Introspective /  by craig levers

Have a mentioned I worked at a surf mag for 15 years? A dream job for a surfer, sort of. The catch was to shoot great surf and surfing you’re not actually surfing yourself. And after standing on the beach behind the tripod getting sizzled in the harsh Kiwi sun all you wanna do is get some shade. Yep, first world problems. 

Two legends on covers there; Mikey Phillips and a grommet Ric Christie

I’m so grateful to David Hall for taking a punt on me in 1993 to start at the mag. It was daunting and amazing to be thrown into that world. Life changing stuff. The revolving team and I got to endure the tough times of putting ink on paper and be readied for the halcyon era of surf print media. 15 years is a long time at any job and the roles evolved over that time. I ended up running the magazine, had a fancy title; Editorial Director/Senior Photographer. Kind of code for the buck stops here, the jack of all, really it was being the foreman. 

Speaking of foreman, this guy; Mike Spence, was a huge mentor on all things magazine and photographic, he was the mag Ed 1990-1993 and recommended me for the gig 

But what happens when it stops? When you have to step off the perceived gravy train? PhotoCPL Media was started. My printer, Harley Davidson enthusiast, Paul Grey came up with the name. I liked it enough, it was vague to cover all the things. Freelance photography, photo print sales, writing, making books, merch, websites. 

learning how to create big panos like Piha Layers, that would be robust enough to handle wall murals like this one at Auckland Hospital

I relearnt photography. As weird, to me at least, at that sounds I threw myself into becoming a better rounded photographer. Shooting surf action is so specialised and somewhat formulaic, my landscape and product shooting sucked. I found out I actually love learning, love challenging myself to master different camera formats. There was a very quick realisation that becoming proficient in other photographic mediums dovetailed into be a better surf photographer. Guilty of always hind sighting; the content of the mag could have been so much better if the step out of the formula had been sooner. 

Where is all this going? Fuck knows, it’s a web log, it can go anywhere it wanders.

Today's grommets won't get a centrefold like this one of Jay Papworth

I’ve been away from magazine life longer than I was in. Sadly there is no surf magazine in NZ anymore, I would have loved to see the magazine thrive and build on the foundation we had created. To mature into a reflection of our rich NZ Surfing culture and heritage. These are conversations had a lot with peers and fellow surfers of a similar vintage. That the kids don’t get to have centrefolds on their bedroom walls, that they don’t get cover shots or profiles. It kind of sucks. 

Maz Quinn on the cover of the first book, PhotoCPL

In a way creating the surf books that Photo CPL Media has, partly filled the gap of reflecting and celebrating our NZ Surf community. The first one Photo CPL was a way of clearing the decks. Then the South Seas and Revised Edition books, the 4 Warren Hawke NZ Surf series and now Rambo Estrada’s Unbound Vol 1 collectively provide a good snapshot into the Kiwi way of surfing. 

Somewhat a sidebar; while feedback was welcomed and sought from the peer about surf mag issues, it was learnt early on that numbers mattered. The mag was a commercial entity, we were highly accountable to the publisher David Hall to make issues that sold. Hypothetically peer feedback and sales should go hand in glove. But they often didn’t. Becoming my own boss, this ethos was first and foremost, make something that sells. And NZ surfers are a very discerning bunch when it comes to parting with their fun dockets. The money talks, bullshit walks. There’s a good amount of satisfaction that every single book project has been a commercial success, in fact right now Rambo and I are waiting for the shipment of the Unbound reprint.

Book launches and exhibiting

Books; tick. 

Making an E-Photo Gallery and Freelance Photography

It’s been a long standing dream to open a bricks and mortar Surf Gallery. It wouldn’t be a shrine to Photo CPL images or an ego stroke. It would be a venue where established and up’n’coming surf photographers and artists could showcase their wares. Monthly exhibitions and openings, swap meets, residencies and workshops. Create a venue that becomes the default hub for surf creatives. That commercial sensibility always kicks it in the guts; location, commercial rent, staffing and being tied to retail hours; all too tougher hurdles. 

Whanga Bar Mono rolling off the printer, this one went to Melbourne this week

The e-photo galleries on PhotoCPL.co.nz serve as the stop gap. But viewing pixels online doesn’t compare in any way to seeing a large format print. It’s a big ask to hope a client can visualise what a screen grab will look like on their lounge wall. I get caught all the time, stuck screen side looking at line-up pixels, then finally seeing a large test print, it’s quite shocking how good prints are- this is not a sales pitch- legit I get a wonderful shock at how much detail there is in a printed image. That relearning of the craft kicks in here too, I needed every image available for print on PhotoCPL.co.nz to be technically robust to handle any usage. 

Supertubes Dune, shot on Velvia 100 asa film on the 617 Panoramic camera 

Same day but different angle and set shot on the digital camera and used around the world and the the books Big Little Beach Book and The South Seas 

It’s a very strange transition going from being a salaried photographer to free agent. Instead of being paid a wage, you flip to paying it forward. This photo, Supertubes Dune, is a good case study of that; in 2015 I was standing on top of the Shippies Dunes as the much documented Mega Swell started to roll through Ahipara’s iconic points. I’d been camping for a few days at Supertubes waiting for the swell to hit, it was one of the last years that camping around the reef was still tolerated. There I am, alone, gasping for gas after lugging way too many cameras up the sand, and absolutely in the happy place. Frothing over the swell, relieved that I hadn’t had a cardiac arrest and about to burn through rolls of hyper expensive medium format film. Images from that tedious climb and beautiful swell were used all around the world, online and in print [including the South Seas and Big Little Beach books]. In fact just this week The ASB Kaitaia Branch had this installed as a full wall mural. 

Sorry, iPhone squished photos, but you get the gist, fricken love that graphic in the sky, thanks to the legend Jimmy Phillips for championing the commission 

I may have hoped, but would never expect the self funded drive from Piha to Shippies, the wonderful days of waiting with crew like Jesse Peters, Lindsay Butler and Luke Crouch, the excitement of being in the moment shooting, then the very real cost of processing the film would yield pay days. Probably for a photographer that’s always been freelance it’s easier to jump in the wagon and go. 

That hindsight thing again; what would be done differently, shoot more, surf more, be where the waves are good more.

 ....AND DEEEEEEN..... 


