We're just back from the 2022 edition of the O'Neill Kaikoura Coldwater Classic – a gem of a surfing event that celebrates surfing in winter. With snow-capped mountains and some biting weather it certainly lived up to its name. The event is renowned for making the most of the best waves on offer in the area and this year certainly didn't disappoint with some exposed breaks offering everything from playful runners to the odd death peak on finals day. The long walls of Mangamaunu gave surfers some between heats fun.
With $6000 in prizemoney and a heap of prizes on offer thanks to nearly all the local businesses of Kaikoura (so good to see the town gettting behind this event), the fields were stacked.
My youngest daughter, Rewa, came away with a fistful of cash with her third place in the Under 16 Girls and my eldest daughter, Taya, finished second in the Under 18s to earn some decent spending money as well.
But it wasn't all roses for team Morrison. On our previous trip to Kaikoura we had to stitch Rewa's lip up. This time around it was Remi's turn with a stick poking a nasty hole into his chest. Event nurse Roxy poked her finger in there and sent us straight to the vets for eight stitches and a course of painkillers and antibiotics. Poor wee fella.
He'll be back, barking with happiness at nothing in particular, in no time.
The Salty Slug (that's our motorhome) can make the trip to Kaikoura in seven hours. A lot of people question why we go so far – especially when the kids sometimes get knocked out first round (yep, that happens). But Kaikoura is always such an incredible place and every visit is different there. Winter time is one of my favourites. The mountains tower over the surf spots and you feel like you can almost reach out and touch them. It feels like you're surfing and camping inside a masterpiece. And that, along with the truly awesome people who inhabit that crazy coastline, is why we'll always look forward to our next trip there.
See you at the beach ... Derek
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