WINTER
ISSUE
WINTER ISSUE SESSIONS
- A day at Monumentalz.
SNAP
- Rider gallery.
SCOOP
- Triangle hunters anonymous.
EMPTY
- A gallery of empty waves.
YARN
- An interview with Max Clifford.
NOSTALGIA
- The good old days.
ZONE
- Regional news.
SMALL TALK - With Craig Latimer. SNEAK PEAK
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- Coming next issue.
COVER: Jarad Ferris, former BBSNZ comp-fiend turned soul surfer These days he’s more contempt to chase slabbing reefs on the east coast than tour points. Respect. Jarad Ferris Cory Scott ISOMAG, CONTENTS. 005
In early March this year, an epic wave in the Deep South came to life. A wave so rare that it had been the best part of a year since it was last surfed. As a tightly-spinning low formed off the coast, and the buoys started recording swells approaching seven metres, a few of the crew knew that we could be in for something special. Phone calls were made, sickies were pulled and relationships were tested as we dropped everything for a chance to
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dance with one of New Zealand’s finest bodyboarding treasures. She did not disappoint. With sets pushing eight foot and a plethora of epic pits, this truly monumental session will be firmly etched in the brains of the eight lucky punters for months to come. This is their story‌
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It was almost a year since Monumentalz was last surfed. This was the view that greeted the lucky pioneers back then. Chris Garden
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As the tide dropped, the wave started breaking on a ridiculously heavy deep section. This set got the boys scrambling. Chris Garden
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Andrew Williams
“I hit the road with PMK, destined to make the absentee list for university once again. Regrettably, we were a couple of hours behind the rest of the crew and as we sped along the state highway PMK gave me the d-low on a wave I’d never heard of before. It was sounding pretty hectic and I started to wish that I’d never left my desk and the comfort that spinning my Bule Bic in circles gave me. Anyway, we eventually stood atop our destined headland and there it was, bang! We saw one set that must have been almost eight foot, unloading like crazy almost a kilometre out to sea! This coupled with the remains of a large, dead seal scattered on the rocks bought further thoughts of my now distant Blue Bic. We finally picked up our balls and paddled the distance through the kelp to be greeted with a draining reef slab that was wrapping hard, sucking almost dry, and with most waves representing something alien. Benny Mac was paddling around like it was a Pipe final with a minute on the clock. It was all on! A late arrival wasn’t the perfect start however, and it sounded like we’d missed the best part of the session. Gutted…or was I? It’d been a while since I had surfed something that could cut my head open. Nevertheless, I wrestled with a few orientation issues and tried to get into a decent position to have a crack at this thing. Eventually I nabbed a couple of okay ones but nothing representing quite what I had imagined. A few waves later and my session was brought to a complete halt with the stripping of a fin by an average wave, this relegating me to the boat. Lame! I was just getting amped on it. From there, Garden and I were yelling abuse and the standard ‘get deeper’ calls were being thrown down – apt when in such a position. What stood out from the session was one wave that Cody got. He scooped into what was initially a good looking slab, but as he levelled out this thing mutated into something with at least three distinct, separate lips. As expected, he got swallowed whole. The place is sick!”
Ben MacKinnon
“I had seen a few shots of the place and couldn’t believe the potential. I had been back in New Zealand for over six months and was yet to see it break. It was a few days after the Dion Wells contest and the charts were predicting a very large and very rare swell. I went down south with Richard Mckenna - chasing some very average waves, and decided to give it a check on the way back. Standing on the cliffs it was everything i had hoped it would be. An international-class reef in our backyard. It had it all… it could handle size, it had massive ramps and it had massive pits thats looked really readable with no steps to be seen. Looking down off those cliffs, from nearly a kilometre away, it looked big. I tried peer pressure, I tried enticing him with treats, but Richard would not paddle out with me. We high-tailed it back to town where a quick car swap was done and Richard was left stranded in Dunedin to wait for his flight home. The drive back was full of amp and anticipation, with many spots maxing out that are usually flat. Arriving there again in the early afternoon, it had definitely lost a lot of its size. Paddling out it’s hard to figure out where it is, but once you get closer it is so obvious. The wave reminds me a lot of Crackneck Rights on the Central Coast of New South Wales, but handles more size and has a longer barrel. From the looks of things, it had a mental ramp on the left too. I won’t forget my first pit of the day… the way the wave comes at you, allowing you to backdoor freight training sections with a wrapping bowl down the line. Goose got the largest wave of the day and impressed me with his ‘Doug Young’ attitude. I didn’t really do it justice that day, though I got a few good barrels and did one of my biggest inverts ever off the inside bowl. Looking back, we should have paddled deeper… and I missed a great opportunity to go huge on one wave. I tried to backdoor a section when I should have hit it. Monumentalz was everything I thought it would be and more. I will wait in anticipation for things to get that big again.”
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Brad Dennison
Chris Garden
“Well, I had been waiting for this day for ages so when the swell came i was pumped and spent most of the day getting my boat and all the gear ready for the mission. I got a call from Benny and Dixie at about 11 am. They had just checked it and it was on (unfortunately for Dixie, he had to fly back to Wellington two hours later). I was all set and just about to leave when work rang. Fuck it! I had to go back for just over an hour.
“Just under a year ago, a few of us made a remarkable discovery on an otherwise disappointing outing down the coast. After checking a number of spots, we reluctantly paddled out at Monumentalz, expecting it to be three foot and fairly fat. To our surprise, we were treated to six foot kegs and massive wrapping end bowls. A year on, and the rare conditions combined once again. Monumentalz came alive.
After the delay I was finally on the road, and I must admit that I made very good time. By the time I arrived however, the boys were already on it. I got into my suit in record time and launched the boat by myself.