Yessss... the gentle prod... Have you checked out the PhotoCPL Piha Hoodie yet? They are ticking over really quite nicely 

…and so has the PhotoCPL Whanga Hoodie not nervous about having 5 big boxes of these guys sitting in the office one bit... no not at all. 

Cooly and Cooler /  by craig levers

Me and the gorgeous Ange have just come back from a very cool week on the Gold Coast. It wasn't a surf trip, honest, we were there for a niece's wedding. Our days were filled with pre-wedding brunches, Staggies and hen's, cocktail evenings, oh an actual wedding and then post wedding brunches. The wedding was up the Nerang River in the Hinterlands, an amazing venue and of course great times with whanau. We tapped on a few days extra to chase surf and explore. Well reminisce somewhat, when I was 18 I moved to Kirra and did two winters on the Goldie, it was life shaping stuff and I believe those years set me in the direction I took...aurgably down the wrong road, but hey here we are a mere 40 years later.

Aussie architecture at its finest, love a bit of breeze block

Yeah, the iconic Pink Hotel, epic place to base yourself, just bring your noise cancellers for the weekends

Lemmy spotted 

The surf... well it was kind of pumping over the wedding days! But I was happily locked into that. Post wedding; meh, small days a D'bah. The Occy Grom Comp was kicking off the following weekend so the gang were in town. It was bloody cool to hang with the large Kiwi contingent there. Matty Scozz and his son Arlo, the Marsdens, Dan 'Blackie' Scott, the Baileys, Matt Groube, The Williams, Pia and Leia....the list goes on. 

Matty Scorringe; in surf dad mode for the Occy Comp

Arlo, hyped on being exposed to the Aussie level

Matty stated that this is his favourite pic from the session of Arlo...awwwww Dad

Arlo's best mate Haru Marsden was there too 

Grom to watch, Haru

...and Haru's sister Nami, ripping! 

Matty Scozz told me this kid's name, told me he's the Aussie grom to watch and I've totally blanked on it




AND DEEEENNN....

From balmy evenings and love filled festivities [I mean the wedding, gutter mouths ] to not quite so user friendly conditions.

You KNOW this moment, nowhere to go, just gotta take your beats

Off the Coolangatta flight and straight  into this skullduggery!!! Saturday was the Annual Keyhole Single Fin comp. It was, very cleary .... Fucken gnarly. But the call was made, strap your nuts on lads and ladesses, we are going no matter what. It's the Keyhole way. So I could repeat what I wrote for the Keyhole Post on Facey, but that would be redundant, the post is HERE

It was an epic day in every sense. The great vibes, the warm banter, the hellish drops on ancient craft, the legrope snaps/swims, the party. 

The Lads

Leia Millar and board #5, Leia made it thru to the semis and was ohhh so close to a finals berth

Leia's mum Carolyn, on the tools all day, in fact special mention or even MVP to Caro? She was a driving force behind the auction fundraiser for Keyhole's 3 athletes that are selected for the NZ World Junior Team 2025. Oh and not forgetting Sam Keane manning the BBQ, Keyhole's sergeant at arms, in the background pushing and organising, well done Sammy! You're the man, bro. 

Dune Kennings and THE bottom turn, can a bottom turn be awarded points...and the Keyhole Single Fin; hell yes

Yeah Wedgie... so Judgey! 

Dune, and the spoiler, clearly he was on a tear and won

The Bowlo Presso; Piha dug deep for the auction , bloody onya Piha crew, over 12K was raised for Leia, Will Hardie and Christian Fougere's world champaign

Dune first, Will Hardie 2nd, Christian Fouge 3rd and Zeke Praggart in 4th.... see how I lined them up for that caption??? Not my first rodeo

How good! Except for Neil yawning, to be fair he'd done a sterling job MC'ing the comp all day 



....AND DEEEEEEN..... 

Yessss... the gentle prod... Have you checked out the PhotoCPL Piha Hoodie yet? They are ticking over really quite nicely 

...and so has the PhotoCPL Whanga Hoodie  not nervous about having 5 big boxes of these guys sitting in the office one bit... no not at all. 

Eastside Small Kine /  by craig levers

Eastside shorey bash- so fun! 

They are funny old things, these EDM’s …. that’s electronically direct mail, btw. Apologies if you’re reading this on the PhotoCPL Blog …which is the abbreviation for Web-log. 

There is all sorts of marketing do’s and don’t around them, like keep them short [fail] and be regular [semi-fail]. Last week’s one was missed, had heaps of content, but there was a swell eastside. Sit behind the keyboard tapping out at post, or get amongst it and gather more images and good times. There was actually a brief tussle, I’d been on a roll of regularity with the EDM. Common sense bore out though, the whole reason for doing the EDM is to share images….oh and gentle persuade you to buy a PhotoCPL print, book, T or hoodie. 


 Last week the PhotoCPL blog [which is also the EDM] got rated as one of the top 5 New Zealand Photo Blogs by Feedspot HERE . That’s pretty cool aye! 

Sooooo eastside it was. The swell was far from being the most epic tubing beast event, but it was a stayer. 4 days of fun, lots of sessions, lots of memory cards filled and batteries drained...



This one of Taj DeBasco-Millar was NOT taken in this swell, it's from the week prior 

suma suma... and there's the sequence of him riding out over on Insty HERE

How dreamy and fun is that bank

Braedon Williams choosing to dabble in the criss-crosses 

Digga indicating that it's around 2 foot

Dylan Preston styley as always on the Thursday eve session 

The perennial grom and NZ's very own surfing Iggy- Mister Iain 'Ratso' Buchanan 

...and another ever-grom, Mojo Shaper Mark O'Connor 

An actual grom...in fact from this point on, most of the shots are grubs... Hazza Biddle

Hazza and a very unlike grom spray

India Kennings powering through

Daniel Cox 1 and 2

and his brother Kobie below 

Ash Rogers in a Friday arvo waft

meanwhile up the beach... 

When you see a rainbow like this, get the drone in FAST... preeeetty though aye

Mountie grub Ffeon Clifford one to watch for sure

And then time to play at Shangri-La 

From the air, the land and the sea, pretty darn stoked all the angles got flexed on this swell. I even shot with a new little Chinese toy camera that turned out to be exactly that and pretty shite, but you don't know if you don't have a go. 
 

