Tawharanui Marine Park

Tawharanui Beach
Today the Hikoi moves to the east coast just north of Auckland at the Tawharanui Marine Park. It’s another early start (Father Ted seems to be a morning person!) and I arrive at the car park wondering how I will recognise him. Then I remembered, just look for a car that looks like it has a hang glider on the roof racks! Sure enough there was a Jeep Cherokee dwarfed by this huge red board bag and Jeeps are not small vehicles either. Well Father Ted and his friend Aaron were already checking the waves which were small but fun. The place was fairly quiet with a few surfers already in Anchor Bay and a hand full of cars in the car park. It was actually quite a fine morning with blue skies and a few clouds peppered across the horizon.

Once the board bag was opened and the board slid out I really got to appreciate just how big this was. Nearly twice the size in fact of the largest board I have surfed. I have to say it is truly beautiful. Not something you often say about boards made the standard way. Every inch of this just showed how much love and craftsmanship was put into its creation. The fin alone, which would befit a small boat had been hand crafted in the same wood grain
as the rest of the board.


Already some of the surfers that were starting to arrive were asking questions and admiring both its stature and look. Most were surprised just how light it was for a board that size. It was about this point that a smile grew on my face as I realised “I am actually going to surf this!”
Father Ted started to wax the board, the way he waxed it was almost with reverence and love, I had my suspicions that he really likes this board. He was using some of Roy’s organic wax which he had also donated. It is actually rather good and stickier than the commercial waxes I use. I am a convert so I will be ordering this off Roy in future! I got the camera and housing out the car and got ready to set off to the beach. What would have been a normally quick walk to the beach turned into something more like being celebrities as various people we passed stopped us to ask more questions. We got to the waters edge and checked how the surf was. Lully and small, but quite clean. The odd shoulder high wave but mostly waist high. Perfect I thought as I didn’t really want to have to push myself too hard with a board like this as I had no idea if I could turn it or control a thing this size, also because my back was still as stiff as the board I was going to ride from an injury a couple of weeks before.

Its at this point I apologise to my physio for any damage I do after being told not to load my back for the next 3-6 weeks! Mind you he probably would understand as he was a surfer and took some interest in the hikoi when I told him earlier in the week.

One final Q&A session (We should make flyers with technical info to save time and to save Father Ted from trying to pronounce the name of the wood used in it’s construction!) from an elderly man who obviously saw the board and brought back memories of his youth and we set off to catch some waves.

I am sure there is an outboard motor fitted to that board as it paddles fast! It took a little longer for me to swim out to the line up with my camera in tow! After a few minutes the first set arrived so with camera ready Father Ted took of with ease, gliding down the line. It’s actually a bit nerve racking positioning myself for the shots and seeing the nose of the board poking over the lip because from the lower vantage point I had it looked even longer than on land. Still I had faith that it was under good control from its rider.

Some of the groms in the line up that had earlier been asking about the board, told us that they had been following the exploits on www.surf.co.nz, and seemed stoked to have met the Legendary Father Ted and Crystal Voyager (now re-branded AdamJ!) and were now part of a piece of New Zealand history.
Well it wasn’t long before it was my turn as Father Ted handed me the leash which I exchanged for my camera. After a quick crash course in operating it I started to paddle the board out a bit to get a feel for her. It really is quite easy to paddle but real hard to turn around for a wave as I found out when the first of the set waves arrived.
“Hmmm OK” I thought
“I am going to have to plan ahead with this board!”
So I gradually got her to face the beach and waited for the next wave. It is strange to see so much wood in front of your (oh er missus!) as it looks more like a pier or jetty in front of you! It reminded me of surfing Brighton Pier! Well the next wave was upon me and I paddled for it, got up and promptly fell straight off again. Father Ted made it look easy but it was then that anything I had previously learnt did not apply to this board. As Kat said, it feels alive. Even sitting astride it felt different to standard boards, warmer and altogether very organic in nature which is quite comforting.

