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Roger tells us of a popular surf spot nearby called<br />
Waipu Cove, which he says will be our best bet in<br />
the onshore winds but doesn’t really hold too much<br />
hope for us getting wet. What Roger didn’t figure is<br />
that we’re from the Sunshine Coast where the surf<br />
is regularly crap and we are used to these conditions.<br />
Slop grovellers we are, and proud of it.<br />
We arrive at Waipu, the beach is deserted, it’s<br />
howling onshore, overcast and a wee bit chilly.<br />
Great, let’s get it onnnn. I couldn’t wait to press my<br />
flesh on Roger’s personal works of art (sorry Roger)<br />
and start the first of our many wetsuit tests.<br />
All in all it was a good surf, made all the more<br />
memorable for the fact it was our first in New<br />
Zealand. Of course we saw the obligatory seal, the<br />
first of many to be seen throughout our trip, but<br />
not knowing exactly what it was at first I almost<br />
changed the colour of my wetsuit to a deep brown.<br />
The conditions may not have been perfect for an<br />
initial road test of Roger’s boards but the Mini-Sea<br />
Creature shone through in the choppy conditions as<br />
did the 7’ Hot Curl surprisingly. You would think a<br />
finless board in dumping, sloppy beachies wouldn’t<br />
be ideal but the volume certainly helped and<br />
despite being finless, you could surprisingly ride<br />
this board forehand and backhand. I’m a novice and<br />
can’t ride finless boards backhand.<br />
We finish our surf as it nears dark and head back<br />
to the motorhome where we crack the first of many<br />
beers for the trip. The Kiwis sure know how to brew.<br />
We wander to the end of the campground to find<br />
what is the coolest restaurant aptly named the<br />
Beach House Café + Bar. We are waited on by a<br />
delightful young lady called Emma who just so<br />
happens to be the local photographer whose snaps<br />
adorn the walls along with an array of other tasteful<br />
bric-a-brac. The food is amazing and we are already<br />
starting to marvel at how good New Zealand is.<br />
We awake the next morning to even more gloomy<br />
and blustery conditions. Waipu Cove is a write-off,<br />
so we head back to the Beach House for breaky.<br />
Emma had worded us up the night before that the<br />
chef freshly bakes an array of breads, muffins,<br />
scones and doughnuts each morning and that their<br />
coffee is amazing.<br />
Emma is not wrong - the coffee and breakfast is<br />
unbelievable and we are already starting to wonder<br />
how much weight we will actually gain on this trip.<br />
My Homer Simpson physique was already well<br />
underway before we left.<br />
We leave the Beach House as full as bulls and steer<br />
towards Whangerai, where we’d heard there was<br />
a funky little store called The Surf Emporium who<br />
specialised in new and used handmade boards, surf<br />
inspired art and the like. Unfortunately the weather<br />
had deteriorated and with the way it was, The Surf<br />
Emporium was closed for the day so we travelled<br />
on towards Tutukaka, a very popular diving, deepsea<br />
fishing and surfing spot.<br />
LEFT AND BELOW: Hidden off<br />
the street, the Beach House Cafe<br />
+ Bar was our stop for dinner and<br />
breakfast. While the freshly-baked<br />
goods hit the spot, the atmosphere<br />
was perfectly set with the cool<br />
decor, featuring the great local<br />
surf photography by our friendly<br />
waitress, Emma Knight.<br />
Waipu Cove sunrise. Photo: Emma Knight<br />
Waipu Cove. Photo: Emma Knight<br />
may/jun <strong>2012</strong><br />
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