Because the wave breaks so far offshore, land photos rarely do it justice. I was amped on the possibility of shooting from the water, looking down the throat of those cylindrical beasts. The light was exquisite and I couldn’t get out there fast enough.
After I punched out through the surf, I was on my way and twenty minutes later arrived at the break. It’s on, and the boys are getting some screamers! I was keen to try towing them into some of the deep death-slabs, but there was too much kelp, a thick forest just outside of the takeoff zone. I try dropping anchor so i can surf, but I couldn’t get it to hold due to the size of swell, a good six foot plus on the sets. I was pretty pissed, but stoked to be there nonetheless. I pick Garden up and he shoots from the boat. Everyone is hooting and yelling but I want to get some myself! Finally, Tim paddles over and takes control of the boat, allowing me to get out there and get some waves. I only got half a dozen rides before the sun started dropping, but the ones i got were well and truly worth it.
I spent the next couple of hours shooting from the channel, avoiding the wide ones and yelling at the punters to ‘paddle deeper’ and ‘grow a set of balls’. Some amazing waves went down before the tide and the setting sun put an end to a truly monumental session. There’s something about ‘rare’ waves that makes them so rewarding once you finally get them on. The grins were wide as we got out of our wetties and cranked the car heaters for the long drive back to town, the boys reliving their epic rides and dreaming of the next time that those rare conditions combine.”
After a good long session, we pulled the pin and headed back in. Everyone was smiling and talking about our new discovery, everyone keen to hit it again. Next time I’m going to pull a sickie for the whole day and won’t be answering any phone calls from work!”
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We’ve all heard the term ‘below sea level slabs’ before. This wave is the perfect example with a back that seems to extend far into the Pacific. Cody six feet under and gunning for the inside section. Cody Smith Chris Garden
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Early in the session, Monumentalz was linking up perfectly. Goose was one of the first on the scene and didn’t waste the opportunity to make the most of the barrels on offer. Hayden Parsons Chris Garden
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Cody Smith
”For me it was just a case of trying to contain the amp while on a placement for nursing school. We’ve been chasing this wave for a year, and despite teasing, it has yet to show its full potential. I still don’t think it has, but the forecast for this day looked very promising. As the time approached I opted to tell the truth… that I was becoming dangerously distracted as the surf was probably pumping. Nurses generally seem to be nice people and this one took pity on me. She laughed and I was on my way, frothing at the prospect. To me, the session didn’t quite deliver what I had hoped - something wasn’t quite right. By the time I got up there the tide had got a bit funky and Benny was going on about how good it had been an hour earlier. I had to go though, the thought of missing a surf there while stuck at work would have been too much to handle.”
Hayden Parsons
“I was lucky enough to be one of the first to surf Monumentalz on an epic day in May 2009, but hadn’t really seen it break properly since then. I had got pretty close to black-listing it as a decent wave. The forecast this day was perfect though and I was eager to get back there and give it a nudge. I was pretty nervous too, ‘cause it’s super heavy and breaks quite a distance from land in an area renowned for shark sightings. Bmac went and checked it earlier in the day and came back with yet another six to eight foot call (every surf Bmac has is six to eight feet, even the two foot days), so we went to check for ourselves. At the check point I remember the ocean being super glassy and blue, with a few good waves hitting. Then, out of nowhere, a massive lump came in, freight-trained down the reef and spat its guts out. Everyone hooted and quickly got changed. I was amped too, but knew we were in for some massive beat-downs so I tried to mentally prepare myself for whatever it dished out. For the first hour or so I thought it was fucking sick. Full wrapping end bowls and open barrels. I felt pretty safe out there so just enjoyed the chance to surf some heavy reef waves for once. A change in the tide kinda put an end to things, but made it break on this outer ledge that looked impossible to paddle into. It made for good empty wave viewing though! Good to see Brad out there too. I’d never seen him surf before and he gave it a good nudge. I can’t wait till it breaks again. I definitely want to keep this spot off the radar so those idiotic stand up tow-in teams don’t ruin it like they have every other slab down here. Then again, the kelp should keep their skis away.”
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Paul MclennanKissel
Tim Johnson
“Since doing a mad dash mission to surf this place when first discovered, and scoring it pumping by happy coincidence on the glassiest of mid winter afternoons, I had been hanging out for another taste to say the least. This wave is eerie, heavy, mutant and beautiful. Its isolation, hefty paddle and preponderance of all our favourite and most feared marine life, really set it apart from most other waves I’ve surfed.
“I’d seen photos of this recently discovered wave, a heavy right-hand reef break that looked like it could handle a bit of size. With a large swell predicted and offshores on the rise, the chance of good waves were on the cards. The setup looked pretty epic and as we suited up some of the larger sets demonstrated what was on offer. The reef seemed to have two sections that occasionally linked up to produce a powerful and lengthy ride.
Dangling my legs down into that murky green of the kelp beds and wondering what type of fin will surface next becomes just as consuming out there as does getting pitted and making sure the main wedge peak doesn’t split your spine.”