....AND DEEEEEEN..... 

Yessss... the gentle prod... Have you checked out the PhotoCPL Piha Hoodie yet? They are ticking over really quite nicely 

...and so has the PhotoCPL Whanga Hoodie  not nervous about having 5 big boxes of these guys sitting in the office one bit... no not at all. 

 

Brushes With Brilliance /  by craig levers

This week’s post was scheduled to be a hard sell of the new hoodies, write about how their production fell into place, the images used, how this two images worked so well in the artwork and then on the screen printer’s silk, the ease of finding the right garment [thanks Hunter!] And then the awesome feedback from those that have already bought,  blah, blah.

But after writing the peice below it doesn’t feel good trying to pimp the PhotoCPL wares, so veering out of that lane; 

 

Brushes With Brilliance 

One of Surfing’s greatest storytellers has left the building, 76 year old Jack McCoy passed 26 May after a long illness. 

I can’t lay claim to knowing the legendary Jack McCoy. My two brushes with the master of surf cinematography were fleeting. The first was at Bull’s Paddock, NSW in 2005 when I was on a Rusty Photoshoot with Justin Souter, Luke Harwood and Mikey Banks. McCoy was there also with the late great WA Surf Photog Twiggy and the Billabong A team, Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrows. We were there first- but naturally Twiggy was sent over to see what we were up to. I did know Twig a lot better, he’d shot a lot of Chrissy Davie, Reg and the other Kiwi WA contingent and we’d published those images in NZ Surf Mag. Twig was a good bastard, a dyed in the wool Ocker partier. 

The interchange was nothing but convivial, but he was sent along the sand by Jack and the Billabong manager to make sure we were staying in our lane, that I wouldn’t shoot their guys. It’s a common courtesy all surf photographers largely adhere to. From memory we were actually done, I think there was warm banter that they had missed the morning glass. We were happy to watch and fanboy. I also remember how hard Jack was working, off the back of a jetski, then on land, then back in the water. 

The other brushing was while Jack was on tour promoting his Parko movie Free As A Dog in 2006. I think the movie had footage from the Bull’s Paddock sessions and some epic NZ footage. I was the local mag editor, Jack was on a promo tour, he was in showman mode, like an old school surf movie tour, that sorta meeting. Again nothing but convivial and nice, but also nothing more than a glancing. I had already commissioned my offsider Rowan Klevstul to do the McCoy interview. 

We’ve all grown up on McCoy’s moving vision from Tubular Swells, Kong’s Island [a firm fave] , Sons of Fun [best sound track eva] , Sik Joy, Sabo Taj, The Occumentary… Blue Horizons… There are 25 Full length McCoy Surf Movies, but the man contributed so much more to other seminal surf movies and shorts. Little wonder there has been a huge outpouring of love and sympathy for his family in surf media and socials. Truly an innovator and absolute surfing royalty, Jack’s contribution to our global tribe’s story has been massive. Rest in peace, sir, you are a definitive legend. 

24, 24 Hours To Go /  by craig levers

Ohhh aint those offshore plumes preeetttty

Pheewwwweee, It's been a good 7 days! Busy times over here at the PhotoCPL towers. 

First up, there was a quick dash to Raglan for 24 hours. Too big for the westside beaches...as per it seems this year so far, flat on the eastside, it was time for a long overdue stay at Raglan. They have had the best season, great weather, beautiful clean south swells and good sand. Yes dear readers, even the fabled rocky points of Rag town ebb and flow with sand build up, but you knew that. This week's swell wasn't one of those spic south swells, there was a bit of west bump in it, the sheets weren't pulled tight. That probably only makes sense to a photographer. But where else would you wanna be? Sun's out, ohhh it was cold though! Sun's out, surf is fine, catch ups with the crew, roast chicken [thanks Nat!] lunching at Wyld.... yeah doing it tough aye :) 

Billy Stairmand 24 hours prior to flying out for the Newcastle Challenger Series comp

Yeah Toots! Jarrod Toomey, former cover model still ripping 

Van Clemizind .... clearly at this point we a half way through celebrating backhand reos, and a study of subtleties in style and board placement

Luca Thompson's lip twist

My fav of the collection, Nav Malone, which one is yours??? Seriously, let me know

Thank F%ck for that, a forehander, Caleb Cutmore on the dawnie sesh

Yeah the Champs! Pia Rogers and Leia Millar between circuits

Pia was back from the Goldcoast and back in a full suit for a week- she reckoned it was the first time in a long time going left

Waikato Uni Student Leia between lectures 

Luca Thompson and maybe just maybe the double barrel of the morning

Billy's patented tail waft

3 weeks left of his law degree, Jackson Peak and his trademark Pink Primal 

Jackson and the free fall that had the carpark erupting with cheers and ohhhhhhhhh's, he reckoned it hurt too

Tana Clapham in his 4 hour dawnie

The sou'wester kicked in, Wyld Cafe was calling. Thank you Whāingaroa for a wonderful 24 hour whistle stop. Work beckoned elsewhere...

....AND Deenn....

Sooo the week prior, this guy happened, you may remember the image from last week's post?

It's in the Waves Print Gallery  on PhotoCPL.co.nz and it's already been ordered. 

Always very exciting, and important, to see the first print coming off the Epson. It is always a reminder that images are meant to to printed, the detail and tones are never done justice on a screen. This is a 1200mm x 800mm fuji crystal archive print rolling out.

And 'cos we aren't here to fornicate with arachnids...This also happened ... 

Thanks to the legendary Hunter Cooney at PK Print  we were able to do a very, very quick turnaround of the new PhotoCPL.co.nz Hoodies   We swapped out the older Whanga Bar image, for the new image. In fact, the new one was shot with the Merch in mind. While the original T image is pumping Whanga Bar, because it was shot at dawn it was a lower contrast image, it's better in colour. It looks ok on the T's, but Hunter wanted a more contrasty file. It would make economic sense to sell the Whanga T's out, THEN do the new art. Cleary I'm no businessman, I just want the artwork that works the best on the garment. So now we have PhotoCPL Hoodies!!! 