So I paddled for a few more waves somewhat apprehensive, not only because I did not want to damage her but also anyone around as I was sure steering it would be a problem for me. Finally I got a wave and it just glided through the water with subtle flexing over the ripples. Quite a different feeling to my 7’6” that I normally use, also what was quite different was making a turn. It just didn’t for me, not through the board design but my lack of skill, so there I was on a 13 foot board which was feeling like it was running on rails straight to the beach, “bugger!”

Not one to give up, I paddled back out (this board must have a motor, I have never paddled so fast!) and slowly turned the board around for the next wave. The above cycle repeated itself a number of times with one where I tried a late take off (not a bright idea!) which saw me go over the falls with the board flying up in the air. A good few feet according to Father Ted (Oh why did you not get a photo of that). It must have been quite something to see 13 foot of wood go airborne (Sorry Roy).

“Just one more wave” I said a number of times then finally got myself a small right hander and made the turn and was running the face. Stoked, with a big grin I finally got it to turn. I am not quite sure how, almost as if it did it by itself in pure frustration at me straight handing the earlier waves! I can only describe this board like an analogy to cars. It reminded me of a Rolls Royce, quiet, smooth, big, understated power and just the feel of it alone exudes quality.

By this time the waves were getting peaky, the sky looking increasingly stormy and the bay was filling up with a few more surfers and my back was starting to give out a bit so I figured it was time to let Aaron have his turn. At least the kids in the shore break were now safe from me hurtling towards them on a wooden missile! I took a few more water shots and headed back to the car to get my other camera.
On my return there is Aaron whizzing along a nice little wave, just barely having time to turn the camera on and get a few frames.

There was no doubt he loved it from the expression on his face.
He quickly turned the board around and paddled out back cutting through the waves, the nose protruding through the back of the wave reminiscent of a whale.
He also did something that Roy said the board wasn’t designed to do and that was walking the nose. I guess it just goes to show that anything is possible. We did joke if the next big swell out west would be a good idea to try tow in surfing with it! You never know it might be more versatile than the designer had realised.



It wasn’t too long before Father Ted took the helm once more while Aaron showed his skills on his short board. Again he showed how at ease he is with the board taking on a few more waves. Before long it was gone midday and it was time for us to leave.

One last thing to do was to add our messages to the board bag before putting it back on the car. It was a great experience and I am now even more respectful of Roy and his creations and for his generosity at letting us try his board and in such a great way. I hope I get another chance to ride it and do a better job next time and get some more photos of will become a legend in surfing in New Zealand.

Until then enjoy the rest of the photos and the Hikoi blog as more stories unfold on its journey around the country.

Tawharanui Marine Park

Today the Hikoi moves to the east coast just north of Auckland at the Tawharanui Marine Park. It’s another early start (Father Ted seems to be a morning person!) and I arrive at the car park wondering how I will recognise him. Then I remembered, just look for a car that looks like it has a hang glider on the roof racks! Sure enough there was a Jeep Cherokee dwarfed by this huge red board bag and Jeeps are not small vehicles either. Well Father Ted and his friend Aaron were already checking the waves which were small but fun. The place was fairly quiet with a few surfers already in Anchor Bay and a hand full of cars in the car park. It was actually quite a fine morning with blue skies and a few clouds peppered across the horizon.

Once the board bag was opened and the board slid out I really got to appreciate just how big this was. Nearly twice the size in fact of the largest board I have surfed. I have to say it is truly beautiful. Not something you often say about boards made the standard way. Every inch of this just showed how much love and craftsmanship was put into its creation. The fin alone, which would befit a small boat had been hand crafted in the same wood grain
as the rest of the board.


Already some of the surfers that were starting to arrive were asking questions and admiring both its stature and look. Most were surprised just how light it was for a board that size. It was about this point that a smile grew on my face as I realised “I am actually going to surf this!”