The paddle wasn’t as bad as I expected, the deep water minimising any current so that it didn’t take long to get out to the take off. I took my time to survey the setup as it tended to suck up off the reef rather quick. Indecision on this wave would likely result in an ‘over the falls and onto the reef’ experience. I managed to stick the air drop on my first wave and pulled in under the lip. The section however shut down taking me for a bit of a hold down, but nothing too severe. I was more fortunate to narrowly avoid getting caught inside by the follow-up sets which would have been nasty. On the paddle back out, Bmac managed to hook into a heavy barrel which linked up through to the inside. Goose was also getting amongst it, taking off on one that looked to dredge dry. Committed, he somehow made the takeoff and headed off down the line. Gardy patiently waited on the inside section, snapping the odd shot as they presented themselves. Monumentalz had a lot of wildlife going on; we were visited by a seal and a small pod of dolphins. This added to the unique character and vibe of the wave. Paul, Cody and Andy arrived on the scene and headed out to get in on the action, followed by Brad who turned up shortly after with his boat. Brad couldn’t find anywhere to anchor up and keen also to have a wave, I offered to man the boat for him. Overall, the session proved to be really fun, and although my wave selection wasn’t that great, I did manage to snag a few cover-ups which had me stoked. The rest of the crew was similarly stoked with the waves on offer, getting some sweet rides amongst them. It was choice to have had the chance to surf a new wave with a good crew and I can see the potential for more epic sessions to be had there in the future.” ISOMAG, SESSIONS: A DAY AT MONUMENTALZ. 019
Ben with the mother of all steps to contend with. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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A passion for filming wildlife brought Victorian Edward Saltau to these shores. The consistent waves make it hard for him to leave. Edward Saltau Chris Garden
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Power hacking reverse. David Hasslehoff would be proud. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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You know that winter’s on its way when the wetsuit hoods start coming out. Get out there before it’s too late! Benjamin Dunn Chris Garden
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See, the south west does have waves other than Blaketown. Wellsy at another popular Greymouth wave haunt, Karoro. Sam Wells Ryan Isherwood
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Aidos has just departed on yet another worldly escapade, searching for waves and good times. Here’s the first part of his journey, a quick flight from Skid Marks International Airport. Aidan Dickson Chris Garden
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Wonder what’s going on in that surfers head as he watches yet another Bmac invert. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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Cody fueling his addiction with another tasty barrel. Cody Smith Chris Garden
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ISOmag web guru Glen Mossong taking a break from all that HTML jazz. Glen Mossong Andre Apel
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With its cliffy background and disturbed water, you could be mistaken for thinking that this is a photo of Waimea Shorey on a small day. Cody Smith Chris Garden
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Wellsy with an easy road ahead. Sam Wells Chris Garden
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This well-known but hard to get to Dunedin beach produces punchy little bowls like this on an almost daily basis. It’s the beach that Benny Mac credits for the rapid rise in his skills over the last few years. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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Ahi is widely regarded as the king of the reef at this joint, which happens to be one of the premier slabs in our fair land. That’s a pretty good accolade to have considering the caliber of surfers and bodyboarders it attracts each time it breaks. Ahipene Newby Cory Scott
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Nothing but rail bottom turn. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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From a photographer’s perspective, howling offshore winds have their pros and cons. On one hand, they whisk up foam and water into stunning spray arcs that make for great photos; on the other, they can make it impossible to tell who is on the wave. Unknown Chris Garden
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Elevator drop on one of the larger set waves at Monumentalz. Hayden Parsons Chris Garden
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Aran Naismith loving the size and power of Blaketown that his local waves on Great Barrier Island can’t replicate. Aran Naismith Ryan Isherwood
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Sam Peters with a smooth turn amongst the jagged surroundings of Wellington’s south coast. Sam Peters Sam Brooks
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Just when you thought that the peeps that bodyboard in New Zealand couldn’t get anymore diverse… meet Dylan Jones, one half of the world renowned drum and bass collective ‘The Upbeats’. The day after this photo was taken, at an epic day at his favorite wave, DJ Dylan departed for the Upbeats tour of Europe and Japan. Check them out sometime. Dylan Jones Sam Brooks
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Bacon and eggs. Sweet and sour. Bert and Ernie. Sam Wells and Blaketown. Sam Wells Ryan Isherwood
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Boosting into the last of the suns rays before landing in the shadows. Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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Judging by this stylish boost and the number of stickers on his board, this French visitor could be one of France’s top riders here to test out our waves. Inconnu Ryan Isherwood
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All we know about these guys is that they are French bodyboarders touring NZ for a few weeks, and that they are brothers. Looking at this photo, you’d think they were twins. Frères brothers Ryan Isherwood
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We can’t tell if those wrinkles on Ben’s face come from the effort required to scoop into this beast or because he’s recently turned thirty! Ben MacKinnon Chris Garden
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Discovering a new wave is epic, but choosing a name for it is where the real fun begins. The Wellington crew named this Box-like discovery “Girlfriend’s Thick Lips” which apparently stems from a dodgy conversation just moments before stumbling upon it. We’ll leave the context of that conversation to your imagination, but either way the lips certainly are thick, just the way Sam Peters likes it. Sam Peters Sam Brooks
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Breaker Bay in the heart of Wellington has a sick, but tricky, end bowl. Dunc knows how to utilise it better than anyone. Duncan Smith Kane McMillan
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Chris “Casper” Moore, a farmer from Mossburn (one of the most landlocked towns in NZ), could easily take the title of New Zealand’s most unique bodyboarder. His average day consists of milking cows and herding sheep. When the snow-laden fronts roll up from Subantarctic and make a day’s work on the farm impossible, he swaps his gumboots and Swanndri for a 5mm wetsuit and hood, then hops into his ute and hoofs it a couple of hours to the nearest beach for some incredible funnels like this. Chris Moore Ryan Isherwood
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Dan Charles dominating the break he lives for. Dan Charles Sam Brooks
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Jorin Sievers
Triangle Hunters Anonymous Secret surf spots, eh? It's always the same. It begins with code-names and subterfuge, then progresses to thinly-veiled threats of violence for anyone who invites more outsiders. The interrogation begins as soon as you hit the water.