How good! Here's the Whanga Bar one 

Oooshhh and here's the Piha Bar one 

With Hunter's gentle tuition we have gone for a hoodie that is tailored in a premium 400 GSM heavy weight cotton-rich blend, and oversized for a looser fit. Featuring inset sleeves, draw cords, a cozy pullover hood with self-fabric lining, and 2x2 ribbing on the cuffs and hem. It's the type of hoodie you pick up and go 'ohh that's got some weight' it feels quality... it is. It's defo NOT a summer hoodie! 

Digga's Swell /  by craig levers

Digga starting the special day the way he'd continue

Last week's post started with Daniel 'Digga' Davie, and it looks like this one is too. It was Daniel's birthday on Tuesday, a significant one the big 50. As most anyone who's passed this milestone with attest, it's a bitter sweet one. Yesssss I made it... holy shit nooooo I'm officially an old c@nt. Just being a cynical bastard [or aptly; an Old C@unt] , I don't buy into that 40 is the new 30, then 50 is the new 40 crap. You'll notice it's always quoted by someone that just turned the larger figure, or someone consoling the birthday girl/boy. No 20 year old ever said 20 is the new 10. 

Not a shabby start to the day, check the right runner

It was an exciting day, a clean swell building all day with nice offshores grooming it. I suspect the whole eastern seaboard of the Coromandel lit up at some point, but Digga and I resisted the grass is greener texts and opted for his hometown breaks. We met predawn, Dan was already in his wetsuit. 

Not bad for a 1/2 centurion 

After surf one Digga opted to stay in his wetsuit, citing it was way too much energy to navigate twisting out of and then renegotiating entry into a cold, wet steamer, the wise words of an old bastard. In fact this became the theme of the day, at probably this point Digga decided that he'd spend the ENTIRE day rubbered up. Four surfs, 6.30 am to 4.40 pm in his full suit... and yes it goes without saying all the jokes were made about him marinating in his own juices, how'd the steamer would have to be disposed of in a biohazard bag... and all the others you can think of. 

Surf 2, Arron ‘Fronty’ Webb on a dreamy canvas

Digga Surf 3 

Soooooo, my plan was to stoke the bro out for his birthday, follow him around as his own personal photographer. It didn't work out that way. While we did co-ordinate every surf, I missed every single bomb Digga got. But the Bar did turn on for the arvo sessions, in fact I don't think I've shot it better. 

Braedon Williams prior to the pulse, and putting in 6 hours water time

Karne Pitcher, a rarity- out on the face, you'll see what I mean later 

Karne's younger brother Brad framed classically

Ben Kennings patiently waited for the ones that drew off the peak just right

Karne in one of his many, many, many makes of the session

Braedon hand jiving stez

The legend Taff Kennings proving that 70 is the new 50??? Yes, yes I did

I stayed in my wetsuit for a comparative pathetic 150 minutes treading the bar and playing in the sweep, Digga rang as I hobbled back to my wagon. 'I'm going back out for surf 4!' Me; 'ohhh ok ummm I might just put the drone up.' - photog code for 'I'm knackered, I don't want to play anymore, I need a sit down.' But I'm glad I did, 'cos this happened \/ \/ \/

Now this is a bit where I try to mansplain that the locals that have seen this one reckon it's one the all time ones, and by that qualification I claim it too. Do the hard sell, point out the clean lines wrapping into the bay, the hollowness of the first section... sort of like that few sentences. I fricken love it, I've put it into the Waves Print Gallery  on PhotoCPL.co.nz 

Digga's special day, I reckon he had a goodie, his poor wettie- not so much. To have 4 surfs, then a roast chicken dinner and cheesecake... well he very literally had his cake and ate it too. 50ths aint so bad. 

 

La Honce's Board /  by craig levers

The other day, me ol' mate, the eagle eyed, Digga Davie, sent through this Trade Me Listing ; 

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/sports/surfing/surfboards/shortboards/listing/5303133183

Asking, do you reckon this is La Honce’s old board from that photo you shot? I sent it on to Larry Fisher..aka La Honce… you may know him, he’s 50% part of the A team that are the foundation behind the Raglan Surf Academy. But Larry is so much more than simply a High School teacher. 

Lazza, replied straight back, 'Yeah it is, that’s even my old HB board bag in the listing.'


Because of all of that you're reading it was also a feature spread in the book PhotoCPL 

The shot… this one above was taken in the summer of 1993, we’d gone up to Northland for the Sandy Bay, Polar Bear Classic, which had been postponed until that December. We were all staying with the boss, the legend Pauline Pullman. The swell pulsed and we boosted down to Ocean Beach.

It was the closing road trip on the first year at the surf mag for Chris Berge and I, and the year had been a baptism by fire. Defo more downs than ups, but we were learning and we were starting to find our groove. And that roady was sort of a pressure off, no deadline pending, end of year cruise before knock off. Local lad Keary Neal was with us too, that’s him duckdiving the wave Laz is on. We stayed at Obezz all day, surfing, shooting, even napping between sessions in the warm December rays. I remember thinking, this is what we signed up for, me and Budge, get free surfing action on the days around an event, document the event, then cruise back to the office with a bag full of exposed film rolls. 

I had just started learning the craft of water photography, I can say, hand on heart, this image is a complete and utter fluke. No skill was involved in the making of it in anyway. I showed it to the CEO of Rip Curl NZ, Paul Muir, he loved that it was taken at his own stomping ground Obezz, he ran it as a double page spread in the next issue of NZ Surfing. I was pretty stoked at that.  When the mag came out things went rad, both Lazza and I were getting pats on the back from everyone, like ‘sick turn’, ‘How Kiwi is that background!’ ‘That’s a real NZ shot, couldn’t be shot anywhere else.’ It was like an …. hmmmm if I can replicate that fluke more often, then I’m onto to something. 

Larry’s mum Rose rang me to ask if she could get a print of the photo. This meant everything to me, that Rose wanted the shot, that was a real wow moment. 

At the time Larry, was a poster boy for the NZ Surfing scene, the clean living blonde grom from Piha was a sponsor’s dream. Hooked up by Hot Buttered and Rip Curl, already represented NZ at international competition and tipped to be a National Champ, in fact I believe 3 weeks after this Obezz session, Laz came second to Jason Matthews in the Open Nationals Final. He was one of the few surfers that received regular fan mail at the surf mag, we delighted in publishing every single one. 

