Riders on the storm – surfers’ slice of paradise in midst of Cyclone Hale

For Otama local James Grierson it was business as usual on Tuesday afternoon.

While Cyclone Hale wrought havoc on the Coromandel, Gisborne and north of Auckland, he’d walked through a different door into dreamy little waves at the north facing bay, half an hour’s drive from Whitianga.

An offshore wind and afternoon low tide promised consistent swell and smooth faces, perfect for those itching to get back out in the water and carve, bury some rails and stay in the curl.

Grierson was clearly happy to see others in the water enjoying the calmer conditions.

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“Look at that, these little ones, they’re getting some good ones,” he said, pointing to a young woman styling along an idyllic wave.

After encouraging his friend to join him for a surf, Grierson returned to the beach, board in hand, and said: “you will find that a lot of people will turn up here”.

Sure enough, more surfers arrived and after donning their wetsuits, were keen to make the most of the fun to be had on the water.

One of them was Paul, 29, who declined to provide his last name.

Winding his way home from the recent Coro Classic music festival and happy to spot a few decent waves, he was heading to Morrinsville to drop his girlfriend home.

His “groveller” surfboard was the weapon of choice.

“It’s got a bit more volume. It’s five-foot seven and when the waves are a bit smaller it’s just a bit easier to catch waves,” he said.

Tom Stokes, 17, and his siblings had come “over the hill” from Opito Bay to make the most of Otama Bay’s blend of bathymetry and weather.

“The surf gets quite good here when the cyclone hits from the east. It’s sort of an offshore wind and there’s a big channel and the water comes around the headland, through the channel, and it gets really nice here when there’s an easterly.”

With the wind set to change direction again this afternoon to become a more pronounced southerly he planned on returning to the surf.

Stokes said the only limiting factor today would be the number of surfboards the family could carry.

“We didn’t bring as many surfboards as we would have liked. So we’re sort of sharing. But no, it’s really fun.”

Meanwhile, Hayden Coburn, one on Whitianga’s two deputy harbourmasters, said that behaviour from boaties had been sensible.

“There’s no-one out on the water. It was given good warning in the media and people knew it was going to be bad so no-one went out. We’ve just been out today looking for coastal damage,” he said.