TARANAKI SURFARI OCTOBER 2020

The first 2 days of our Surfari (Thursday and Friday), we had stunning sunny weather and excellent surfing conditions. No wind to speak of, which didn’t bother us too much as there is so much else to do in Taranaki: Jill surfed her heart out launching right from our accommodation in Oakura, working up a healthy appetite for breakfast. We went for a walk up to Goat Rock through stunning New Zealand bush on Thursday afternoon when it did get too lumpy for a good surf. Friday there was more surf and a long beach walk to Kumara Patch, possibly one of the most beautiful beaches in Taranaki. We then explored one of the fantastic swimming holes of Stony River for lunch in the sun. Rhys braved the cold and went in for a dip 🙂

Saturday the wind was picking up as forecasted. With low tide in the morning we had plenty of time for a relaxed breakfast before heading down the coast to Kina Road. Although the Taranaki Wave Classic was officially cancelled, it was as busy as if it would happen! Numerous sailors from all over the country showed up for a weekend of unofficial TWC and BBQ on the beach.

Though the wind was fairly light, it didn’t take long for the first locals to hit the water, showing everyone else how it’s done. Our crew was keen and followed pretty soon after with the classic Kina rock-dance.

After many hours, the sausages and beer at the beach were very welcome. Though some may found it hard to hold them as there wasn’t much energy left.

Eat, Sleep, Repeat. Sunday dawned with similar condition, maybe with a couple more knots of wind making it a bit easier and more relaxed to plane between the waves.

Monday = Groundhog day. Same conditions as the 2 previous days – I’m not sure why I did bring a car full of gear. One board and rig would have done for the entire time! The main difference for Monday was, that a lot of people apparently already left. It seemed, apart from the locals and few random other people, it was just us left. Everyone went out again, making the most of this last day before returning to Wellington or Auckland absolutely wrecked.

Rock on for TWC 2021!

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