Father Ted started to wax the board, the way he waxed it was almost with reverence and love, I had my suspicions that he really likes this board. He was using some of Roy’s organic wax which he had also donated. It is actually rather good and stickier than the commercial waxes I use. I am a convert so I will be ordering this off Roy in future! I got the camera and housing out the car and got ready to set off to the beach. What would have been a normally quick walk to the beach turned into something more like being celebrities as various people we passed stopped us to ask more questions. We got to the waters edge and checked how the surf was. Lully and small, but quite clean. The odd shoulder high wave but mostly waist high. Perfect I thought as I didn’t really want to have to push myself too hard with a board like this as I had no idea if I could turn it or control a thing this size, also because my back was still as stiff as the board I was going to ride from an injury a couple of weeks before.

Its at this point I apologise to my physio for any damage I do after being told not to load my back for the next 3-6 weeks! Mind you he probably would understand as he was a surfer and took some interest in the hikoi when I told him earlier in the week.

One final Q&A session (We should make flyers with technical info to save time and to save Father Ted from trying to pronounce the name of the wood used in it’s construction!) from an elderly man who obviously saw the board and brought back memories of his youth and we set off to catch some waves. I am sure there is an outboard motor fitted to that board as it paddles fast! It took a little longer for me to swim out to the line up with my camera in tow! After a few minutes the first set arrived so with camera ready Father Ted took of with ease, gliding down the line. It’s actually a bit nerve racking positioning myself for the shots and seeing the nose of the board poking over the lip because from the lower vantage point I had it looked even longer than on land. Still I had faith that it was under good control from its rider.

Some of the groms in the line up that had earlier been asking about the board, told us that they had been following the exploits on www.surf.co and seemed stoked to have met the Legendary Father Ted and Crystal Voyager (now re-branded AdamJ!) and were now part of a piece of New Zealand history.

Well it wasn’t long before it was my turn as Father Ted handed me the leash which I exchanged for my camera. After a quick crash course in operating it I started to paddle the board out a bit to get a feel for her. It really is quite easy to paddle but real hard to turn around for a wave as I found out when the first of the set waves arrived.
“Hmmm OK” I thought
“I am going to have to plan ahead with this board!”
So I gradually got her to face the beach and waited for the next wave. It is strange to see so much wood in front of your (oh er missus!) as it looks more like a pier or jetty in front of you! It reminded me of surfing Brighton Pier! Well the next wave was upon me and I paddled for it, got up and promptly fell straight off again. Father Ted made it look easy but it was then that anything I had previously learnt did not apply to this board. As Kat said, it feels alive. Even sitting astride it felt different to standard boards, warmer and altogether very organic in nature which is quite comforting.

So I paddled for a few more waves somewhat apprehensive, not only because I did not want to damage her but also anyone around as I was sure steering it would be a problem for me. Finally I got a wave and it just glided through the water with subtle flexing over the ripples. Quite a different feeling to my 7’6” that I normally use, also what was quite different was making a turn. It just didn’t for me, not through the board design but my lack of skill, so there I was on a 13 foot board which was feeling like it was running on rails straight to the beach, “bugger!”

Not one to give up, I paddled back out (this board must have a motor, I have never paddled so fast!) and slowly turned the board around for the next wave. The above cycle repeated itself a number of times with one where I tried a late take off (not a bright idea!) which saw me go over the falls with the board flying up in the air. A good few feet according to Father Ted (Oh why did you not get a photo of that). It must have been quite something to see 13 foot of wood go airborne (Sorry Roy).

“Just one more wave” I said a number of times then finally got myself a small right hander and made the turn and was running the face. Stoked, with a big grin I finally got it to turn. I am not quite sure how, almost as if it did it by itself in pure frustration at me straight handing the earlier waves! I can only describe this board like an analogy to cars. It reminded me of a Rolls Royce, quiet, smooth, big, understated power and just the feel of it alone exudes quality.

