A recent trip back to Aotearoa (NZ), surfed my home break at Sandy Bay Northland...a beautiful country bay, 4 dudes out head high , off shore and perfect, those with a country and rural up bringing will relate, SUPs are rare and are looked upon as a curiosity, everyone was just hooting each other onto the waves regardless of what they were riding

"Welcome home"

Soothing and cool, water flowing clean and blue, true northland welcome home so true...ebb and flow memories so long ago now familiar once again alive , country soul so clean and true...very much Northland, Ruakaka, Pautua bar, Sandy bay and of course Waipu...

The paddle out the back with sets head high, clean blue and indeed brisk as I duck dive...hold my breath then...sigh, that loving fresh air I breath so deep and smile welcome home, Haere mai, Haere mai...

I contemplate this new but familiar feeling, contradictions abound from Noosa to the GC, Queensland so far away...to northland, Aotearoa or land of the long white cloud...from busy, crowded, happy but... "my wave, my wave, look at me" smiles or frowns all round... compete for wave after wave, take, take, take, but wait...here in Aotearoa, Northland, silence except for the sea, so gentle, clean but so empty, silent, clean, no greed and free...

Welcome home indeed, as I drop so perfect, cylindrical, so clean and blue, glide and flow, rise and drop, top turn and spray a little head dip...a gentle Mother Nature caress as she lets me go, my smile so deep, oh welcome home bro, welcome home indeed.

Whananaki has fond memories for me.......lived in Hikurangi for a while....but hard to say bad things about Ahipara of course :)

Northland reminds me of nsw north coast. Miles of empty waves.

I love Ahipara also spending many summers there in the eighties...

Gizzie my other bestest place is Mahia. Some of the best waves of my life on the northern reefs . Just me and mates.

nice one greystoke!!

Nicely put :-)
Pataua has been our holiday destination for the last 10 years.

Nice mate,

Thanks for taking us over the ditch,
It's beckoning me out there
I've got the itch

You win :)
Rory

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bownes said..

Northland reminds me of nsw north coast. Miles of empty waves.

I love Ahipara also spending many summers there in the eighties...true

Gizzie my other bestest place is Mahia. Some of the best waves of my life on the northern reefs . Just me and mates.[/quote

So true mate, Shippies rocks, I did a surf trip to the coast in 1990 hicks bay, tokomaru , gizzie and of course beautiful Mahia, mate I surfed a reef set up by myself insane while my wife watched from the shore, never been back since but I still have this smile just thinking about it.

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Rory4053 said..

Nice mate,

Thanks for taking us over the ditch,
It's beckoning me out there
I've got the itch

You win :)
Rory[/quo


Hey Rory, really worth the trip buddy, if you do let me know and I'll give you run down some of the best SUP and surf spots mate, let you know the ones to avoid as well. :)

The winter less north, grew up in Ruakaka area surfing Waipu, race coarse, ocean beach, sandies, langs, and multitude of other beaches, river mouths and sand bars,

Fond memories of many a cold winter morning driving out to sandy bay. girlfriend and dog in the car, sunrise on the east coast. Trips to the far north in summer, driving ninety mile beach and of coarse all the great snapper fishing to be had from the beach and rocks up that way.

Clean crisp water, fun waves, good mates

kia kaha greystoke, makes me miss home. Need to head back for a surf trip I think. I forget about the sessions that you mentioned, all are there for the sheer joy of surfing and relaxing. Although I must say, I certainly don't miss the cold water

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Greystoke said...

Rory4053 said..

Nice mate,

Thanks for taking us over the ditch,
It's beckoning me out there
I've got the itch

You win :)
Rory[/quo


Hey Rory, really worth the trip buddy, if you do let me know and I'll give you run down some of the best SUP and surf spots mate, let you know the ones to avoid as well. :)

Thanks Greystoke love NZ been there five times but only skied and toured about. Never surfed! If we go back I will take you up on that

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FlyingKiwi said..

kia kaha greystoke, makes me miss home. Need to head back for a surf trip I think. I forget about the sessions that you mentioned, all are there for the sheer joy of surfing and relaxing. Although I must say, I certainly don't miss the cold water

Kia ora kiwi, yea bro I hear you mate, I don't miss the cold water either, I lived in Christchurch for the last 9 years, moved here January last year, surfed mostly Sumner, New Brighton and occasional trips to Kaikoura and Dunedin right through the winter months, I've still got my steamer, booties, hoodie and gloves, I'm heading back in August for a surf/ snowboard trip (Sumner / Mt Hutt). I only started SUPing last year, wished I had started years ago, so many uncrowded breaks in NZ North and South Island.

And don't forget Taupo Bay, Northland. In 1967 on family holidays I had some great surfs on my Atlas Woods 9'6".
Think I was about 14 or 15 at the time. A spot pretty well protected but the drive down into the bay from the top of the hill was full of expectation. Wreck Bay at Ahipara was always on the agenda too. Good times always stay with you.
Yes would be good to go back with a SUP and a bit of swell.