Photo from the Big Wave Classic 2010, taken by Gregor Nicholas
Piha A won the open men’s surf boat race at Mount Maunganui on Sunday 30 January with Mark Bourneville at the sweep. Orewa was second followed by Paekakariki third.
Because of big surf the country’s current premier surf boat team, Titahi Bay, did not compete, to protect their boat for the international event in the following days.
Saturday’s event was the Northern Regional Championship, but on 31 January and 2 and 4 February there is an International Surf Challenge at the beach with teams from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan and Great Britain. This is a continuation of the original Trans-Tasman Test Series between New Zealand and Australia held in 1939, one test of which was held at Piha.
Piha Pirates will represent NZ as the U23 Crew! A win by in the Pirates in the U23 final at Whangamata earlier in the year decided the team to represent New Zealand.
Piha Pirates
Shamus O’Halloran
Jed Wright
Nicholas MacKenzie
Logan Flutey
Adam Foster
Shane (Busgsy) O’Halloran -Sweep
Kirsty Wannan
Piha has one member in the New Zealand Team, Kirsty Wannan.
The full NZ teams are
New Zealand team
Paul Cracroft-Wilson (Fitzroy), Morgan Foster (South Brighton), Michael Janes (Midway), Travis Mitchell (Mairangi Bay), Daniel Moodie (Westshore), Andrew Newton (Mount Maunganui), Madison Boon (Mairangi Bay), Nikki Cox (Westshore), Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth Old Boys), Teneale Hatton (Orewa), Chanel Hickman (South Brighton), Kirsty Wannan (Piha). Boat crew: Titahi Bay (Ben Ashby, Jamie Fitzgerald, Tim Marsden, Dean Ellis, Paul McVicar). Coach: Scott Bartlett.
New Zealand development team
Max Beattie (Omanu), Toby Harris (Wainui), Steven Kent (Titahi Bay), Michael Lee (Mairangi Bay), Nick Malcolm (Mairangi Bay), Cory Taylor (Midway), Rachel Clarke (Orewa), Kendall Elliott (Mount Maunganui), Bailey Elliott (Mairangi Bay), Katrina Madill (Mount Maunganui), Natalie Peat (Papamoa), Arna Wright (Mount Maunganui)
Don’t forget the Day of Giants coming to Piha Saturday 12 February. There will be 60 teams on the beach including for the first time a British team.