Sleep, who needs it? Colleen Carroll and fellow North teammates Reno Romeu and Matchu Lopez tear through wild New Zealand. They find beauty in spades and sessions for all, sacrificing sleep for an unforgettable journey!

It’s one of the most remote places on the earth, for the seasoned European traveller it represents the longest plane journey you can undertake. However, the treasure buried within the islands of New Zealand is undeniable. For kitesurfers, it offers a plethora of locations and conditions, with something for everyone Colleen Carroll, Reno Romeu, Matchu Lopez and Toby Bromwich went off on a voyage of discovery.

I popped my head into the corner store, quintessentially named Tip Top, in hopes of warming up with a cup of coffee while the rest of the crew finished their session.  As I waited for my deliciously addictive cup of joe, I perused the classified ads posted on the wall and came upon the “Coffee News”, a local newsletter for a suburb of nearby Wellington, New Zealand. 

Amongst the feel-good stories of rescued animals and two-for-one clippings for the restaurant down the street, a quote printed in the very middle of page one of the two-sided leaflet stood out to me.  It was by Vincent Van Gogh and read, “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere”.   A beautiful quote with a good reminder to people everywhere, but one I found almost funny because, since arriving in New Zealand, all I’ve seen is beauty, and I would find it hard to believe that anyone could see much different. 

New Zealand has the kind of scenery that makes you forget that your email notification just sounded or that you were in a hurry to get on your way.  It stops you dead in your tracks, immobilising you, beckoning you to drink in its beauty, quietly demanding your respect.

I met up with my North Kiteboarding teammates Reno Romeu and Matchu Lopez for a couple of weeks trip to one of my favourite places on earth, New Zealand.  I had travelled to the country once before to snowboard and was eager for a chance to visit again. 

Arriving in Auckland from the Dominican Republic, I was ready for a drastic change of scenery.  Basing ourselves out of Mount Maunganui, a bustling suburb of Auckland that attracts young surfing families and tourists alike, we were looking forward to an adventure. We planned to search out the best of both flat water and wave spots to try out the latest Dice kite from North Kiteboarding and to put it through the paces.

Having arrived before me, the boys picked me up from the airport and we headed straight to a spot known for having some of the best flatwater around at mid to high tide.  We arrived at the car park and, following instructions from our local friends Marc Jacobs and Kelby Bright, we walked up the beach to find the solitary river delta. 

At first, it didn’t look like much, just sparse water and little more than a breath of wind.  However, confident the wind would be true to the forecast we rigged anyway, and before long the water began to flow back into its familiar path.  Despite the light breeze, we hopped in the water and, with the bonus of the river’s current, we were able to claim our first session before the jetlag wore off.

Back at the house in Mount Maunganui that evening, we sat down to discuss our options for the coming days.  Our goal was to get as many hours on the water as possible; however, the forecast seemed to have other plans for our upcoming stay.  We didn’t merely find our sessions. We had to earn them, seeking out local knowledge and spending countless hours searching ikitesurf and Google Maps. We’d head off in all directions, driving hours just for the slightest chance to get on the water, leaving the house at hours I’d rather not see, only to arrive back home in the small hours of the night. 

While this may sound like more trouble than it was worth, most holiday goers likely would have hung around the Mount and surfed away the no wind days, enjoying an easy vacation regardless of the funky weather we were encountering. We were determined to get our kite sessions in though, and we knew the extra effort would pay off.

We drove from Mount Maunganui to Maketu, where we found perfect flat water and an empty campground.  Shortly after launching, the rain followed, but the wind carried on in the desired direction long enough to stretch our muscles and allow us to try out a few tricks. Then, it was back to the Mount to see if we could find a few waves. 

Famous for its iconic volcano and expansive arching beaches, we chose to stay in Mount Maunganui for its central location, gorgeous scenery and the potential for epic waves.  Back at our temporary home, Matchu headed out to see if he could find a few good ones but the waves were mostly chaotic, blown apart by the increasing and shifting winds. 

After checking a few more nearby spots, rigging, and getting on the water just in time for the wind to be shut down by rain filled squalls, we decided we really needed to find some waves no matter the distance.

We had been told over and over that if waves were on our agenda, Taranaki was the place to go. So, the following day our alarms were set for an hour well before the sun would make its appearance.  Quietly moving through the house, everyone packed what they needed for the day, working together to prepare gear, food, camera equipment, etc. with barely a word exchanged. 

We were not silent out of necessity, but it was just too darn early to have much to say.  Once on the road, we were full of anticipation.  Never having explored the North Island of the country, I was pleasantly surprised to find the landscape ever changing. 

One minute we were surrounded by rolling green hillsides flocked with sheep, the next, stop and go city traffic, then we’d be engulfed by scenery that seemed to come out of a Jurassic Park movie, complete with regular rainbow sightings.  We’d stop for a stretch and a coffee where we could.  Most towns were separated by an hour or more of driving along the coast and barely a sign of anyone in between.

Arriving in Taranaki, we could see right away what all the fuss was about.  A dramatic coastline ruled by dunes and rugged cliffs with a sizeable swell rolling through.  Without another person in sight, we followed the advice of Kelby to reach our coveted break, scrambling our way down the hillside and launching in a questionable wind shadow. Once on the water, it was clear that we had been given sound advice.  Matchu began picking one wave after another.  Obviously, he had been eager for this after all the hours of car rides, blown out waves and flat water spots. 

As the wind continued to increase, Reno headed out as well, at first on a surfboard and then switching to his twin tip to throw some loops.  With both the waves and wind increasing, Reno sent it higher and higher, using the growing swell as ramps to launch from. 

After getting tossed on a few waves of my own, I headed back to the beach where I met a few local kiters who had come down to see what was going on and to share their surprise that someone would want to jump off their prized waves instead of riding their faces.  This was exactly what this trip was about.  We were searching for sessions of all colours: freestyle, wave, foil and big air.  We had the gear to do it all, and we had quickly learned that New Zealand was the perfect place for a trip of this nature.

For the remainder of the trip, we carried on searching for our next session, chasing storms and admiring the unfaltering beauty of this special place.  Some may prefer to arrive at a spot and familiarise themselves intimately with that one stretch of beach, but in New Zealand, there is far too much to see for such a routine. 

At the end of the trip, we were all exhausted having driven, (mostly thanks to Reno), who must have been a long-haul driver in a past lifetime, thousands of kilometres.  We slept much less than average and became a well-oiled gear packing contingent.  Every minute of foregone sleep was worth it. 

We left having experienced epic sessions, met some of the most laid back and welcoming locals and kited in these unique and stunning places.

Videos

Dice 2018 Product Clip
By Colleen Carroll

Comments