waves in similar fashion before heading back to the safety of the boat to watch the rest of the nights action. Once on board the boat I sat back and looked on as Teh got a full on stand up barrel, which he would later describe as the best wave of his life.

Barrels in the afternoon at Restaurants.

My rest on the boat was short lived though because just as the sun was setting a bald figure appeared on the horizon. The jet ski this figure rode on could seriously have been a golden chariot and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference because as the figure got closer it was clear to see that it was none other that the best surfer to ever step on a board, the master, Kelly Slater.

I decided that the best place to watch the Kelly show was from the water so I jumped back in and waited for some magic with the other slack jawed surfers. As Kelly waited for the right wave I caught a wave of my own and decide that the low light and heaving barrels were a bit out of my comfort zone so with one eye on Kelly and one on the boat I made my way to safety once again.

When all of our boats surfers were on board were pulled away – all eyes still on Kelly who was now only a black shadow. Just as were going to point the bow towards land you could feel an energy start to build. The few remaining surfers in the line up and everyone on the other boats began to hoot and holler as Kelly took off deep and slotted himself in the barrel for a serious tube ride. Amazing, front seats to see the best surfer in the world ride one of the best waves in the world!

When we got back to land it was dark and we unloaded our stuff. After a quick bite and a failed attempt to check emails and Facebook we went to bed with visions of barrels still in our heads.

It was all smiles when we showed up to this.

DAY 2:

The next morning came far to quick. Knowing that word of our semi-secret sandbar discovery would be out we loaded up our boards in the dark with plans of being the first to the peak that morning. While we were racing to get on the road I knew that I at least needed to make an attempt to figure out my missing tooth situation. With the internet still down at out hostel and the neighboring hostels, I asked Yuri the owner of our surf tour company if I could use the computer at his house to fire a quick email to my Mom. As I sat feverously typing, a slim but tall surfer entered the room. Yuri said, “Hey, John, this is Cole.” Calmly I introduced myself to Cole but on the inside my head was spinning saying “Holy crap, I just got introduced to Cole Christenson, this guys paddles into some of the biggest waves in the world. So cool!”

With my tooth email sent, I wished Cole the best of luck out at Cloudbreak and got in the truck for my own adventure to Effin’ Trees – the name I am now calling our break due to the washed out trees on the beach and because a tree here claimed the life of my tooth.

When we got to Effin’ Trees there were already people in the water and perfect sets were rolling through. We quickly grabbed our boards and paddled out. Lots of fun waves were had but word was certainly out so a bit more sharing was required today.

We surfed until our arms felt like rubber and then decided that like the day before a boat trip was also in order. On the ride to the boat our adrenaline quickly faded and while we tried to keep the stoke alive with energy drinks and a stop at McDonalds we were so bagged by the time we arrived that another bumpy boat trip wasn’t sounding that enticing. Our afternoon fate was officially sealed though when we found out that the winds had changed out at the reefs and that the boat didn’t have enough room for our entire gang. Problem solved – guess that means its nap time.

Effin' Trees through the Trees.

Big Mac-in-every-country-I-go-to-challenge - Big Mac's in Fiji are great!