Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
In case you missed it, this Easter Weekend saw the Emerson's South Island Surfing Championships held at St Clair Beach in waves ranging from two right up to five foot. And winds from 0-30 knots.
It nearly didn't get off to a good start. A squall rolled through just before sunrise on Friday morning and sent the ocean into a frenzy and nearly blew the Emerson's tent to Queenstown. A whole bunch of us grabbed a leg of the tent each as the waves slapped the wall and soaked us to the bone. Despite the madness of the situation we seemed to find it all very funny. I was drenched from head-to-toe. Most of us were. What a way to start.
After a short break to assess conditions (and for some of us to change clothes) the weather backed off enough to provide a day of really nice waves. And from that point onwards the event never missed a beat.
The long days featured some amazing waves and incredible surfing. Over the years it has grown into one of the biggest surfing events in New Zealand. Surfers from throughout the country attend hoping to win a slice of the $10,000-plus prizemoney on offer. With equal pay for females and males, Jarred Hancox and Saffi Vette each walked away with a cool $1500 for winning their Open divisions.
There were some real standouts from this year's event including Mount Maunganui's Tao Mouldey who won the Under 14 and Under 16 boys division (and won a Quarry Beach surfboard for his efforts). He has two brothers, Zen and Ziggy, both on track to be just as competitive. Christchurch surfer Benji Lowen is not far behind – showing a dazzling commitment to some big heavy sections throughout the event to win the Under 12 Boys.
Then there are the Pauanui sisters Chloe and Lola Groube. Chloe dominated the Under 14 Girls with a series of performances each heat that were hard to fault. My girl Rewa finished second to her. Lola then went out and won the Under 12s without hesitation.
Local lad Richard Ayson must have been watching the grommets before he headed out for his Over 50s final – he looked like a teenager finding St Clair's running lefts to win the division.
One of the best final exchanges came in the Under 18 Men's with Mount surfer Jack Hinton and Christchurch surfer James Millar duking it out like a couple of old rivals. James came away with the win.
Ava Henderson, of Christchurch, and Anna Brock, of Mount Maunganui, had a similar heated exchange with Ava just pipping Anna by 0.4-points after 20-minutes. In the Under 18s it was Taranaki duo Natasha Gouldsbury and Ariana Shewry who went into battle for the top spot with Natasha coming away the victor.
After three days of mixed conditions, to finish in the searing heat of Sunday just added to the quality of the event. Run by South Coast Boardriders and supported by Emerson's Brewery, the work from the mostly volunteer event team was outstanding.
South Coast Boardriders has always been renowned for its hospitality to visitors and I felt a real sense of pride in being a part of the club on Sunday evening. Visitors shared a laugh with the locals, kids skated the new ramp and around the clubrooms as the afternoon sun bathed St Clair in a warm golden light. Just perfect. I'm not the only one looking forward to the next one already.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Pencil May 6-9 into your diaries now for the Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival for 2021. We've been given a little insight into the lineup of speakers and events and can tell you there's something special brewing here. More details for DWRF21 right here.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: