We woke up in Hot Water Beach with a 6 hour drive ahead of us to the Northland. Our destination was a relatively unknown bay named Whangaroa I had found by chance on the web that looked to be something we would both enjoy. There were some RV spots right on the coast, and the old fishing village had some great cruises for cheap where we would see some really impressive rock formations that don’t exist anywhere else in the world (including sea caves). For $35 a sea captain with an old boat and a lot of knowledge took us on a 4 hour cruise through the bay.
Surf was an afterthought. Taupo Bay sits on the northeastern tip of Whangaroa facing the South Pacific and is surrounded by islands. To get swell there it takes a very specific Northeast direction that almost never happens that time of year. However, when we got our first look at the giant rock head that flanks the tiny bay, I saw something I never expected. Perfect 6 ft reeling barrels, crystal clear water, offshore winds and 5 guys in the water. I couldn’t believe it. I raced to get my wetsuit on, and for the next 2 hours I had the best surf session of my life. Please enjoy the pictures below from this amazing day.
This last shot is my 4th bottom turn on this wave.