We played on that at the magazine for a few years, we travelled a lot together. Indo, the far north, the deep, deep south- always a good time. I even bounced at one of Larry’s fundraisers …. that’s a story for another time. 

What? Clean living Laz at Show Girls???? Well yes and no, this was part of a poorly executed story for NZ Surf Mag. The idea was that fellow Piha surfers Nat Barron and Nick NguChung had convinced Larry to go to the strippers, and then the strippers wouldn't let Laz go... it was hilarious shooting it. 

Laz earlier this year, representing Raglan's Point Boardriders at the Boardriders Cup

Later Digga and I conferred, some collector could buy that board, and had it displayed with the book open on that spread, it would look pretty cool. If it was California, that would probably happen. Oh well. 

OH YESSSS!  The new PhotoCPL T's are hitting the mark with the punters. Sales are OK, you guys could do better, I expect more from you- jokes...not jokes. BUT the comments back about the quality and fit are what we are loving.  You missed that memo? Ok the link is HERE

A Bestest Story Never Told...until now /  by craig levers

This week my ol’ mate AJ Matthews reached out. The Whangamata surfer is currently living land locked in Switzerland, a very strange place for a Kiwi surfer to end up.  AJ was hurting, his hard-drive with all his old photos was cooked. He has no evidence to prove to his kids he can surf, let alone have been an eminent figure in surf mags throughout the late 90’s and early 00’s. After being sponsored by Rip Curl, Huffer and then Rusty, AJ went on to work Billabong NZ and FCS. He was good at it too, but as the NZ surf industry [and surf mags for that matter] died a slow, lingering death so did AJ’s time in those realms. How do you even explain to kids WHAT surf mags were and how entwined they were in surf culture? 

This is not attempt to start recanting the misadventures shared with AJ since he was the alternate at the ’95 Bali World Grommet Comp. I dug deep into the archive and found him a decent smattering of images from the last 30 years. One of the more recent tales popped up in conversation was a session in 2017. There’s a post on Insty that grazes it, but the full story is so much worse. 

Someone who should remain on the other side of the camera, Sanga and AJ at a Von Zipper party, at Flight Lounge circa 2012???

There was a heavy bank out in front of Lion Rock, and Piha’s Bar was in fine form on the same low, low tides. The Lion Bank was heavier, more open to swell, harder to get onto and certainly a lot harder to swim out with a camera in a waterhousing. I wasn’t confident at all I’d even get through the guillotining impact zone, but I had studied the wave and bank for weeks, actually had a few failed attempts. I had a method, shockingly it worked… but I was not going to let on to the crew out the back how easily the rip had popped me out the back. From memory it was remarked upon, like ‘wow, you swam through that bro? You’ve got some legs.’ me; ‘yeah no worries’ - totally downplaying my own surprise. As expected the sweep north was horrendous.  No bobbing around off the section waiting for a surfer to come through, this was mahi, on the treadmill constantly flippering south. Early on in the session Braden Louie snagged a 6 foot bomb, the bottom turn shot became the opening Auckland spread in The South Seas book. It looked like could have been Piha Bar, with Nun Rock in the background, we captioned it vaguely to infer that too. 

AJ

The Waitakere surf ranger, Napes got a clean backside no-hands barrel, Toby Dobson-Smith snagged a beast too, but the surfers were thinly spread. I was stoked when AJ popped up in the line up, and he confirmed our mate Sam ‘Sanga’ Willis was joining soon too. That Sanga just wanted to get a few warm ups on the Bar before paddling across the Bay to us. AJ didn’t disappoint, charging some of the biggest and roundest ones of the evening. Every pass we’d joke, where the fuck is Sanga, he’s blowing it surfing the more sheltered Bar. What’s he up to! 

AJ ended up with images that would be used in Damaged Goods Zine, Smorgasborder Mag and Warren Hawke’s book NZ Surf Vol 2. I think a shot of AJ ended up in a surf atlas book too, the point is they did the rounds. 

AJ styling through the power

From out the back of Lion Rock we could hear and see a curfuffle at the Piha Surf Club. Sirens, Ambo lights. We joked, it’s probably Sanga. Sanga is regarded for his charging and his lack of self preservation. But he has also had some shocking injuries. Falling off decks backwards onto driveways, concussions at Teahupo’o, snapped ankles at Big Brother; the list goes on. AJ and I came in together after dark on the north side of Lion, the Ambo lights were still flashing at the surf club. I was parked at North, AJ at south, as we parted ways we joked, better check that’s not Sanga at the Surfy aye. 

It was. 

Sanga having a wee bit of a better surf in the South Pacific mid 2000's

Sanga takes up the story; 

I’d gone out to Piha in AJ and Ollie Coddington. You'd remember it was a sunny beautiful day and the tide was really low and I remember walking almost out to the Beehive rock. I jumped in the water and I swear like 30 seconds later I was out the back and this wave came and wedged, I spun and went for it. I don't really know what happened though, I pulled in backside,  was a bit deep, got swallowed and then I went down. I'm guessing I hit the bottom or I hit my board, but my board didn't have any damage. I got flogged, I came up and I'm not sure if I hit my head as well 'cos I was like is either a shock or I was knocked out because I was in La La Land, I came up and I couldn't really breathe and I was just fucking disorientated and really weird.  

I proned my way in and got to the beach and was able to walk. I do remember bumping into someone but I don't know who it was. I probably wasn't anyone I knew but I was just fucked. I didn't really know; it was like really having like a psychedelic experience or something like that but it was probably just shock I'd imagine, as well my lung was collapsing.

I got back to the car and I I knew where I knew where AJ’s keys were hidden so I tried to sit down to reach under the grab the keys. I just sat down and I couldn't move, so I am there was, a guy sitting in the car just car park space away, so I started throwing stones at his window, he kinda looked at me like as a bit weird and then he wound the window down. I said ‘man, I've just fucked myself, I need some assistance.’ So he got the Piha surf rescue guys to come and get me on the ATV thing and took me to the Surf Club. 

At the surf club I don't think they gave any pain relief but they were sure that I've broken ribs and they listened to my chest and thought my lung been collapsed, so they called an ambulance and they were super cool. They were really, they are just good people who are very helpful and super kind. The ambulance turned up and I took a ride into town. 

