This past week was a tough one for hunting waves. The southerly never properly beat the more dominant north east airflow on the Otago coast. That let all that east swell go to waste ... unless you were able to find one of those corner pockets or score a lull in the wind. We came up pretty much empty handed, but not through lack of trying.
The closest we got was a wave over the hill. It was a lottery. Take off on a promising peak and it would whittle out. Take off on an unremarkable faceted lump and it would draw off the sandbank right to the inside. The ocean was a little confused to say the least. Thankfully a heap of rainbows and beautiful light to make it all very photogenic. And some more snow in the mountains.
Over on New Zealand Surf Journal we've been up to our armpits in reviews on the Quiksilver Highline Plus hood and a long-term test on the O'Neill Hyperfreak 4:3 and heaps more. Check them out and let us know if you want us to test something speciifc for you. We have a bunch in the pipeline ...
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We recently ran a video story on New Zealand Surf Journal fearturing Raglan artist Aaron Kereopa. Last week, while they were holidaying in the States, their house and workshop burnt down. Aaron's brother Daniel, or DK, as he is better known to the surf community, was looking after their children at the time and they're all safe. But they didn't have insurance on the house and are returning to New Zealand to discover all their belongings have been destroyed including several of Aaron's artworks, which were hanging in their home. Daniel has started a Givealittle Page for Aaron and Jasmin. You can find it here. If you can afford a little then it will make a big difference to this humble, beautiful family as they face the rebuild from scratch.
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