By this time the waves were getting peaky, the sky looking increasingly stormy and the bay was filling up with a few more surfers and my back was starting to give out a bit so I figured it was time to let Aaron have his turn. At least the kids in the shore break were now safe from me hurtling towards them on a wooden missile! I took a few more water shots and headed back to the car to get my other camera. On my return there is Aaron whizzing along a nice little wave, just barely having time to turn the camera on and get a few frames. There was no doubt he loved it from the expression on his face.

He quickly turned the board around and paddled out back cutting through the waves, the nose protruding through the back of the wave reminiscent of a whale. He also did something that Roy said the board wasn’t designed to do and that was walking the nose. I guess it just goes to show that anything is possible. We did joke if the next big swell out west would be a good idea to try tow in surfing with it! You never know it might be more versatile than the designer had realised.











It wasn’t too long before Father Ted took the helm once more while Aaron showed his skills on his short board. Again he showed how at ease he is with the board taking on a few more waves. Before long it was gone midday and it was time for us to leave.

One last thing to do was to add our messages to the board bag before putting it back on the car. It was a great experience and I am now even more respectful of Roy and his creations and for his generosity at letting us try his board and in such a great way. I hope I get another chance to ride it and do a better job next time and get some more photos of will become a legend in surfing in New Zealand.

Until then enjoy the rest of the photos and the Hikoi blog as more stories unfold on its journey around the country.

- Adam J

a beautiful work of art

BB comments today:
marko sharko III posted 05 December 2007 09:25 "Was a bit nasty - 2-4 foot and couldn't get past the shorey on it. Welcomed back the short board!!

But a beautiful work of art it is. I agree with Father Ted that it really needs somewhere with a good rip or a point break, rolling it was easy enough and it manages to paddle over white water pretty easily, but with continual waves I found I was just getting sweeped backwards. Somewhere with a break in the waves would make life a lot easier. I think the rocker in it means it doesn't plane as easily as a normal mal.

In the little reforms, got standing up briefly but didn't have much more luck than Kat...being used to a short board and trying to edge the rails - couldn't get my balance right. Only had about 20 mins attempting it - but it's all part of the fun.

For someone who is used to very big boards - it would be interesting to see what they think.
Can wait to see someone surf it at Pipe...you definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the tail or fin."

its a conversation starter

todays BB comments:
Father Ted posted 04 December 2007 22:02 "Today was fun, mate its a conversation starter, I've never had so many people talk to me about a surfboard before and its interesting how many either knew about the Hikoi already or are keen to follow it and already know quite a bit about hollow board building.

As for the surf, I got a few waves on it today and it was a bit punchier than Sunday. I was pretty cautious about the crowd and the best (by far) peak was well covered so I hung off the side a bit.
Nice to meet Marko and at least one other BB member who doesn't post much anymore but might be tempted to come back one day. Actually if he's listening and wants me too I'll happily let him know when the board next heads out.

No Photos From me today sorry, Mrs Ted gave it a good go but was also keeping an eye on 2 little future WCT surfers.
Oh and Roy' I discovered what happens when you tighten the vent on a hot board and then try to loosen it on a cold board. Mmmm... Might need to carry a spanner with me next time."

blunt' posted 04 December 2007 12:15 " dont think there should be a time limit. If the Hikoi takes 6 months or 12 months so be it. Its going to take time for the board to move through the country, dependant on when someone is travellin south etc.
Us South of Aks (and even further south - Beano) will just have to be patient I'm guessing.
Personally it would be nice to have it this way for the Autumn swells but whenever, whatever will do. Perhaps nzXsports could sponsor the cellphone After all, this will do no harm and lots of good to this sites profile etc. What do you reckon Marty "

Father Ted's words

Thanks Kat for bringing the board this way, it definitely has a WOW factor when you see it up close; the rails and the fin are especially detailed and the whole thing flows nicely from its tip through its dramatic rocker shape to the extreme pintail. Roy has a genuine talent for working with wood and he’s created something really beautiful with this board.