Actually Ollie Coddington came too. I think AJ was with you around on that left-hander getting barrelled and he wasn't coming in. I didn't know what was going on but Ollie came in, I guess he must've. I'm not sure if he knew what was going on or what the story was but he came in. Maybe the guy in the car might've told him that his mate is at the surf club.  I'm not sure exactly what happened but he came out and he bought my clothes and food and when you see your mates are pretty worked; you know, he was concerned.

I was in early stages of the relationship with my wife and I couldn't remember her number off by heart and I was like I gotta give her a call, eventually I do. I called El and cause I talk heaps of shit, she's like ‘whatever, you're so full of shit.’ Something along the line to that, she's like ‘no you're not’ and then in the ambulance guys was like it's ‘John here. Yes, no I’m the ambulance.’ Then we went to the hospital and yeah pretty much seven ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken scapula.  

It was most of them if not all of them, I'm not exactly sure but it was really painful. The gnarliest as part of this whole thing was when they had to re-inflate my lung. So they just cut below one of your ribs up sort of close to upper ribs they just they pretty much just cut through that but they don't go all the way through. They just cut through the skin. And then they forced like a straw through your cell wall and your cartage and stuff just so that it creates a seal around that straw and then they have to blow your lung back up. You know, you have to work pretty hard to force something through someone's chest like that so that was pretty intense. 

Sanga's recovery was long, as anyone whose broken ribs will attest, even sneezing is a daunting thought. He survived and thrived just fine. Of course it could have been a lot lot worse, but serves as a reminder, not that Piha is a mellow break, but it's easy to get complacent populated surf breaks. You just be careful out there this weekend aye. 

OH YESSSS!  The new PhotoCPL T's are hitting the mark with the punters. Sales are OK, you guys could do better, I expect more from you- jokes...not jokes. BUT the comments back about the quality and fit are what we are loving.  You missed that memo? Ok the link is HERE

After the Storm /  by craig levers

Pretty bloody pumping 

Cyclone Tam was a bit of a weird old thing. The West coast pumped as she tracked down the Tasman. Then even Nelson's premier breaks lit up. Meantime the easties filled their boots with exotic, rarely ridden gems. There was lots of surfboard riding over Easter, that's for certain. Here's a sampling of some not so random or hidden spots that had their moments. ..

Panned back or in closer? I like them both, what's your pick?

Ben Kennings on the outer wave tearing it apart

lattice work post Tammy

Product placement much!!! Heheheh Manu Roberts sporting the new PhotoCPL Piha Bar T  wait, you haven't got yours? 

This may or may not be what Manu was scoping 

It totally was, Manu in the shorey slab

Pretty cool weaving through a nugget with your son watching on, Nick Roberts 

Manu again... he made a fair few of these in the quick 45mins of good tide 

Your 2025 Senior National Champion, Mister Sean Peggs, opted forehand

Is this an ad break??? Yes dear reader, yes it is. This is the PhotoCPL Whanga Bar T  

Oooosh Mark Wyper with the swoop of the evening

Jonas Tawharu stayed out for fricken hours, bloody good to see ya mate

No, not again, Mark Wyper schooling the young -uns 

Just a quick one this week, see you next. 

The new PhotoCPL T's are hitting the mark with the punters. Sales are OK, you guys could do better, I expect more from you- jokes...not jokes. BUT the comments back about the quality and fit are what we are loving.  You missed that memo? Ok the link is HERE

The Wiggle 2025 /  by craig levers

Just before the swell maxed out on day 3

Ohope's Westend is an underrated surf spot, often maligned as a formless flat beach, which it can be, but on it's day the left and right peak in the northern corner pump. It is the chosen home of veritable NZ Surfing royalty, like the Barnfields and the Ogilvys. Former stomping ground of the late great master shaper Craig Hughes, the Westend is firmly threaded into our surfing tapestry. Dylan and Eli Barnfield are perpetuating that legacy in the form of the annual Westend Wiggle, a 3 day celebration of longboard culture and competition. 2025 was the 6th Wiggle and formatted similarly its larger southern counterpart The Single Fin Mingle, held a week earlier in Summner. The Westend Wiggle is very much its own entity and flavour though. The two celebrations create an informal Longboard tour with participants from as far a field as the US, Sweden and of course from across the Ditch. 

Dylan Barnfield event director and frontman for the Wiggle

Eli Barnfield, clam under pressure

Always watching, always judging... top judge Mark O'Connor, and shaper of that bewty Mojo 9'6 log, tinted to the Wiggle's colour pallet and given away on presso night

There is a legion of volunteers backing the Barnfields, I wouldn't even begin to attempt to name half of them, but fair to say the Wiggle has amazing support from the local surf community. While the Women's and Men's open division competition are foundation of the three days, then strong, strong pillars are the evening shenanigans. The art exhibition, bands, bars and food trucks all based at the newly transformed Ohope Wharfside, quite frankly the younger CP would've shown up for the nocturnal activities alone, hmmmm party all night then sift at the Westend daily. These are the weekends where tales of giant cows, group shared hallucinations and very sore heads are born.  

As always, at this point I'm opting out of the PhotoCPL web log being a contest report and wrap up, done waaaay too many of those over the last 30 years. Letting the photos do the talking from this point... 

Friday dawn's Mihi, the blessing and the opening of the Wiggle 2025

6 years in and a well oiled contest machine

Onsite caffeination for the dusty heads

Piha representatives Liv Hysom and Gabi Paul with their Californian mate, to whom I was introduced and completely spaced on her name- I'm a kook. 

So, while acknowledging the terrible loss of life on Whakaari in 2019, how fricken cool is it hanging 5 with a live volcano in the background

Ngati-Porou surfer Te Waiotu rode a D-fin, a fricken D-fin, all the way to the semi's

Auckland logger Taj Robinson

Low-tide judgement 

Local Tai Murphy competed, but also was a key volunteer all weekend

Matty Newdick a shock dismissal in the earlier rounds 

Yeah Gilli Ria!!!

