NZ: Somebody please pinch me...

I must be dreaming...

Camped out at a pumping Right point.
Beautiful volcano in the distance.
Can't begin to count the number of waves I got this morning, or yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that.
Flip Flops.
Boardshorts.
Just cracked open an ice cold Tui.
The Van turned mobile art studio. (My Vart Studio?)
Painting a new shirt graphic for Billabong.
Waves still getting better by the minute.
Wind still offshore.
A big Kiwi ham and cheese sandwich waiting to be made (and devoured).
Wetsuit almost dry for an epic afternoon sesh.
Surrounded by good people.
Not sure where I'll be tomorrow.
No end in sight.

I think this moment just goes to show that what you keep in your thoughts will materialize. Might as well think of how to get to paradise right?

A BIG THANKS to all those who helped made, or are helping make, this adventure possible in one way or another. I am grateful.

NZ: Taranaki Gold Mine

At first I had the video at the end of this post but I thought we should start'er off with a bang. Good place to wake up eh?

So I left Raglan with Lenny and Lawrence and headed South towards Taranaki. We stopped at a place where you can dig a hole in the sand at low tide and it fills up with hot spring water (Not the famous and super crowded Hot Water Beach on the East coast). So we drank some beers in our personal hot tub and camped in the parking lot. Good times.

TARANAKI: Basically a giant half circle peninsula sticking out into the Tasman Sea off the West coast of New Zealands North island. It's a swell magnet for a wide variety of swell directions, 180 degree swell window! In the middle is a giant active volcano, Mt Egmont (or Mt Taranaki) which has a slope open in the winter. Legend has it that there is a decent wave somewhere in Taranaki everyday of the year. I'll be living in New Plymouth for the next 3 months, Taranaki's largest city and right on the beach. Population 'bout 70,000.

Fitzroy Beachbreak, New Plymouth in the background

So after a fun surf in Fitzroy I took off down the mosty unpopulated coast in search of some gold. Long story short... I got rich!

Classic Taranaki farm road with Mt Egmont looming over

On Friday I pulled up to a nice right point/reef break and ended up camping right on the bluff overlooking the point. I met Bert and Gaelle, a cool Belgian couple and then Pipjn, the funny Hollander I met in Raglan, showed up. For the next 4 days it was like we were in Vegas at an all-you-can-eat buffet, except the salad bar had a big tray of long, pumping, shallow Rights and if you walked over to the other side of the salad bar you could find a bottomless tray of low tide A-frame peaks with a fast bowling Right hander and a long Left that I could never find the end of. Apparently the salad bar extends quite a ways down the beach and if you're up for the walk, you can find and endless variety of toppings all to yourself. We gorged ourselves like greedy little piglets. My arms are done, my eyeballs are sunburned and I'm sweating pure sunscreen. Taranaki, I love you.

If you've already been here I'm sure you know, this place is unreal!

Rounding up the wagons

NZ: Raglan Round 2

Whale Bay - Raglan, looking pretty delicious

It's been a bit windy (with a slightly unfavorable direction) since I got back to Raglan but there have been some moments in the last few days well worth writing home about. There were a few fun days and I had the best sesh of my whole NZ trip so far. An evening up at Indicators with a handful of people out and a belly full of excellent fish & chips. It was my 3rd paddle out of the day and the first time the waves were good enough to surf this particular point(Raglan has 3 main points), which added to the magic I'm sure. The wind died. The sun was shooting rays in all directions from behind the clouds. The waves were absolutely pumping. Non-stop, solid overhead sets. I was drooling all over the place. And Kelda had her camera... unfortunately Erin and I ending surfing a bit farther up the point, it front of the sun and out of camera range, but she still got some beautiful pics of the evening.

How much fun does this look. Pic: Kelda

Indies - So good. Pic: KeldaSomebody with a nice little one on the inside. Pic: Kelda
Drooling after a good sesh. Pic: Kelda

Manu Bay

The Hair Cut... I forgot how it came up but Kelda was cooking dinner one night, think it was Falafel, and I asked if she wanted to feed me, she said only if she could shave my head because she apparently has some weird obsession(fetish?) with petting a freshly buzzed head. Little did she know I was planning on finding some clippers soon anyways and doing my self in. So... we both got what we wanted, and, she got a good sequence out of it.
Here's the now standard slideshow of some more pics...

NZ: Gisborne and the East Cape

Raglan was getting flatter everyday and the reports were calling for a short period windswell to nail the East coast so I made the mission and scored the best waves of the trip so far... what would I do without the internet???