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Andre Apel boosted down from Auckland and boosted some solid inverts. Andre Apel Jorin Sievers
Who do you know? How'd you find this place? Better not bring a whole crew or they might be unhappy. North Islanders have this misconception that secret waves are as common as dirt in the South Island. We fantasise that our southern shores hide powerful empty waves around every cold and lonely headland. Of course, that’s simply a fantasy. However, it’s certainly true that the North’s larger population of wave warriors scouring the coastline means secret spots are far less common up here. So, this powerful wave, often known simply as The Wedge, is a rarity for us northerners. Located somewhere between Auckland and Gisborne, it has been the pride and joy of a small group of boogers for several years. Surprisingly, this wave has been surfed (and photographed) for at least 25 years, but the secret has remained largely intact. Sure, the odd tantalising picture has appeared under the nickname “Pongas”, but when conditions are right you can still surf it alone. The code-name Pongas is a partial clue to its location. However, it hardly blows the secret. Sure, you do indeed pass through a dank Pongafilled gully on the trek in. However, having this information isn’t exactly an “X” on a map. Want more clues? Okay. This secluded bay isn’t hours of back-country driving from the nearest town. Shit, the wave is even listed in a popular surfing guide under its official 080 ISOMAG, SCOOP: TRIANGLE HUNTERS ANONYMOUS.
geographic name! So why has it remained largely unmolested, you may ask? Sheer bloody laziness is part of the reason. You see, when the last gravel road ends you’re standing a few hundred metres above the water and a couple of kilometres inland. This definitely isn’t a wave you can check from the carpark. You’ve got to chuck on your boots and do the hard yards on foot. Long before I was first led to The Wedge, I’d heard plenty about its heavy pits and air ramps. But until this year I hadn’t earned enough respect from a certain bunch of Bay of Plenty boogers to be trusted with the secret. When I finally got the call from the Mount Mud Crabs it was early March and an ex-tropical cyclone was pushing a juicy swell towards the east coast. The wind whistled at my back as I stood atop rolling green hilltops looking out towards a few crumbling islands many miles offshore. Board under my arm, I followed my guides over a wooden farm stile and down through a grassy paddock. The track soon plunged steeply along a barbed wire fenceline, revealing a roughly hewn valley beneath us. Cows eyed us warily from behind a fence, mesmerised by our brightly coloured
boards and Mitch Tombleson’s infamous tiger stripe wetsuit. Leaving the farmland behind, we descended through the previously-mentioned Ponga patch and crossed a small creek. 30 minutes later we were overlooking a small bay fringed with Pohutukawa trees. It didn’t take long to spot the object of our journey. At the southern end of the bay, under rust-coloured cliffs, watery triangles rose swiftly from the depths. Everyone made lustful groaning noises in the backs of their throats or murmured quietly to themselves. All our eyes were fixed on a small patch of water; waiting... waiting... waiting. Then a solid lump of swell rose in just the right spot. It wobbled a little as it copped a perfectly-timed pulse of sidewash from the rocks. Suddenly a thick, warping lip pitched out viciously into the flats. Whitewater exploded. A wedgy barrel raced along the shoreline, as offshore spray rooster-tailed into the air. In its final glorious moments, golden sand began to dredge up the face of the tube before it detonated in a rumbling closeout, metres from the beach. The assembled bodyboarders roared and cheered in an explosive release of built up tension. No words were exchanged. We ran the final hundred metres downhill to the beach. The Wedge was on!
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Luke Elliot sat close to the rock and picked off the kegs. Luke Elliot Jorin Sievers
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Mitch Tombelson breaking free from the whitewater. Mitch Tombelson Jorin Sievers
For a long and perfect moment he hung suspended in the air, surrounded by twinkling water droplets, before freefalling to a heavy landing. Given Mount Maunganui’s laughable reputation for quality bodyboarding waves, many Kiwi boogers have probably been wondering where the region’s locals learned to charge so hard. They clearly didn’t develop their aerial skills riding the inconsistent slow crumblers at New Zealand’s version of Surfers Paradise. Well, now their secret is out. Their clandestine training ground has been revealed. Pongas breaks so close to the sand that it’s a shorebreak as much as it is a wedge. The impact zone is always hip-deep, no matter how large the swell is. And it can reportedly hold more than double-overhead. With wave power like this available to them, it’s easy to understand the recent competition successes of Mount lads like Luke Elliott and Mitch Tombleson. With these wedgy takeoffs and punchy ramp sections to practice their inverts, flips and rolls on, they’re ready for any wave on the national tour. 084 ISOMAG, SCOOP: TRIANGLE HUNTERS ANONYMOUS.
In my three visits to Pongas, I’ve witnessed the Mount boys constantly pushing their limits in heavy situations here. The friendly competitive rivalry between riders like Mitch and Luke is well known in the competition scene – and it continues to smoulder when they’re free-surfing The Wedge. During one session, I saw Mitch blast what his brother Justin called his “best-ever” invert. He punched high above a spectacularly explosive close-out bowl, and tweaked his board stylishly. For a long and perfect moment he hung suspended in the air, surrounded by twinkling water droplets, before freefalling to a heavy landing. No way was Luke going to back down from the challenge implied by Mitch’s stellar invert. He countered with a couple of suicidal airdrops that I thought would be impossible to stick. I was wrong. Not only did he stick them, he set his line inside inescapable pits churning with green seaweed fragments and coarse golden sand.
Time and again he grimly held on for an ugly thrashing in the shallows. Never once did he flinch. A couple of the other Mount Mud Crabs quietly confided in me that you can call Luke into any wave – no matter what the risk. Apparently he’s a sucker for peer pressure. You just have to hoot and cheer hard enough and the lad will disconnect his natural fear response and chuck himself over any heaving ledge. Foolhardy or fearless? Who knows. Shit, who cares! It’s great fun to watch. Nope. The Wedge will continue to be a little-surfed North Island gem frequented by a small group of rabid boogers in search of another sandy enema. And long may it remain that way. However, I’m still expecting a savage backlash to this story. In the minds of The Enforcers I’ve said too much already. Given away too many clues. Angered “Them”. I will be a marked man for the rest of my days.
