Stepping foot on to the North Island of NZ is like arriving in an entirely different country. The people more diverse, the climate hotter and the swell noticeably bigger. We hadn't had much luck on the paddle front down South so we were hungry to feast on the October swell that was dominating the West coast. After a couple of uneventful days awaiting our medicals in Wellington, we speeded up North a-sap towards Raglan with our arms still feeling like pin cushions. Raglan for those of you who haven't heard is the NZ Mecca of surfing. Pretty much every town on the North Island's coast claims this title but only Raglan actually deserves it. A sleepy little coastal town with a handful of surf spots nearby, all brimming with beautiful leftys. We lucked out time wise and had arrived just in time to catch the end of the bigger winter swells. The next few days were spent in the water feeding off the sets of almost perfect waves which tumbled in one after another for what seemed like hours and hours. We knew this dream couldn't last forever and right enough after a few awesome days the sea turned eerily flat which was enough to motivate our lazy arses to shift in to gear and seek out new spots to revel in.
My new boss had tipped us off about a sweet surf spot right up North called Shipwrecks Bay which is apparently home to the longest lefty in NZ. He also told us the swell was looking good for the next few days which was enough to convince us to hop in to Plop and cruise up the winding mountainous roads of the North which feel more than a challenge without power steering. Five hours after leaving Takapuna we arrived at Shipwreck bay just in time for waves to be picking up. Full of anticipation we jumped in our wetties and paddled out in to the amazingly warm and clear aqua water. We soon found out the rumour of Shippers epic leftys was no lie. In almost perfect symmetry wave after wave broke, peeling along in perfection for as far as the eye could see. Even the smaller breaks that would usually be mush on a regular beach were perfect little waves peeling away happily in to the shore. And crowds, they don't exist here. We're talking about 3 or 4 locals who spread out along the reef and beach break too busy having a good time to spoil anybody else's fun. Yup Shippers was peachy and we even scored an awesome camping spot right on the bay which was owned by local Maori Willy; “complete with flushing toilet and warm shower”. Well you can't ask for much more than that can you?
Shippers was sweet but it only works every so often when the swell checks in to town, which at this time of year wasn't as much as we'd like! So off we headed again back down South towards Raglan where we spent a few more days before we caught wind of giant swell hitting the Coromandel and Mount area which was on the East coast about two hours away from us. After yet another mellow drive we arrived in Whangamata and pulled up to the bay to see around twenty keen surfers in what can only be described as utterly massive waves. The currents were wreaking havoc though and not knowing the spot too well we decided to play it safe and head for Mount Maunganui which was just down the road and catching equally good swell but with a bigger beach to play on. Again we pulled up to a sea full of little black spots of people so decided to catch some zeds and head out for an early surf instead. The next morning was just as busy so we drove along the beach until we found a slightly less crowded spot. The waves were huge but the currents were there in force to make sure you didn't have too much fun. Paddling out was a bitch but our perseverance was rewarded with monster waves, a few of which were our biggest yet standing tall at around six foot. After a couple of good days of getting two sessions a day in the sea yet again turned flat. Which was probably for the best as we found out just before we left that a couple of three to four metre great whites had been spotted lurking in the water. That explained the helicopters then.
With a lack of enthusiasm to head anywhere too off to radar we decided to head back to Raglan again where we had established a nice little group of friends and so it was starting to feel a bit like a second home. Alas by now the Summer had rolled in to town and so along with the sun came the drop in swell. Yes there was always waves but the winds always in the wrong direction or the swell never really big enough to salvage much. But beggars can not be choosers and as long as the surf wasn't complete and utter mush we'd be out there trying to make the most of it. And so this brings us to present day. I (Katie) start work in a few days so gone are the days of complete freedom to chase the swell and live the search. It's only three days a week though so we're hoping we can cram in a lot of adventures in between office hours. And plus summer is here now so if all else fails there's always a sunny beer garden just waiting to be exploited by a couple of rowdy Scots.
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