Surfing a 13’ Olo board for the first time was quite an experience, having picked Kat up and making our way to Muriwai the sense of vague nervousness began to increase. I really had no idea as to what I was in for but I was excited about the opportunity to try something new. The waves were just about the perfect size for a first time, S2S had called it 2-3’ with the occasional 4 footer and it was probably fairly accurate although the 4 footers were fairly infrequent. Having dealt with the obligatory photo session the moment of truth arrived and the real excitement began.

The lowdown from a layman’s perspective

The board paddles really easily and the ‘rather pronounced’ rocker gives you quite a lot of lift over smaller whitewash. Rolling it is quite easy on the bigger waves and the more forward you are the less likely it seemed to me that I would get whacked in the head by it. It’s really nice to sit so high in the water and you feel your making good time paddling, aside from the rolling and the typical Muriwai reform you’re out the back in no time at all. I discovered that nothing happens on the spur of the moment with a board like this- there’s no such thing as a quick spin around for a late takeoff, and even if you sit right on the tail it takes awhile to bring the front around. Forward planning seemed like a good idea and I was to discover that getting caught ½ way round can be fairly exciting.

The first wave put a smile on my face for sure, Paddling in fairly early on a head high peaky wave I felt like I was getting hung up in the lip for a moment (could have been because the waves were a bit lumpy) and then the board seemed to release and I was off, leaning to the left a little and the rail had me shooting towards the open face. Initially it felt like the board had a mind of its own but it didn’t take long to get dialled in a bit and my confidence increased to the point that I had no hesitation taking off on a few set waves. You can move around quite a bit on the board and that’s pretty helpful on the double up inside reforms that seem to frequent Muriwai on the outgoing tide; There was more than one “Oh SHOOT” moment when the wave wedged out underneath me and I was faced with a steep drop with the tip buried in what was quite possibly very shallow water but a quick shuffle to the tail seemed to be enough to bring the nose back up and we carried on with my heart beating wildly nonetheless- quite a rush. The last thing I wanted to do was snap the beast in the shorebreak and I didn’t want to get catapulted by it either.

I was stoked to get a couple of quite long waves from right out the back, the board links the tricky sections together easily and it doesn’t bounce around in whitewater sections either. I’d hesitate to say that I ‘threw down a few turns’ but I felt like I was busy all the time and it’s easy enough to bring the board back around to the curl again, The rails/rocker do all the work so it seems like the harder you lean the board over the faster it turns and I never felt bogged down at all.

I was stoked when I first held the board to realise it is quite light considering its size, because I have to admit I was pretty wary about the possibility of surfing it without a leg/calf-rope. There was no problem with that at all, although the surf wasn’t all that big bit it’s not much heavier than a ‘traditional’ or older mal. I reckon the only thing you’d need to worry about would be copping the sharp end of the pintail to the head if it came shooting back quickly- maybe that’s why Roy wears a helmet.

Kat, did really well, she’s quite petite and it’s a big board so I think the impression that I had initially felt about the board having a mind of its own was possibly more real for her, but she had no trouble getting up and sizzing along the wave and I’m sure that on a cleaner more lined up day she would have had no problems at all picking up a few big ones out the back.

All in all I had a blast on my first excursion and it’s awesome to have an opportunity to be a part of something like this, thanks again Roy for sharing your board with us and to Spud for making the suggestion. There are a whole lot of people who are going to have a whole lot of fun. I’m really keen to keep it a little while longer if people don’t mind to see if I can get out in something a bit more solid, I’ve got my fingers crossed for another swell like the one that came through last week. Here’s hoping J in the meantime I’ll get back to giving it a polish, I’ve attached a couple of photo’s of it, hopefully they show a bit of the detail in the board. It truly is a beauty.

Kat's Tale

The day dawned bright and clear, because, well, face it, it wasn't a dark and stormy night, and all stories have to start somewhere.
I left Tauranga with my dog-leg side trip to 'Where-the-***-is-Putaruru' en route to Aux all planned out, I'd slipped the piece of paper with Roy's address and phone number into my diary and off we beetled down the road. A nagging feeling caused me to pull over about 5 minutes drive later and check the contents of my diary. Boys and girls, always listen to your instincts. If I hadn't, I would have been looking for Roys house in 'Where-the-***-is-Putaruru' using the price list from my local Chinese takeaway store.