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Island scoop ISOmag designer, Paul Mossong, scooping into a fun one. Quentin Paul Mossong Roper Chris Sievers Jorin Bago
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The scary thing about Monumentalz is the volume of water behind each wave. Take a moment to look past that incredible throwing pit to admire how thick the clump of steamrolling whitewater is. Chris Garden
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A classic beach-break peak in the deep south. Chris Garden
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Outer bombie madness. Chris Garden
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Autumn bliss. Chris Garden
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New Zealand’s latest, and possibly greatest, bodyboarding discovery. Chris Garden
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About now you’d be thinking that you were surfing somewhere tropical, but the ice cream headache that will follow this duck dive will remind you that you are surfing in some of the coldest waters in the world. Sam Brooks
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Thick ‘n’ heavy. Chris Garden
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New Brighton dishing up a nugget - a rare phenomenon that wouldn’t have occurred had the pier not been erected. Ryan Isherwood
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Remember that guy who made millions by selling each pixel on his website for one dollar? This secret east coast wedge would have been a better investment due to the number of spray pixels blowing off the back. Jorin Sievers
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A late afternoon surf check reveals empty pits in the deep south. Ryan Isherwood
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Yet another potential setup sniffed out by Ryno in the southwest. Ryan Isherwood
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Beer kegs. Ryan Isherwood
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Peak of the week. Kane McMillan
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Raw Southern Ocean power unloading in a protected bay. Ryan Isherwood
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Two words: freezing and pumping. Ryan Isherwood
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How’s this for anticipation? Three lucky boogers about to feast on some reeling left pits. Jake Cutler
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Dinner Plates reeling off at eight foot plus. Tim Johnston
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A dream bodyboarding set up in the northeast of New Zealand. Andre Apel
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The majority of the South Island’s east coast has steep shingle banks lining its shores. This environment is perfect for creating death shorebreaks, but every now and then banks are created that allow these shoreys to peel perfectly. Ryan Isherwood
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Kendra Benson
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Kendra Benson
Who are you? My full name is Max Keo Clifford, I’m 22 and currently living in Margaret River, Western Australia. I grew up in West Auckland surfing the west coast breaks like Karekare and Piha. I mix it up working as a freelance illustrator and also at a winery doing cellar door sales. Life consists of surfing early in the morning, work from midday at the winery, surf after work and draw when I get home. Not bad eh!?! Why the move to Australia? I was working in an animation studio in Auckland but the recession hit and 130 ISOMAG, YARN: INTERVIEW WITH MAX CLIFFORD.
hardly any work was coming through. I decided the best thing to do in a recession is not try to make any money, so I packed my bags and went surfing in West Oz! Auckland’s west coast is known for its powerful swells. Are they in the same league as West Oz? The west coast of Auckland has some solid waves, but W.A is a whole new level. Every wave over here you have to paddle like crazy to get into - they jack up so quick. I think the west coast of Auckland could get to a similar level if there were more reefs.
How did you end up hanging out with Chris White and his crew? I used to work at ‘Ebb Scarborough’ in Perth where I met Chris White and a whole bunch of other pro’s. He was working towards releasing the new ‘Grow Up’ DVD and asked me to do the illustrations for the poster and cover. You are probably the only Kiwi that has ever seen ‘The Right’ in all its glory. How did that mission come about? Talk us through the day. When I did the illustrations for ‘Grow Up’, I said to Chris “instead of paying
me, take me down to The Right.” And he did. When the swell popped up, Hardy, Chris, Maxted, and myself all jumped into the car and did the mission south. We meet up at a backpackers which was owned by this old lady who had the perkiest tits ever for a 50 year old! This was definitely the talk amongst the lads and we gave her the nickname ‘Perky Percy’. Hughes, Chad, Mitch and Jake were down too. We all got up really early the following morning, headed to the boat ramp and got the skis in the water. It was freezing - literally, but the water was a warmer 20 degrees. The clash of the two temperatures created this eerie mist over the water.
You could almost imagine there was some monster lurking in the water. We motored out just as the sun was rising, lighting up the silhouettes of the distant hills. When we arrived at the break it was looking really average and I was worried that we had been skunked. We decided to wait around and see if things got better. I jumped off the ski into the deepest, darkest blue water I have ever seen, trying not to look down in case I saw a big shark! The swell started to pulse and huge 10-15 foot slabs started to unload on the reef. I was stoked! The guys were all over it, surfing these waves like they
were only 4 foot and making it look so easy. Hardy started to do some paddle-ins on the ‘smaller’ ones which were still 8 foot. We had it good for about 2 hours before the swell started to die. The guys were catching the last waves of the day when Hardy got whipped into a big 10 footer. As he was going through the back door he pulled off the sneakiest 360 into the biggest blue tube. The most amazing surfing I have seen.
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Not only has West Aus presented more work opportunities for Max, it has also presented more opportunities to surf quality waves with some of the world’s top riders. Max Clifford Matt Burgess
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Max Clifford
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Max Clifford
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Hardy at The Right. Ryan Hardy Max Clifford
We motored back to land, taking in the sights of one of the most amazing bits of coastline I have ever laid eyes on. You could almost see dinosaurs roaming the hills and cliffs. We had dolphins swim next to the ski, pelicans fly overhead, and the clearest water over untouched white-sand beaches. The whole experience seems so surreal, almost like it was a dream.
helped with creating ideas.
You are an incredibly talented artist. Do skills like that come naturally or taught?
You seem equally talented at illustration, photography, film-making and sculpture. Which is your favourite and which is the hardest?
I have always loved to draw and taught myself as a kid. I left school at 16 and went straight into three years of animation school. This didn’t really teach me how to draw, but more about how to make a film. I watched films and read a lot of comics which really 136 ISOMAG, YARN: INTERVIEW WITH MAX CLIFFORD.
Art and surfing have always been inextricably linked. Does bodyboarding inspire your art at all? Yeah definitely! The things you see and the feelings you have from being in such a beautiful environment are the best fuel for inspiration.
