January 2019 - New Zealand Surf Journal

Caleb Cutmore And Tegen Bishop Win First Grom Comp

Derek MorrisonJan 27, 2019February 8, 20190

Raglan’s Caleb Cutmore and Christchurch surfer Tegen Bishop rose to the top at the first round of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge today at Mount Maunganui. Conditions dropped to a mere 0.5m swell with offshore winds at the Tay Street event site – just enough to complete the event....

Meke. This Is Elliot Paerata-Reid

Derek MorrisonJan 24, 2019July 25, 20241

There is no doubting that Piha local Elliot Paerata-Reid is on a performance surge right now. His 2018 Indonesian season was sensational in and out of competition, but the Mega Swell of late July saw him paddling into some of the most intense waves ever witnessed at his favourite Indo...

Elliot Paerata-Reid’s Wild Wild West: A Film By Jono Smit

Derek MorrisonJan 24, 2019January 24, 20190

Filmmaker Jono Smit and pro surfer Elliot Paerata-Reid team up for a Catlins strike mission only to have the rug pulled out from under them as the weather bomb flushes up the Tasman at the last minute. In an opportunistic stroke of madness they give chase along the West Coast...

Ariana Shewry Second At Sunset Pro Junior, Hawaii

Derek MorrisonJan 20, 2019February 8, 20190

If Oakura pro surfer Ariana Shewry was looking for a top start to her 2019 season then she nailed it today with a second place at the Women’s Sunset Pro Junior in Hawaii. One of Oahu’s most iconic competitive venues, Sunset Beach, delivered breezy, challenging conditions throughout the day with consistent...

Billy Stairmand Beats Ricardo Christie, Wins Seventh National Title

Derek MorrisonJan 13, 2019March 1, 20190

Billy Stairmand has beaten good friend Ricardo Christie to kick off 2019 in the best way possible claiming his seventh title at the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships completed at Stent Road in Taranaki today. Taranaki turned on another stellar day of surf and weather with clean 1.5m waves and...

Ricardo Christie vs Billy Stairmand: Taranaki Turns On For Health 2000 National Champs

Derek MorrisonJan 11, 2019March 1, 20190

Perfect Taranaki waves laid the platform for New Zealand’s top surfers as the contest whittled down to the semifinalists at the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships held at grunty Stent Road this week. The head-to-head battle between WQS regular Billy Stairmand and good friend and WCT qualifier for 2019, Ricardo...

Subantarctic Surf Discovery, Part 2: Enderby Island

Derek MorrisonJan 7, 2019July 2, 20200

Chasing waves on Enderby Island starts with getting to know the locals. They’re furry and blanket the place like lolling beach bums of the south. A little respect (and a lot of patience) will go a long way in this remote part of the Southern Ocean perched on the western...

Book Review: Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

Darren EadeJan 4, 2019February 8, 20191

“Surfers are self-centered arseholes sometimes.” I’m sure the surf obsessed among us recognise this sentiment. It’s in that moment when your partner catches you looking out the window at the toetoe plants for wind directions, and checking the tides at the most inconvenient times of the day. I suspect this...