April 2nd 2024: South Island Champs

The Te Kāika South Island Surfing Championships for 2024 were held at St Clair over Easter. The mixed weather was accompanied by some pretty amazing and fun waves making for one of those surf comps where the competitors rave about it for years to come. Well, maybe not those who had to contend with the washing machine on Friday. The swell was raw and at times relentless, challenging even grown men and seasoned competitors. 

To get out the back was a gamble that might work out okay, or if a set persisted it would mean a 10-15-minute paddleathon ... often without even catching a wave.

Christchurch phenom Ava Henderson returned to competition for the South Islands and was right back where she left off – dominating – and would have given plenty of the men a run for their money on the bigger days. She won the longboard and Women's Open.

The event boiled down to a thriller in the Open Men's Final. Piha's Zen Wallis laid down an early 7.43 after a magic ride from way out the back to the very inside. That sent the rest of the field scrambling with Westport's Jai Earnshaw throwing down some huge turns – finding sixes in the back end of the heat. Taranaki's Jarred Hancox also stepped up and gave the judges a real mind-bender to adjudicate.

Meanwhile, local Jack McLeod, who had a very vocal fan mob on the esplanade, looked feverish as he scouted the lineup for a wave that would compare with Zen's opener. He found one that would take him close, but it wasn't until the end of the heat that he clawed into a right that ran for him. A series of vertical reos and fins-out turns saw him win the judges' favour. In the end, just 1.24 points split first to fourth. The esplanade erupted in cheers as their local lad won the title.

Jacko was chaired the length of the esplanade in a fitting bookend to an incredibly exciting final showdown.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We're back in the studio for the next few weeks (on a big deadline for my upcoming pie book) so if you need a nice new print for your office wall, or just want to spruce up your home, then drop in and say hello. You can check these special limited edition prints out here.