All of them are quite easy; the hard bit is trying to be new and original. So much has already been done - cover bands won’t change the world. The way I look at design is “functional design will never go out of fashion.”
Taken from your website - “I intend to travel round the world drawing for the best projects, leaving a creative mark wherever I go.” Sounds like you have some big plans for the future but with an easy-come, easy-go manner. Haha, yeah I do want to do really well. I want to be the best and the only thing stopping me is myself. I don’t have any excuses not to try. Anything you miss about bodyboarding in New Zealand? The sheep. Aussie ones are so dusty and dirty. I also miss those howling offshore days with lightning, hail and rain. Sure they can be cold and grey but they usually end up being the best and most memorable sessions.
Kendra Benson
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In 2008, Max travelled to Tahiti and managed to score some epic waves at ‘The End of The Road.’ How fun does Teahupoo look at this size?!? Max Clifford Tauru Hugo
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Stallions - 30 March 2005 The 2005 Isolated Challenge competitors could not believe their luck when a rare swell and wind combined to bring the mutant beast ‘Stallions’ alive. Prior to this session, Stallions had only been surfed once - a smaller day in the middle of winter the previous year. The crew furtively suited up with nervous anticipation, watching set after set wedge up and unload on the shelf in front of them. John Diamond led the charge, dropping into some heavy mutants before the rest of the crew joined him. Plenty of epic pits and epic beatings went down in what will always be remembered as a momentous day at one of New Zealand’s rarest bodyboarding gems.
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Chris Garden
Chris Garden
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Chris Garden
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Mitch Frew, Keiki, Hawaii - 11/12/06 Love it or hate it, Hawaii is a place every bodyboarder should visit sometime in their life. If Chris Garden scrapping over waves at Pipe isn’t your thing, you can always throw yourself around in the shoreys then sit back on the beach and watch the action unfold with a cold 40oz in your hand. This was our first day in Hawaii, and Mitch, straight off the plane decided to thrash out the jetlag, Keiki styles. Needless to say, he was finding sand in strange places for months after this drop. Mitch Frew Chris Garden
Chris Garden
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Adam McLean Chris Garden
John Diamond Chris Garden
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Nth Again, unfortunately not much to speak of for the east coast. There has been a couple of days here and there but mostly only in the 3 foot range. There have also been one or two ‘massive for a day, flat the next day’ swells, usually occuring mid-week so those of us doing the 9 to 5 grind have missed out. The gate was well and truly left wide open on the latest Shippies swell, with half of Auckland turning up at the points to lap up the goodness. Blair Dowman managed to get a leave pass from his new father duties and got into Peaks with reports of waves breaking for 1 km – legit, the wave is so long! Jorin Sievers also missioned up and got amongst Supers with Blair on the Sunday. The rest of Auckland had decided that they missed their beloved skytower by then, so the lineups were as good as empty with only 3 or 4 others out. There’s been a few other west coast days but nothing that really stood out. With winter on the horizon, here’s hoping for some more pumping east coast days soon! - Blackman
Akl Autumn started nicely for Brendon Ashton, Gavin Spiers and I, scoring a heaving right hander at a fickle and rarely surfed beachie. The boys shared 4-5 ft macking pits for three hours without another soul in sight. The first half of April was killer, with a 10 day run of swell and perfect offshores on Auckland’s west coast. Some awesome smaller low-tide, barrelling days at Maori Bay were enjoyed by a bunch of the crew. Then when the swell rekicked there was a 4-6 ft day at Mud Bay which got the adrenalin pumping. While Andre cursed his stupidity for leaving his fins at home (surfing one-finned and kooking all the pits), Joz pulled into a few short, heaving slabs and showed the standups how to do a bad-ass topturn on a monster chunk. A week later a super-fickle, not-to-benamed west coast wedge broke for two days. Dre and Joz called it the best surf of the year and wouldn’t stop babbling about perfect ramps and double up pits. They claimed a ridiculous (and questionable) 100+ waves each in an epic four hour session. Dre was blasting solid Inverts out of the bowl, whereas Joz preferred to stall for the pits, although he did whip out a couple of shameless 7-Up airs for Eppo’s sake. The next day, the
same spot was a ugly, rippy mess and almost unrideable. R.I.P west coast wedge. May you return next summer. Thierry Collona, his son Tully and I headed north to hopefully luck into the tail end of the pumping swell that had every surfer and lid rider in the region fizzing at the bunghole. But alas, it wasn’t to be. We had some ok 3 ft closeouts in the morning, along with Serena Ball and a massive crowd of stand-ups. Thierry’s dogged persistence and Tully’s ever-wearing-thin patience paid off big time, scoring some epic lefts late into the arvo. I was a little more than gutted at my decision to leave because i had accepted a corporate box ticket to watch the Warriors (who lost badly by the way) instead of sticking around and scoring pumping east coast waves. Fortune favours the ones who have an open schedule and time to burn! One thing is for sure though, the water temp is still springy material, hovering around the 19 degree mark. It is getting a bit chilly some mornings however, so I’m sure it wont be long before the first southerly front blasts through and brings us quickly into winter and our steamers! - JK ISOMAG, ZONE: REGIONAL NEWS. 147
A secret wedge on Auckland’s west coast turned it on throughout autumn for a few lucky boogers. Andre Apel was on it more often than not, and scored plenty of wedges like this. Andre Apel Jorin Sievers
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Bop
Rag
Well, winter is well and truly here as I write this. A chilly 12 degrees outside, it’s actually warmer in the water than out and snow is falling on the mountain. Might be time to retire for the winter as it just doesn’t seem to hold its appeal quite like it used too, or maybe I’m just getting old. Beats me how you boys down south do it! The west coast has had its fair share of waves this recently with one swell on the points being 6-8ft and perfect. If you were up for a bit of an adventure, a certain reef slab in the middle of the ocean was dishing out 15ft square barrels, any takers? The bay has also had some nice swells come through, keeping the mount mud crabs occupied. A few good days went down at the “island” where some misfortunate surfies provided some entertainment for the line-up when their boat got taken out by several waves, luckily it didn’t sink and they managed to salvage everything and everyone. 150 ISOMAG, ZONE: REGIONAL NEWS.