3 legends right here, Gilli, Hone and the one and only Stevie Ria

When the lights start to do this, its time to moonwalk out of there

The best wing person eva, me ol mate Keziah Richmond, good hang mate! Wait, dunno who Keziah is, follow her awesome photography on insty HERE

Finals time

Your 2025 women finalists; Kilinoe Farrow, Kirra Molnar, Hannah Kohn and Gabi Paul 

and the blokes, Nat Fitt, Aiden Cruz, Zen Wallis and Raymond Sayles

Nat Fitt put on a show of variety in the final, I believe there was only 1.5 point spread across the mens final, they all surfed sick

Piha's Zen Wallis, spoiler; was a mere 1.5 points behind Nat

Check out Nat's legit shock at the win- rad 

Noosa's Kirra Molnar was the athlete to beat... and she proved triumphant with precise and long nose rides

Champs, every one of them 

Dusty daze for sunday's sessions, the tag team event with local team the Old Groms getting bonus points for attire and ultimately winning 

Even the band put in a team with rope in's Gabi Paul and Skip James... although they were horrified they'd progressed through the next round and would have to run again

Showmanship is everything - arguably ....no definitely the longest ride of the tag team event

Team moustache led by local legend Ollie Dobbin 

Yeah Eli! Starting them young with the annual Wiggle beach regeneration initiative 

Want to suss out the Westend Wiggle for next year- 'cos you should, check out the website HERE, there are links there for all their socials 

Osssssh, the new PhotoCPL T's are hitting the mark with the punters. Sales are OK, you guys could do better, I expect more from you- jokes...not jokes. BUT the comments back about the quality and fit are what we are loving.  You missed that memo? Ok the link is HERE




Epic Boardriders, the 2nd best eva /  by craig levers

The Bar was looking pretty good at dawn

Second best aye, what's that all about in the header? Well, the NZ Nationals EVERY year is the competition in the world... just my opinion, but I'm right. Where else do you have an incredibly inclusive week, where ANY KIWI can enter? The catch ups, the making of new friends, the rivalries, the drama. The condensed version of that...and why it is a very close bee's dick of a length in second is the SNZ Boardriders Cup. It was held last Saturday at Access #8 Whangamata. It was kind of pumping too. 

Whanga beachie, super fun

You can view the gallery of photos from the day over on the Surfing NZ facebook page HERE  I'm pretty chuffed with my delivery from the manic, fast paced day. 

Bay Boardriders clinched the victory for a third year running. They are so clinical and tactical and of course, each member of the team are super talented surfers. This year they fended off some of the stiffest competition yet... wait, this post is not a contest report. You can read that over on SNZ HERE

Here's some of my favourite images from the day... 

Yeah Holly, good to see ya too! Actually much like the Ava Henderson shot I got at the Nationals in January; this is very much a term of endearment, a long standing joke. An absolute highlight of the weekend was catching up with Holly and Jay Quinn on Friday night post surf. Talking shit, reminiscing. Holly summed it up "Results come and go, no one remembers the results, they remember the fun and the misadventures."

Keeping it Quinn, Maz and Jay representing Eastcoast Surfriders in full preheat analysis

Probs should've waited for a clean roller to be breaking in this one aye

Ahhh the 2021 Champions, Keyhole ... literally one top turn short of progressing through to the finals... heartbreaking

 The Bay's Hinako Kurokawa tagging in Tao Mouldey 

Mountie transplant Nick White representing Gizzy 

Raglan's Larry Fisher 

The Naki's Spencer Rowson 

Caleb Cutmore shovelling bucketloads 

A deserved win for Bay Boardriders and they were stoked! 


AND DEEEEEEN 

How cool, this is an older commission of Piha Bar Barrel on canvas at, I think 1200mm wide. The owner is selling the property and they sent through this shot saying 'It's still there and looking great in the listing." Defo up the sale price ehhh fellas :) 

LIke it? Well you can check it out HERE

Osssshhhh last week was all about showing you the new merch, well, we had sales!!! Thank you to the guys that jumped in on them. You missed that memo? Ok the link is HERE



 

Tee'd Off??? Nah, T On!!! /  by craig levers

This week's web-log is a blatant exercise in marketing and selling. I'm not going to pretend it's anything other than that, no NZ Surf news, no sideways views or opinions. No surf photos, well except for the ones that are trying to be marketed. AND I am pretty excited to be presenting... even debuting to you the loyal PhotoCPL reader, the 2025 run of PhotoCPL T's. 

There hasn't been a PhotoCPL T range for ages. The last range sold out. There should have been a follow up. I didn't love the type of T we were using back then, they were 'ok', they were industry standard. I didn't want industry standard, I wanted the shirts to be more of a premium weave and weight. The conviction is, if you have a T that sits and fits well, is comfortable, that's what makes a favourite T- not so much what's on it. So that was the plan this round. 

Here's the Piha T back.

...and here's the Whangamata T back

The T's are 100 cotton and 200 gsm, not the 180 gsm standard. We went for B&W printing so the image/screen stays light and soft. Yes there is a compromise in the photographicness of the screen, but it means the T breathes better, you won't get that sweaty patch on your back so much as you would with the thick plastisol photo-like art. Like nice pastels, and neutral mooted colours on your T's.... jog on my friend, we are doing the Kiwi As thing here - these bewties are black, or midnight charcoal; otherwise known as BLACK. 

So yeah, buy a T or 10? Free Shipping nationwide. 

The Piha T is HERE           The Whangamata T is HERE

 

AND DEEEEEEN.... 

Yesss it's the Boardriders Cup this Saturday at Whangamata Beachie, Access #8, be there or don't, but you could potentially be missing out the bestest high octane comp of the year. This year, Keyhole's EPR [pictured]  can't back up his Open victory from last year, conspiracy????? YES!!! nah, with the sponsor Hurley bailing on the entire Australasian market- like just bailed. The event had to be condensed into one day, so it's straight to the Tag Teams. It's going to be rad.

Keyhole Krew 2024, ready for 2025!!! 


 

Osssshhhh Whangamata Bar from the Air, and fricken firing at dawn. This is of course the full colour version of the T design. It was pumping that day, crazy good bank on Bar and a perfect swell for it. Is Whanga your place? That wave that fills your dreams... well, get this for your wall and mindsurf it every day :) Check it out HERE

Team Groms /  by craig levers

Predawn Day One, and the Bay not looking terrible at all 

This week was all about the Groms. And it's a great Surfing NZ initiative; the 2 to 3 day event is for secondary school teams nationwide to have a crack at Tag team style competition. The Tag Team format means the surfers have to work as a team to progress, and there's a Plate as well as bragging rights for the Cup. It's highly inclusive and encourages strategic team thinking/building. Very much like the Boardriders Cup, which will be at Whangamata March 5, tag team events are a great for both spectators and the competing surfers . There's camaraderie, action and even drama. I wrote more about the format last year HERE 

You can view this year's gallery over on the Surfing NZ FB page HERE

And here's a few of my picks from a sea hazy, bolshy couple of days at Maori Bay, bloody good times... 

