NZ road tour
Ahh New Zealand.. The last leg of our international "See You Soon" film premiere tour. It certainly did not disappoint.
We loaded as many team riders, longboards, cases of beer and discounted fruit cups as we could fit into a camper van and hit the road to the North island of New Zealand. With nothing but time and a close eye for volatile weather patterns, we strapped ourselves in for a stacked roster of waves, windy roads and obscure local beer testing.
We linked up with local photographer Rambo Estrada and received some hot intel (and even hotter surfboard loans) from Jordan Griffin Surfboards. It wasn't all but a couple days and a heavy hangover until we got dialled into some prime locations for the coming swells. Up the coast, down the coast, across the coast. We did it all and scored at every spot - a rarity that is unheard of, even in the best surf trips.
The film premiered the film at Astrolabe in Mount Maunganui and again at Crystal Cylinder in New Plymouth. Corona put on a bunch of cold beers and we met as many local legends as the country had to offer.
The whole crew caught up with old friends, and made many new friends. The team came back to Australia layden with smiles and an itch to make it a yearly trip.
NZ certainly left its mark on all of us and we hope we left a mark on some of the crew too. Speaking of, You may even notice some new season Inner Relm landing in stores around NZ very soon.
Words and edit by Sam Lopert