Robby and Paula decided to hop in "The Van" (Not smelly anymore, the new Astroturf dries in a flash!), Dropped Robby off in Hamilton but not before we went straight to Hell, Hell Pizza that is. You can order any of the seven deadly sins in a delicious pizza version along with several other devilish options. Why can't more restaurants have a sense of humor? I sold my soul when I found out the pizza boxes have a tear-out-and-fold-yourself coffin that can house any left over slices. Pure marketing genius!

Here's Robby digging his own grave

Paula needed to catch bus to Wellington in Lake Taupo. The area is loaded with hot springs and thermal pools. Erin (Who I met up with when I got to Gisborne) had shown her a place between Rotorua and Taupo where a hot creek runs into a cold stream and where they mix is a nice big pool to lounge in. The place was pretty sweet. No pics sorry.

So after nearly missing Paula's bus the next morning I headed on my way to the East Cape... when I got there it didn't look too promising, 25-30 knot onshore winds and just pissing rain. So I got me some steak, corn and taters and had a feast back at camp. When I woke up the next morning it was blue bird and offshores and I got to surf this all day long... just silly...
This place reminded me of The Base back home. At low tide the sets would just come in, take a turn up the beach, wedge up, and set up some good long hollow lefts and a speedy right complete with a perfect launch ramp on the end. I think I boosted the biggest air of my life this day... definitely didn't land it. And I got a couple decent tubes. The Gizzy kids rip this place to shit!

The next day was a bit smaller but still fun. I was chatting with a local in the parking lot and he mentioned a spot about 45 mins up the cape and down a dirt road a few miles... my kind of spot. He said it would be better and uncrowded (Why wasn't he there?) So I went. It paid off...

Chest high, clean peaks all to myself? Yes Please! And keep them coming.
I think I'm falling in love with this country!

Beach front Accommodation, complete with free light show.
And you should have seen the stars this night... I could literally see satellites it was so clear.

Beautiful drive up to the spot. (Hard to find a drive around here that isn't) Came around a corner and started drooling when I saw this set up. Parked one of the auto industries finest right on the beach, hopped in my trunks, lathered myself in sunscreen and surfed the above empty line-up until I couldn't paddle anymore. What did I do to deserve this?

That evening I broke out the stove on the sand and made one mean breakfast scramble for dinner; Mushrooms, onions, zucchini, chopped Italian salami, garlic, eggs and Colby cheese with buttery toast and a glass fine red wine. I should've got the shot of my plate... damn it. Could've got the cover of Camping Magazine or something. Life is grand indeed!

I was chilled back in my chair digesting dinner and watching the stars come out when I got humbled... not a single person in the world knew my whereabouts. How often does that happen? Not enough. I was truly lost and it was a good feeling.

So it was flat the next morning, and so wind swells go. right now I'm on my way back to Raglan(different route) for a good swell coming this weekend. I'll end this post off with a shot that sums up my recent photographic style... sloppily taken from the window of my car. As I'm writing this, I'm camping at a spot just ashore from that active marine volcano(White Island) to the right.

"On the road again. Going places that I've never been. Seeing things that I may never see again... I can't wait to get on the road again - Willy Nelson

Slideshow...

NZ: Raglan - Solscape

Manu Bay, Raglan - A view from the perch at Solscape

If you cut off just a thin slice of heaven, toasted it to get those nice crisp edges and smothered it in world class left point breaks you might have a place called Solscape (Soul Escape? Quite possibly). Met some folks in Piha that let me in on this little secret(Brenda got stuck here for 8 months of her year long trip, it's that good.). Located on the hill overlooking Manu Bay, there are old cabooses turned into backpacker rooms a nice community kitchen and lounge area, a camping/van area with a badass open air camp kitchen. And the cherry on the top is there is the option to work around the property for 1-2 hours a day in trade for free lodging... or if that's too much work for you, you can always just pay $15 ($7.50 US) per night to camp there. I've met quite a few people that have called this place home for the last several months and I can see why...

Camp Kitchen - pics by Dan

The waves were pretty small when I got there but still had some fun ones at Manu and the beachbreak. Plenty of time for Dominos, eating, drinking wine, checking out the local waterfall and having a good laugh with folks from all over the world.

Ruth-less Dominating Dominos

Paula, Dan(The Man), Ruth, Me, Robby

Here's some more pics...