There was a little surprise waiting for me at Mount Maunganui. The dire forecast was wrong. Somehow a trio of swells turned the place into a peaky dreamland – 2-3 foot A-frames held in place by light offshore winds. I wasn't expecting it and had filled my days with interviews and photoshoots based around the people and culture of surfing in The Mount.
That quickly morphed into 5am starts with interviews through the middle of the day and another shoot at the end of each day. For four days I finished around 9pm, found something to eat for dinner, then logged the day's images and stories until after midnight. Slept for a few hours and back into it again at 5am.
I love the thrill of shooting at these places and the incredible people I get to meet. I get a glimpse into their daily lives and develop a real connection with them – artists, talented surfers, shapers and ordinary surfers with tales to tell.
Of all the places I've visited, Mount Maunganui has the broadest range of surfers, surfing styles and motivations. A quiver here spans more than one sub-culture and isn't bogged down by any one influence. Hipsters harbour performance boards here and surf athletes sometimes paddle out on longboards. The kids are thick in numbers and well-coached. Some are well drilled in the criteria of surf judging, others as free as birds with the way they read the wave faces.
It's no surprise to learn that surfers like Kehu Butler, Levi Stewart, Ben Young, JC Susan, Jonas Tawharu, Elin Tawharu, Georgia Wederell and many more have launched their careers from here. We spotted a few more names that will soon belong to that list.
The Mount may get bagged for its surf consistency, but there's something special about this place. We reckon the locals probably don't mind it being overlooked.
See you at the beach ... Derek
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