Travel Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

Watch: Place Of Thorns

Derek MorrisonAug 1, 20240

Place of Thorns tells the story of one of the world’s most incredible waves, Puerto Escondido, from its discovery by early surfers when it was just a small coffee port in Mexico, to the bustling tourist Mecca it has become today. After five decades, Puerto continues to draw surfers from...

Paris 2024: Billy And Saffi Fire Up Their Campaigns In Tahiti

Derek MorrisonJul 28, 2024August 5, 20240

A building swell at the Paris 2024 Olympics saw Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette progress to Round 2 in Tahiti today. Both surfers made New Zealand proud, grasping opportunities in their respective opening heats at Tahiti’s infamous Teahupo’o. Over 15,000 kilometers from the host city, Olympic Surfing debuted for Paris...

Teahupo’o 2024: Your Olympic Cheat Sheet

Derek MorrisonJul 19, 2024July 19, 20240

We’re on the eve of the Paris 2024 Olympics with Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette on their way to Tahiti’s infamous Teahupo’o – the reef break at the end of the road. They’re our Kiwi hopes in a contest that will undoubtedly grab the world’s attention. Here’s what you need...

Watch: The Impossible Wave

Taira BlakelyJul 19, 2024July 25, 20240

Thirty years ago, ISA president Fernando Aguerre dreamed that surfing might one day be included in the Olympic Games. No one could have predicted how challenging that pursuit would be. The Impossible Wave follows Fernando Aguerre’s improbable mission to push surfing into the Olympic spotlight. After 27 years and 12,000 hours...

Watch: Southern Blast

Derek MorrisonJul 2, 2024July 25, 20240

Southern Blast tells a story of natural beauty and the looming threat of oil and gas exploration along Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania’s coastline – endangering a unique coastal lifestyle and surfing culture. Southern Blast is a beautiful cinematic celebration of the wild landscapes, abundant marine ecosystems, and local communities...

Cloudbreak Selected For 2025 World Surf League Finals

Taira BlakelyJun 18, 20240

This morning, the World Surf League announced that Cloudbreak, Fiji, will host the 2025 WSL Final – a winner-takes-all finale that will crown the men’s and women’s World Champions and conclude the 2025 Championship Tour season. Cloudbreak, a legendary left about 2.5 kilometers off the coast of Tavarua, is widely...

Film Review: The Road To Patagonia

Taira BlakelyJun 18, 2024June 18, 20244

We’ve all had that dream – leaving our worldly possessions behind, grabbing our boards, and embarking on the surf-road-trip of a lifetime. For most of us, uprooting our whole lives to surf simply isn’t an option, and we are left living vicariously through folks like Matty Hannon, and his new...

Watch: Gone Wild – A Short Film By Fernando Jara

Taira BlakelyJun 11, 2024June 21, 20240

Budding filmmaker Fernando Jara teams up with Jack Tyro, one of New Zealand’s best young surfers in his short film Gone Wild. Filmed in and around Jack’s home breaks near Christchurch, the film’s ethereal visuals and immaculate sound design, paired with his mastery of the surf – on both shortboard...

Watch: Calypte

Derek MorrisonJan 2, 2024June 11, 20240

When Torren Martyn and Aiyana Powell borrowed the 35ft sailing boat ‘Calypte’ and departed from the east coast of Thailand in early 2022, they had a combined sailing experience of only a few days. Ishka Folkwell documented that journey. The one requirement of their charter was to eventually deliver the...

Barrels, Beers & Dislocations: An Indonesian Rookie’s Story

Isaac ChadwickNov 15, 20230

Isolated beaches with no one in sight. Dreamy barrels curving onto a perfectly shaped volcanic reef. Amazing food for the price of next to nothing. And now Jack McLeod is being precariously lifted onto a wooden tuk-tuk boat with his left arm painfully protruding from its socket, muscles throbbing in...