Like many surfers, I am a fan of the Endless Summer films, but the original holds special value. To travel around the world and spread the joy of surf in a time when America was changing and foreign countries were really unknown landscapes to the average surfer is hands down amazing. When I watched the film, one remote exotic location stood out to me and its gentle peeling point wave has been in my mind ever since. I am not huge on the idea of conquests, and try to enjoy surfing and improving my water related abilities through fun more than goal setting, but I have always wanted to make it to Ahipara. The draw of Shipwreck Bay was huge and as we aren't horribly likely to be on this side of the Pacific for a while, I got to fulfill a thirteen year old dream and surf the spot. To get there, we had to visit the Far North, an area which has a reputation for being wild and even lawless. Leaving your car unattended is mostly out of the question. Given that this reputation had come from other surfers we had met who had their own possessions stolen, we were a bit nervous. This is the backcountry, with high poverty, biker gangs and some tourist destinations that are a two hour drive from the nearest hospital. Pulling off the highway, we quickly learned that the village was divided in two, with the local, mostly Maori population living somewhat separately from the stretch of vacant beach houses. Even in such a famous surf spot, road sections were unpaved and steep, including a drive down a riverbed to get to the beach. We parked, walked out and were greeted by the local pig, taking a stroll down the beach. When we got down to the beach, we discovered that the waves were only about 2 feet tall. No matter, they were beautiful! Even at such a size, the point broke perfectly over a smooth sand bottom. The ride was a miniature ball of cruizy fun and the tiny waves had a fantastic wall to sling across. I wish I had an Alaia there at the time, it would have been a fantastic proving ground. As the day's sets were sometimes far between, I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with a true local, born and raised right on the hill above the break. Jade is a local surfer, Maori and all around great guy. Like many who live there, he lives off the land and sea, surfs as often as he can (he primarily stays over the sand bottom Shippies rather than rocks out of consideration for his young family, a choice I find honorable), and was truly hard. Busted a hole in your knee? Big ugly looking scar? Why go to the hospital, it'll heal. When he found out we were living out of our van, he didn't hesitate to invite us to stay in his yard and make use of his home. We stayed for three days and had an amazing time. Our host shared his quality life with us and made a hallowed, intimidating at first glance place grow into an area familiar and full of depth. Before we left, we exchanged gifts from what we had with us, expressing our gratitude and our hope to have left a mark on each other. As he had mentioned wanting to do more body surfing, I left him my first hand plane, and hope he enjoys it on the smaller days. More than any time on this trip, I felt the spirit of the place I was in. I am thankful for my host and his sharing with me the life of Tangata Whenua, the people of the land, with a great love for the place and the sea that that surrounds it.
Like many surfers, I am a fan of the Endless Summer films, but the original holds special value. To travel around the world and spread the joy of surf in a time when America was changing and foreign countries were really unknown landscapes to the average surfer is hands down amazing. When I watched the film, one remote exotic location stood out to me and its gentle peeling point wave has been in my mind ever since. I am not huge on the idea of conquests, and try to enjoy surfing and improving my water related abilities through fun more than goal setting, but I have always wanted to make it to Ahipara. The draw of Shipwreck Bay was huge and as we aren't horribly likely to be on this side of the Pacific for a while, I got to fulfill a thirteen year old dream and surf the spot. To get there, we had to visit the Far North, an area which has a reputation for being wild and even lawless. Leaving your car unattended is mostly out of the question. Given that this reputation had come from other surfers we had met who had their own possessions stolen, we were a bit nervous. This is the backcountry, with high poverty, biker gangs and some tourist destinations that are a two hour drive from the nearest hospital. Pulling off the highway, we quickly learned that the village was divided in two, with the local, mostly Maori population living somewhat separately from the stretch of vacant beach houses. Even in such a famous surf spot, road sections were unpaved and steep, including a drive down a riverbed to get to the beach. We parked, walked out and were greeted by the local pig, taking a stroll down the beach. When we got down to the beach, we discovered that the waves were only about 2 feet tall. No matter, they were beautiful! Even at such a size, the point broke perfectly over a smooth sand bottom. The ride was a miniature ball of cruizy fun and the tiny waves had a fantastic wall to sling across. I wish I had an Alaia there at the time, it would have been a fantastic proving ground. As the day's sets were sometimes far between, I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with a true local, born and raised right on the hill above the break. Jade is a local surfer, Maori and all around great guy. Like many who live there, he lives off the land and sea, surfs as often as he can (he primarily stays over the sand bottom Shippies rather than rocks out of consideration for his young family, a choice I find honorable), and was truly hard. Busted a hole in your knee? Big ugly looking scar? Why go to the hospital, it'll heal. When he found out we were living out of our van, he didn't hesitate to invite us to stay in his yard and make use of his home. We stayed for three days and had an amazing time. Our host shared his quality life with us and made a hallowed, intimidating at first glance place grow into an area familiar and full of depth. Before we left, we exchanged gifts from what we had with us, expressing our gratitude and our hope to have left a mark on each other. As he had mentioned wanting to do more body surfing, I left him my first hand plane, and hope he enjoys it on the smaller days. More than any time on this trip, I felt the spirit of the place I was in. I am thankful for my host and his sharing with me the life of Tangata Whenua, the people of the land, with a great love for the place and the sea that that surrounds it.
No comments:
Post a Comment