Meeting Roy and Emma was a lovely experience. My son and I were treated to a 'factory tour'; not a piece of plastic or any other ticky-tacky to be seen, no offensive pongy chemical-fumes to be sniffed, one could actually say the set-up was quite primitive...and one will, because it's the perfect word to sum up the birthplace of this board! Craftsmanship clearly runs in the jeans -oops, I mean genes - a fish being constructed by Roy's 11 year old son was well under way - I hear the lad is a bit of a speed demon ;o) and a clever dude, just like his dad!

If 13 Feet of Fury had been drilled through the middle at the halfway mark and loosely bolted to my car, it would have acted quite well as a helicopter-style propellor and got me to Aux in quarter of the time it eventually took me. The photos show how, errr, short, my car is.... Roy put all my fears at rest as he saw me off: "The cops won't know how long it is looking straight-on - it'll only be if they overtake you". Jeez Roy, I think I had Nifty 50 scooter overtake me on the road out of Tirau...my internal dialogue went something like: "Just get the damn board to Aux in one piece Kat, no pressure, breathe".....

Next stop, many, many, many hours later - Orewa. I had to surf. Yes, I repeat, I was at Orewa, intending to surf. Now stop laughing. Now I'm SURE I heard Roy say that this board liked its waves plus-two-foot, and I just happened to have another board with me that I could a) lift and b) surf. Oh and c) attach to my person with a springy bit of rubbery rope. The big scary potential child(and kook)-killer board stayed on top of the car. AdamJ did open the bag and have a peek to satisfy himself I wasn't transporting a hang-glider. One whiff of the linseed oil and he was convinced. Hang-gliders don't smell yummy like that, even if they are roughly the same length.

The passing of the torch happened later that evening. Father Ted wore the same 'head cocked to one side, trying to find just the right words' expression that I did when I saw it. "It's pretty big eh". (Master of understatement, our Father Ted). I wrote my confession onto the board bag in indelible ink - "yes, I'm a scaredy kat today, but I'll try again later!" Truth be told, I just could never have lived down being The One who surfed It, in Orewa. I think that's justified dismissal from Surfco, innit? "Oh well", says FT, "you may get a chance to have a go on it before you go back?". Not bloody likely, thinks me. Maybe I shouldn't have faked my disappointment quite so well....

Muriwai is on the West Coast. I am a kook. I have never surfed the West Coast, and I possibly never will again. "It's pretty mellow out there, maybe a bit small but we'll give it a go" says FT, now promoted to KING of understatement. Of course, I didn't know this at the time I said 'yes' to coming along. Mellow my bikini bottom. I took my own board out initially and basically spent my whole time using it as a shield from the 3-storied towers of Muriwai whitewater crashing down on my head in the front, where I was well and truly trapped.

Father Ted picked up The Beast with one hand and tucked it snugly under his arm, and with a wave and a "Cheerio" was out the back before I could say "You west coast surfers are a pack of freaks". I spent most of my photography time using the zoom to actually locate him out there. Apologies for the amateurish-ness of the pic/s, my survival instinct was slightly heightened at the time and I fear my hands might've been a little shaky... but he tamed The Beast and got a few good rides, and a sensational stall from doing the one thing Roy said not to do - noseride it. Never seen someone just simply...stop...on a wave like that. Elegant dismount too, by the way dude... ;o)

