South Island - New Zealand

, originally uploaded by m_hagen.

We picked up a little Subaru station wagon in Methven and hit the coast as soon as we could. Banks peninsula was our first stop. We based ourselves in the little harbor town of Akaroa for a few days eating fish and chips and enjoying the amazing views of the bays that circle the peninsula. The photo here is of one of the 12 bays that circle the peninsula picking up different swell angles and work in different winds. This place seemed to like the combination this day.

Summercloud Bay, South Coast, NSW

, originally uploaded by m_hagen.

The company Ocean and Earth were kind enough to repair the zippers on my boardbag free of charge which gave me an excuse to roll down the south coast for a couple days of surf. They're warehouses are located at Sussex Inlet just down the road from Wreck Bay. The first day was good with consistent head-high waves peaking and pealing off perfectly across the reef. The nor-east breeze was light and the grommet bodyboarders were getting barrels on every little wave that came through. It was kind of strange for me to surf with only bodyboarders. They were pretty laid back for kids but still it was kinda strange to be the only one standing up. I surfed into the dark and was out by myself for the last hour of light once the kids left to get back for dinner. The sun sets in the southern corner of the bay to the south which means the waves were a beautiful back-lit green for the last hour. On the way in I stepped right onto an urchin at sunset. Plucked out some nice pieces in the van that night with the tweezer's. Camped right there in the Park with just Kangaroo's for company. Incredibly dark as there is nothing around. The next day I had breakfast with the local dog walking crew down at Manyana beach and listened to all the local gossip. Then I headed back for another long session at Black Rock, or is it Summercloud? What about Aussie Pipe? So many names for this spot. The surf was even bigger the second day and the nor-easters were stronger cleaning the swell up even more. It was a little bit more crowded but still plenty of waves for me and my bodyboarding buddies. There were even a couple of guys coming in with surfboards as I was leaving... Great waves for a 24 hour period.

Treachery, Central Coast, NSW

, originally uploaded by m_hagen.

Great 2 days surfing this beachbreak. Dave and I had it nearly to ourselves 12 years ago. While it's gotten more popular it's still relatively empty and the waves are great. Wedgy, unpredictable barrels down towards the middle of the beach and a more distinct peak up near the headland. Crystal clear waters, and this peak to myself. Can't really complain...

Lennox Head, North Coast, NSW

, originally uploaded by m_hagen.

I wasn't really expecting much surf on the east coast of Oz at this time of the year, but have been really lucky. Leaving Brad and Linda on the Gold Coast, (along with some of the most crowded line-up I've ever seen at D-bah) we stopped first at Lennox. I raced down the grassy headland and got the last couple of hours light with overhead, offshore walls running down the point. It was really cool to surf there again nearly 12 years since traveling through with Rich and Dave. I even lucked into one of those Greenough barrels that comes through across the inside, sticking my arm in the wall of the wave to stall and wait for it. Yep, I also got cut up on both feet and one finger got slashed pretty good. Some things never change and the rocks at Lennox are legendary for scraping bark from ya!

Main Beach, North Stradbroke Island - QLD

, originally uploaded by m_hagen.

What a great few days of surf!. Main Beach has to be one of the funnest beachbreaks I've ever surfed. Lines of swell coming in from the north east wrap around a headland and form excellent peaky punchy waves. The surf was really consistent as well keeping the weekend crowd pretty happy. The waves sometimes grow as they reel off down the line almost breaking parallel to the beach. With the consistent swell and nor-east wind blowing offshore all three days we were there, Brad and I didn't dry off the entire weekend, surfing pretty much non-stop.