January 14th 2014: Contrast

We were lucky to spend half of last week on North Island beaches and the other half on Dunedin beaches. That's pretty special, but the oddest part was this Jekyll and Hyde weather. We watched thunder heads amass over Mt Maunganui then bomb the beach with raindrops the size of tennis balls. Then, back home in Dunedin we went from one balmy sunny summer's day to the complete opposite within 24 hours. It's a land of contrasts.

I felt a bit sorry for Susanna and Fabian, all the way over from Nurmenburg in southern Germany, when I met them at Blackhead Beach one evening. They had encountered this erratic weather for the first few weeks of their month-long break away from university and they must have wondered what season it actually was in Neuseeland.

Both, 23, these two Germans are experiencing New Zealand the way most Kiwis first did: on a bare bones trip around the country in a car or van that is about ready for the scrap heap. It's an adventure laced with unknown and fueled by chance meetings and events. Good times indeed.

Finding waves has been a tough ask this week – we've been out of sync and most spots have only pumped for short periods of time. We just missed a solid Raglan session on the points, but we're ready for this week and it seems the weather gods are smiling. Sickie for you on Wednesday? See you out there.

Derek

PS Challenge Wanaka is taking place this weekend with some of our favourite athletes chasing titles. Wanaka comes to life for this weekend so make sure you're a part of the buzz.