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X<br />
GENUINELY<br />
NOT<br />
FROM CHINA<br />
GASfins are here to support local surf<br />
manufacturers with quality products<br />
made by real people who really surf.<br />
While, like other fin systems, GASfins are<br />
manufactured overseas, they come from<br />
a place where people enjoy BBQs and<br />
beers, play rugby and most importantly -<br />
SURF - not some big, faceless factory.<br />
Enjoy affordable quality<br />
0417 980 524 • gasfins@gmail.com<br />
WWW.GASFINS.COM.AU<br />
ABOVE: Art outside the local surf shop in Whangerei - The Surf Emporium. TOP RIGHT:<br />
Servo coffee - not crap in NZ. MAIN: This is what we’re looking forward to - new waves<br />
for us to experience! RIGHT: Sheepworld outside Auckland - what a cool logo!<br />
Let’s face it, arriving in a new country for the<br />
first time, after midnight, isn’t ideal. Night-shift<br />
airport staff are guaranteed to be grumpy and<br />
it’s going to be impossible to get anything<br />
organised at one in the morning and still get<br />
enough shuteye to count. Mentally, we’re<br />
preparing for the worst. Wrong. To our absolute<br />
surprise, everyone is as happy and chipper as<br />
if it’s first thing in the morning and they’ve all<br />
scored free coffees. Customs people smiling,<br />
information desk guy chatting away... He<br />
even rings the hotel for us to get our shuttle<br />
arranged after running us through how to get<br />
ourselves sorted with NZ sims for our phones.<br />
Kim - from our hotel - arrives, loads bags<br />
and drives us back like a bat out of hell. It’s<br />
all happened so smoothly and quickly that<br />
before we know it, we’re showered, rested<br />
and it’s morning, with Kim making a special<br />
trip to drop us at Britz to pick up our home on<br />
wheels. Again, smiling faces, friendly service<br />
and not a drama in the world... We’re loving<br />
NZ already and we haven’t even had breakfast<br />
yet. We’re in a rush to get up north to get our<br />
trip underway, so rather than waste time, we<br />
start driving and stop on the motorway at a<br />
service station cafe for a bite to eat. Servo<br />
cafe? You’re kidding... this is like upmarket cafe<br />
latte strip food? We’re starting to get a little<br />
suspicious now. Surely this country can’t be all<br />
good, right down to servo food?<br />
Filled to the brim with strong coffee, bacon<br />
and eggs we’re on the road again, after a<br />
bit of headscratching on how this auto toll<br />
payment machine thingo works. One heated<br />
debate later - of whether we take a detour to<br />
visit Sheepworld - we decide to get straight<br />
into the surfing side instead. The first thing we<br />
need is surfboards! We weren’t coming to NZ<br />
to surf our own - we want to have the full local<br />
experience, right down to the foam under our<br />
feet - so we gun it to Ruakaka to meet up with<br />
surfboard maker Roger Hall.<br />
32 may/jun <strong>2012</strong>
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