January 27th 2026: Coast to coasting

This past few weeks we've travelled 3700km throughout New Zealand. We've visited so many coastlines in search of swell, and for contests for my boy, Keo, and my nephew, Reuben. We even surfed both coasts of the South Island a few days ago with waves in Westport in the morning and then Kaikoura by that evening. 

Despite all the travel we never had outstanding forecasts to work with – in previous years we've totally scored. But this year's trip was a little scratchier on the wave front, although we still managed to find a few stunning days that will be highlights in the memory banks. 

We surfed a few cryptic waves, too. Tauranga Bay in Westport can often be a hard spot to dial in, but it's counterpart on the other side of town at the breakwater is another beast altogether. The paddle zone is small and tight against the break wall, then the chocolatey waves are fast and snappy, and then if you drift too far north in the lineup the mega sweep does its best to send you all the way to Karamea. 

Ironically the best waves in New Zealand this summer came to Gisborne a few days after we left, then to the Wairarapa a few days after we left there and then slowly made their way down the east coast to Dunedin for this past weekend. That's surf trips for you ... 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS The World Surf League's World Championship Tour is coming to Raglan May 15-25, 2026. Yes, it's all official after we broke the news on Saturday. This is the biggest thing to happen to New Zealand surfing in a very long time and just may be the catalyst we need to help us save our broken surf industry. We'll be keeping everyone up to date on this event over on www.nzsurfjournal.com So, book your accommodation and lock in for surfing to shine on the world stage at Manu Bay.