How do you get your board to the beach?

Every time I go on a surfing session getting my board to the beach is never easy. In fact, it is a nightmare getting a 9’2” longboard into a Mazda 323 sedan. You almost need to be a magician. I have to gently prize the board through the boot over the folded down backseat and then over the folded back front passenger seat. The end result is a snugly fit board with its nose pressed up against the windscreen. Thank God, I haven't had to slam on my brakes for any reason yet. If you hear of a flying surfboard after a nose to tail at a set of traffic lights, you will know it will be me ... hehe.

This drama makes me think how great it would be to own a bigger car or a van, especially an iconic VW. Unfortunately, the retro VW vans are expensive. They have become cultural icons, particularly among surfers. Tidy ones are few and far between, rare as hens teeth. A cheaper alternative for me would be buying a roof rack. Then again, a van would also make changing in and out of my wetsuit a lot easier. It would also be great for a surfing road trip and living rough for a few days or weeks. Think of the camping stuff you could store in a van. I am beginning to sound all hippie. I would be interested to know what method of transport you guys use for getting your boards to the beach.

New Zealand Surfing Guide

If you are learning to surf or are experienced, a local Kiwi or a tourist, you will find the jam packed New Zealand Surfing Guide very handy. This 550 page guide contains 470 detailed break maps. There are also 80 line up pictures and a 16 page colour gallery. This guide is perfect for planning a surfing road trip.

Two years of work went into compiling this guide - a lot of passion and love for surfing. Local surfers assisted in providing detailed information on the listed spots. The surfing community are lucky to have been given such great knowledge and insight.

Clever icons give detailed information for each spot and a stoke metre rates each break on a scale of 1 to 10. The guide also shows surfers how to learn to read the weather and predict swells. There are over 60 local area synoptic charts featured in the book.

Author, Peter Morse, acknowledges how complex New Zealand’s volcanic and reef lined coastline is and how much of it is still largely unexplored.

This gold bar sized guide book is just that gold. It is a perfect size for the car glove box or your carry bag where you can swat up on your next surfing adventure when you have a spare moment.