North North North - The best of NZ I've seen so far.

Breaker Bay, Wellington - A mean-spirited fast-as-fuck breaking-around-an-island-and-reforming-a-peak-over-shallow-boilers wave I surfed with fellow charger Fraser Pease; after first surfing a windy, cold and mucky Lyall Bay for 1,5hours, after 4 hours of sleep in the van in a residential area, after a crazy taxi ride home, after semi-stoned shopping trolley surfing in the road, after club-hopping with friends and strangers, after watching the All Blacks cream the French at WestPac Stadium, after pre-game beers at the Thistle Inn, after pre-bar drinks at the Haddon home, after a late lunch and a lazy morning on the Internet when I should have been surfing Island Bay...

After handing in her final papers and selling as much as our stuff as possible for very little money, Caila and I set out for the North Island of NZ. Our first day took us past Kaikoura, which (by now) we have come to know fairly well. After a long drive from Christchurch to Picton (6hrs) we got to the ferry and boarded, balking at the $200 it took off our credit card. At least you are able to change ferries, depending on availability. And it turned out to be quite a pleasant journey. I convinced the crew to let me back down to the car under the pretense that Caila was cold and came back with blankets and food and a drink or two. And so we settled in directly outside the 2 TV rooms - Caila watching Shrek in the one room and me watching the All Blacks play France in the other room, while holding hands! Once we got off the ferry we drove out to the closest beach we could find (Te Horo Beach, appr. 1 hrs from Wellington) and camped for the night, enjoying some bedtime fireworks.

The next morning we set out for Surf Highway 45 and I ended up surfing on my ace at a break that can only be reached by crossing a farmer's land. We camped within viewing distance of Stent Road's low-tide boulder beach break that evening and woke up to a couple of beans surfing in the wee hours the next day, prompting me to suit up and go out for a solid 3-hour session. Caila was disappointed at my indulgence in a spliff afterwards, but we made up on the way to Murupara via Rotorua. That evening we camped ever so coldly outside the DOC (Department of Conservation) offices where Caila was to start her internship the next day. The aforementioned kicked off on a high note when we got to accompany 2 of the rangers as they released a Kiwi chick back into the wild! That evening we occupied the volunteer house and enjoyed our first hot shower in a while, did some laundry, made a nice fire and promptly fell asleep in front of it.

The next morning I set out on my own for the Mahia Peninsula and then the trip to Wellington to meet up with G&C to watch the All Blacks. The drive from Murupara to Wairoa would have challenged most 4x4s and Hau-we had a rough time of the winding, muddy 100km mountain pass. Took me about 4 hours and I lost 3 wheels just before arriving in civilization again. I also picked up a hitch-hiking lad called Tim, who looked rather dubious as the van swerved across the road at 30km/h, trying desperately to keep traction on 3 flat tyres. Luckily NZ's rural areas have a no-cost-if-they-don't-have-to-be-replaced policy on fixing tyres and I made it to a 3-foot Annihilation Point around 4. Surfed and the made a spiffy camp on the beach - blissful in the silence and solitude that preceded a night of introspection and epiphanies. Despite another swell-lull the next day I camped at the same spot, exploring the peninsula and marveling at the quality of available properties in the area. I did paddle out at Blacks Beach, but mostly to appease my conscience.

The next morning I set out on the 8-hour drive through sleet and storm to Wellington, stopping only to buy a new car radio and oil. I met up with Greg and Cecile at the ferry station in the nick of time and went with to Dan Haddon's home for a hot shower and sleeping out in the van in front of the house. And then, the next day, we went for the Big Night Out, which brings us back to the start of this posting...