So FT comes in beaming and says "you should try it". I beamed back at him and said "you're fking kidding me aren't you?". But hey, I couldn't let the moment pass me by (again), the beach had no low-flying children on it, so I picked up The Beast with two hands and with one thigh for support I lurched towards the water. Classy. Paddling out on it was not an option. I led the board out, just far enough by my calculations to get a short ride for posterity, without risking that 13" fin and my life. So I was in up to my thighs, in other words. A wall of unfriendly looking Muriwai whitewater came charging at me and I thought "yep, this'll do, I'll just send myself in on this". Wrong. What I hadn't factored into my calculation was that spinning the fricking thing around 180 degrees to point it at the beach would take the equivalent length of time of two sets. When I finally got it pointed in the right direction I lay on it, and to be honest, that's when I fell in love with this board. It feels...alive. It's warm. It has a vibration to it; I'm not tripping here, boys and girls! When you ride it, you'll know.
A couple of paddles and up popped kat,

and off fell kat, repeat exercise x 3 or 4 or 9 or 10 attempts. I'm surprised FT managed to get any snaps of me standing before it bucked me off.

I swear, it IS alive. It's like trying to take an exuberant and very large puppy out for a walk - think Clifford the Big Red Dog with a single fin. Uncontrollable, youthful, playful. And always at the end of its leash, gagging to do more. I'm looking forward to the 'real' surfers out there giving 13 Feet of Fury the playtime it needs, and bringing it back my way tired and house-trained and ready to be nice to little kooky chicks like me. In the meantime I guess I'll have to keep playing on my plastic/pu toys out on the (east coast!!!) waves. Roy, not sure whether to curse the fact you've spoiled me and nothing else will do until I get my hands on one of your fish boards. What a revelationary experience that was. Thank you for this rare opportunity.

Kat drops the board off to Father Ted

AdamJ and Kat after leaving the board on top of the car yesterday whilst they went for a grovel were told that it doesn't have to be at least 2ft to take the board out, so AdamJ is keen to go out today despite a back injury, hopefully he and Kat can meet up with Hunty again for a surf at Murawai/Mud beach. And that AdamJ can get some of his Crystal Voyager stunning pics.
comments:
Kat 02 December 2007 10:48 "I rode it!!!! At Muriwai!!!!!! Okay, it's maybe technically more correct for me to say: "I stood up on it this one time, and it carried me into shore" FT rode it. Like it should be ridden. Saving details/pics for the blog"

Hey peeps, the board's arrived in Aux

comments:
kat 01 December 2007 16:47 "the board's arrived in Aux, in one piece .. We surfed teeny weeny Orewa. 13 feet of fury watched from the car.I left The Beast on top of the car purely because you told me it likes a 2ft face at minimum, I wasn't going to insult it by taking it out on that 1ft grovel I had this arvo .... honest, yer honour! (Plus that thing projectiling through the hordes of grommets out there would've had me lynched by a dozen or so parents, quick smartly!)I really really really wanna have a go, we'll see what Father Theodore is planning for laters...What's the call for tomorrow morning jafas?"
(just waiting for the pics and words to be sent through from kat)
Father Ted 01 December 2007 22:38 "Damn that's a nice looking board, I've got to say its quite different to anything I've ever surfed before but there is some real craftsmanship in her too.
And its like a living thing... it breathes. I was having a tutu with the vent and I tightened it up. It wasn't closed for long and when I undid it again I swear it let out a sigh.
There's an early call for the Muriwai/Mud Beach's tomorrow. It looks small but it should be fun nonetheless and a second chance for Kat to catch a wave on her while she's still in the area."
RoyStewart 01 December 2007 23:39" That's all good, the raw linseed oil is pretty good actually as long as it is polished in carefully so that it doesn't run all over the wax, but it doesn't last long so it would be good to have the auto polish on to keep her in good shape, as we can't expect everyone to polish the board and i didn't send any linseed with it. No worries if you don't have time as wee don't want you missing any surf opportunities, and oil is ok, and does make the board faster. So its pros and cons and yesnomaybe again. . . .. . up to you basically, I'm just the garbageman "

The Power future primitive Surfboard leaves home

On saturday the Dec 1 2007, The Power Hikoi started with 'Kat' from the NZXsports forum picking up the board. The board will be passed from surfer to surfer in NZ.