Like summer it seems winter has come a bit later than usual, lets just hope we get a few more nice swells before the water temperture drops right away. I’ve decided my new hobbie this winter is sleeping-in. - Paulie
Gizzy hosted the Nationals over Easter weekend. Fine weather, offshore winds, and gentle 2-3 ft pulses provided the BBSNZ competitors, officials and spectators with an enjoyable arena. The major swell from the most recent period took a while to build, peaked classically, then faded slow. A swaying 4-6ft+ Wainui was running out long verandas and wrapping into large end bowls. When conditions are like that it is hard work, though potentially very rewarding. After spending the best part of 20 minutes just making it out the back, I took my time and selected the biggest looking lumps I could. No one else was out. Big, clean, solo. Yep good times for sure! The slow-cooling trend of late has helped to ease the early arrival of the summer time sea breezes. and the swells from the southeast have started to roll on in. - J Fez
Wtgn
God getting lazy, or global warming? It’s almost the end of April and Wellington should be getting lashed by icy southerly storms by now, but the glorious Indian summer continues and I sit writing this in nothing but my ‘man g’. Thankfully, this unusual autumn has still delivered the traditional autumn swells and in the past couple of months some big southern lows have lined up nicely. While not always delivering on their forecast epicness, these lows have still served up plenty of treats for the hungry locals. On a recent weekend, Dan ‘the walking accident’ Filihiahekava made the most of the capital’s blue skies and soaring mercury to go for a walk with his young family on a beach near Wellington. Upon arrival at the coast, the big man put a spanner in the works of married bliss by sprinting back to the car to grab his board and fins. Apparently this seldom-surfed spot was on fire and Dan had it to himself for a couple of hours before the poostanced city surfers turned up and
spoiled the party. In other ‘Dan’ news, Dan Charles has been seen busting at the fresh banks of his old stomping ground Houghton Bay, while Danny Waugh recently lucked into some fun waves on the east coast. Sticking with the D’s, Damon Treweek has been traveling near and far clocking up ocean hours at Breaker Bay, Wainui and Whiterock. Speaking of double D’s, during a recent 16 second south swell, Breaker Bay local Paul Grealish almost had his ‘nuts ripped off’ by the unforgiving inside shelf. Thankfully for Mrs Grealish, he escaped with just a few bruises! Tales of an epic discovery by the south coast lads have been doing the rounds, but the boys are remaining tight-lipped. The rumours even prompted 90’s phenomenon Jamie ‘Goggles’ Waugh to ditch the fibreglass and dust off the foam in the hope of some thick, moist lips. From all accounts however, it would seem that these tales are a myth, as Jamie reported only a few fat peaks, before
him and his buddies were chased in by a group of sharks! Local pin-up Richard McKenna has had a relapse of the yellow fever and is hoping to escape the Chinese factory life in time for the Blaketown Challenge in June. The Wellington crew also bid their farewells to little Sam Brooks, who recently relocated to Christchurch. His photography skills will be missed but his poor football skills will not. We know you’ll be back! - Cuda
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Bay of Plenty magic. John Rutter
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Kendra Benson
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Chch
Daddy’s the word! Yes, if you haven’t already heard, Sam Wells will be the latest naughty daddy come October, when little Max is due to arrive in the world. After 27 years, King Dong has decided to breed and is amped to say the least at facing the new challenge of fatherhood. On the waves front, yet again things have been relatively quiet around town. Constant onshore winds and dominant south swells have forced grovel sessions on the town beachies and trips to better locations near and far. Hodgey and crew have been spotted scoring numerous sessions along the coast, while Wellsy and Ryno have also had their fix of treats after countless missions north, south and west. After a stint in Wellington, everyone’s favourite lover/photographer, Sam Brooks, has moved back to Christchurch. Word on the street is that he is more amped than ever to chase the swells in the south once again. Jackie Chan’s sparring partner, Dill Russ, has left Christchurch and moved south to kick people and get some home-cooked meals in Timaru with the whanau. Overall, autumn in Christchurch has had its ups, downs and the odd surprise - about all you would expect from a wave-starved area. - Ryno
Well, we’ve had more than a few onshore days on the coast lately. Some big bumpy swells have been pulsing through and screwing up all the sweet banks we’ve had. Tezza has hooked into some fun days at B-town though, with special mention of a low tide middle bank that he had to himself for a few hours. Ex-coaster, Timothy Carl Bromley came over west recently and scored some rad little banks at Jacks Road with Tezza on a nicely groomed north/ west swell – Blako’s was shit. Wellsy and Ryno also lucked into the same swell and banks. A West Coast booze-hound, former committed booger and son of the Mayor, was recently caught on camera at the infamous ‘Armageddon’ festival in Christchurch. The young man went up on stage and thought it wise to release his bodily fluids in front of the packed out event. If you can find the vid on Youtube, it’s a must watch. Just another chapter in Greymouth’s rich history of twisted shit. After getting skunked for three straight weeks, in mid May, Dean Briggs, Tezza and myself scored Jacks road with unbelievable banks in the 2 feet range for a solid 4 days. This has been a blessing since ye old faithful has been super lame of late. The Blaketown Challenge is gearing up for another massive comp this year on the 5th and 6th of June – Queen’s Birthday weekend. Be there! Prizegiving this year will definitely not be at the Railway or any other pub for that matter. We’re going private peeps.
