January 24th 2023: Northland

We don't get many opportunities to surf around Northland. The 3000-plus km on the speedo reminds us why that is the case. But with a rare cyclone swell and the promise of some favourable winds, that's exactly where we headed after the Piha Nationals.

To drive a quarter of the way around the globe to surf seems crazy, but there is something magical about Northland. I've surfed the west coast plenty of times, but the east coast is a treasure trove when the cyclone swells start to arrive. And this trip was a stunner.

I have a bunch of mates who grew up here and have been regaled with stories of these mysto spots and beaches over the years. We surfed waves as far north as Cape Reinga and spent days at some beaches enjoying the quality conditions and sharing lineups with friendly locals. The whole coast kind of comes on at once so crowd pressure is kept to a minimum.

Each beach has its quirks and angles, but for us to be surfing in boardshorts ... well, it didn't matter a whole lot. There are a few key differences – the marine life is so active up here. During one surf I had a hammerhead shark, about 1.5m long ... so not a threat really, but imposing, as he swam right up to me at a good clip. Then we had gannets diving all around us at one point and I swear a surfer could have plucked a kahawai out of the air as he rode a wave another time. My friend, Doug, later told me that a heap of the beaches are loaded with small sharks that thankfully don't cause to much of an issue with surfers.

Surfing is so much easier without wetsuits. Just grab your board and go. We did and surfed so many spots over three days of Northland cyclone swell indulgence. Thank you to the people of Northland for sharing your waves with us and for adding to the experience with your generous spirit.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We have moved our photo library back to our new home at www.derekmorrison.nz. If you would ever like to license our images for commercial usage then it is now easier than ever. We're still loading the library up but you can request an image search and we can prioritise those for you.