Like clockwork, the deep south hit its straps on day one of autumn, with back-to-back southerly fronts bringing friggin massive swells. Some beaches pumped four or five days straight with Cody Smith managing to weasel his way out of helping the sick and frail to be there for most of them. Early March saw the region’s first decent east swell in months and cleaned up to produce some epic waves at the usually fat big wave spot of Papatowai. Edward Saltau and friends also missioned to a fickle reef one morning. It happened to be pumping but Ed claimed he wouldn’t even lift his head off the pillow for waves like that in Vicco and opted to sleep in the car while the boys got shacked for hours. On the social scene, Bmac’s ‘50th’ was a good night. It began with a ‘nice’ meal at The Asian and ended with Aidan Dickson getting lucky at the casino and the birthday boy getting lucky at ‘Lucky 7’. Yucky. Alex “Squawker” Dade returned from Aussie for a weekend of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Not only did he seduce a married women, he dominated a tricky session in the deep south, picking off some epic pits just hours before hopping on the plane back home. Not a bad weekend. The 5 mm wetsuits and hoods are starting to come out, meaning winter is on its way with many planning to hibernate or take off to tropics. - Shroom
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Craig La Names: Craig Latimer. Nicknames: Lats, Craigo. Age: 27. Hometown/current town: Dunedin. Job: Supermarket Manager. How did you you get into bodyboarding: Mum pushed me onto my first waves when I was 10, grew up in Brighton with a good crew of groms that were amped on it and Ive been hooked ever since. Travel: Pretty much a virgin, only to the crowded beaches of the Gold Coast. Favourite waves: If I’m on the knee, a nice long steep wave to carve, otherwise somewhere like The Spit, big peaky barrels. Favourite international riders: Hardy, Jeff Hubbard, Roach. Favourite NZ riders: Frewy: amazing style and powerful moves, Aidos: still a great ripper, and the late great Dion Wells. When we were growing up we pushed each other 156 ISOMAG, SMALL TALK: WITH CRAIG LATIMER.
both on prone and on the knee. He would be out in the surf just about every day perfecting his air revos and dropknee floaters, a talented man cut down in his prime. Best surf trip: A toss up between my first trip to ‘The Reef’ back in 1998 - we surfed it for about six hours that day; or my first trip to The Catlins with the Brighton boys when I was a grom. It was pretty epic surfing new breaks Favourite bodyboard movies: The Inside, the ROT vids, Seek and Destroy, Tension vids and of course Goose’s ones! Favourite movies: Comedy or a real good documentary on natural disasters, they fascinate me! Favourite board: My old Custom X Fred Booth. It was about a 39 or 40 inch, so sick both on the knee and prone, I’d love a replica of it! Best thing you’ve seen in the water: On the Gold Coast at Snapper Rocks with about 500 surfers in the water, Isaac Walker caught a bomb, bottom turned and busted the sickest forward air/gorf over a couple of surf
atimer ers. They were stunned, I was hooting, it was classic. Music: I’m into everything from mellow beats like Eric Clapton to heavy punk like Faecal Matters. Best barrel you’ve had: Probably my most memorable was my first ever pit. I just remember being real deep and looking out of a wee tunnel at the end. It was the craziest thing I had ever experienced back then. Best move you’ve pulled: I love throwing dk backhand snaps for some reason and I don’t do them much anymore, but a big, tweaked invert. Thoughts on the BBSNZ tour: I think it’s cool but I’m not really a comp surfer. I just compete in the Dion Wells comp to keep his spirit alive. Hero/inspiration: My partner and kids inspire me every day, seeing the kids grow up and learn new things is pretty amazing. Best night out: Staying in Coolangatta with Isaac Walker and a couple of others. We decided during a thunder storm that it would be a funny idea to get drunk, get in
our boardies, cover our faces in vegemite (commando styles) and swim in every hotel/motel/resort swimming pool from Snapper Rocks to Kirra point. It was classic getting chased by security gaurds. Chicks: Had a few - some good some not so good, but I’ve found the one now! Fear: Spiders freak me out and I have a real fear of dying for some reason - just not knowing when, where or how it’s going to happen. Words that you live by: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Aside from bodyboarding, what else are you into: Kids and family are a huge part of my life now. Getting together with mates and having a laugh is the goods. Favourite thing about the NZ bodyboard scene: It’s pretty mellow, everyone is always having a laugh at each other and you can score some sick uncrowded waves with ya mates! ISOMAG, SMALL TALK: WITH CRAIG LATIMER. 157
Hayden Parsons
Sneak Peak Next issue, out September 1st. Usually the sneak peak page is the last thing we decide on (in the hope of getting some post-deadline gold to tease you for the following issue) before letting ISOmag go live to the world. We had that image lined up, edited and ready to go. However, just hours before the release of this issue the fella who snapped that picture, Chris Garden - ISOmag’s head shutterbug, had to be cut free from what was left of his black Toyota Hiace after a head on collision during a tempestuous Dunedin evening. After a five hour operation on his shattered leg and numerous lacerations it was clear there was no way we’d be able to get the image in time, hence this image of Gardy fresh off the surgeons table being it’s replacement. 158 ISOMAG, SNEAK PEAK: COMING NEXT ISSUE.
With a good two-to-three months before he can even think about going to the beach to snap off some pics, you would not be alone in thinking that the next issue of ISOmag might be a little sparse. On the contrary. In fact, Gardy couldn’t have picked a better time to cheat death. We’ve had a swag of incredible photos sent in recently from here and abroad, and we’re expecting a whole lot more with a solid crew about to depart on their usual mid-winter tropical escape. Thanks to the other dedicated lensmen out there, it’s fair to say we’ve got it covered. Rest up Gardy and we’ll see the rest of you on September 1st for ISOmag issue three.
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