SNZ's main man Ben Kennings briefing the masses

The Bay shrouded in marine layer

Whangamata Area School's captain, Manu Roberts leading by example

The Taka Grammer groms

...and key Taka Grammar team member Sam Frazerhurst firing shots in in between heats

Two deadset legends...and ol' partners in crime back in the day, Izzy's James Fowell and Nick Chapman

and some legends in the making Team Kaipara College 

The Mount's heavy hitter Zade Pitkeathly

Zade... ripping 

Another legend giving back, Khan Butler directing traffic 

Team Whanga's Lola Groube with a deadly 7.5 ride 

Sev Tolhurst ...and IMO the turn of the comp

Piha's Ella Rebolledo-Withers captaining the St Dom's team 

Tauranga's Tao Mouldey consistently the MVP

Did I claim Sev's man turn as the comp's best, Ash Roger's was a pretty fricken close second

And the champs second year running...Whanga Area school lads 

….AND DEEEEEEN….

Life is not all about comps though...oh wait this is kind of a comp result too... Rambo's cover shot image just secured Surfing Life's Photo Of The Year award!

How good aye, not that either of us needed vindication of the cover choice, it felt like such a no brainer to me as the publisher. I'm just so stoked for Rambo to get the accolade. 

What, you haven't got Unbound Vol 1 yet, you have no idea what I'm talking about? Ok, Ok, the link to the book and info is HERE

Shane Vs Herro /  by craig levers

The tributes flowed this week for Shane Herring, all my pics of Shane are sitting in storage...dohl

The sad news of Shane Herring’s passing started filling everyone’s socials on Sunday. It was gutting. The iconic Aussie surfer had a fall in his Byron Bay home. He’d been sober the last few years, there seems nothing untoward, other than a tragic home mishap. Something so incredibly mundane to halt a crazy life of excesses and amazing surfing talent. 

I’m loathed to insert myself into this tragedy. My role in this is infinitely miniscule. As is always the case, legends leave a lasting mark, us side players are merely there to facilitate. Obviously I’m about to insert and contextualise why I’m writing about Shane, so here goes. 

[This would have been to place I popped the photo in of Budge and Shane sitting in Budge's Grey Nissan Bluebird]  

In 1995 Chris ‘Budge’ Berge and I were tasked with hosting Shane for a month while he competed in the Raglan Billabong WQS and the following NZ leg of the Aussie Circuit. Chris was NZ Surf Mag’s Editor and I was the Mag Ad Guy- slash- Photog. The brief was, ‘Shane was making a comeback and he was on the bones of his arse. Could we host him, get him to the comps and try to keep him somewhat on the rails.’ Both Budgey and I were thrilled and fanboying out at the idea of hosting Herro, the Aussie answer to Slater. What we were about to find out was that we’d been given a handful. Shane wasn’t doing so well, chain smoking darts and always up for a bender. I didn’t understand what addiction was in ’95, I thought he was a legend that was into partying hard and that suited me just fine…. effectively Shane and I went on a month long party tour with some photos, surfing and heats chucked in. 

[and this where my photo of Shane doing a backhand slash at Indies would have sat...I suspect that shot of Sean Davy's on the rainbow board is from the Raglan WQS 95] 

There was a time, a long time, where I thought that was awesome, Me, Budge and Herro haunting the Bars til closing, then somehow getting Herro to his first heat and him decimating the field even at half power. Herro power chucking in my kitchen sink then grabbing another beer. Yeah Rock’n Roll Man. For a longer time I’ve found the whole thing cringeworthy. We…I, failed Shane miserably. 

Even through the blur and haze of booze and whatever other substances were handed to us, there were moments of clarity and real chats. You don’t live out of someone’s pocket on tour for 5 weeks without real life popping up to time to time. Shane was a really struggling with fame, he didn’t want it. 

Again, I feel like I need to preface with I am utterly aware of my place in the world, I totally accept I’m a blip- maybe a blimp, dieting currently. The point being I consciously assert and believe I’m a sidebar, a recanter and little more. 

Starting at the magazine in ’93 I wanted to have some sort of division between Craig Levers and my photos, but also I wanted to kickback against the vogue, on trend photo credits which was to elongate and get as much info into the credit. So I insisted on simply CPL as my photo credit, it is my initials- that’s all it is, photo: CPL . It backfired on me, instead of creating a bit of division and a bit of anonymity, it created a mystery, that crew wanted to find out who CPL was. Also I got a bit gutted when a solid CPL photo got published in the mag and people didn’t put 2 and 2 together. You can’t have it both ways right? So by ’95, in our little NZ surfing bubble both Budge and I were becoming quite well known, the magazine was going gangbusters. Prior to ’93 I wasn’t CPL, I was Craig, suddenly I’m CP, Seepage…Seal P.L, CPR… it became quite a defining thing, at surf events and parties if someone started the convo’ “Hey Craig” I knew it was a mate, ‘Hey CPL” I thought it was work related. 

Yes, a minor, first world, existential problem to have. But in 1995 I really wasn’t dealing with notoriety in that NZ Surfing bubble very well at all. I started drinking more. Dutch courage.

 Enter Shane Herring, we talked about fame a lot, his fame, how he was pigeonholed into riding rockered out concaves [that he hated] that he knew people wanted to meet ‘Herro’ they didn’t give a shit about ‘Shane’. Shane, the guy that had the real, waaayyy upscaled problem, gently mentored me. He could identify the issue, talk about it, but neither of us had the right tools to deal with it. There was the easy tool, like a lot of people that suffer from addiction, Shane was using substances to sidestep the problems. Something we most definitely were partners in crime in. 

Shane was a gentle soul, a good bugger that really cared about people around him. Even on that toxic ’95 tour he’d check in with different mates and ask them; really ask them, how they were going. In ’95 the surfing talent was being cloaked by excesses on tour, but every once in a while Shane would find a section and the rail would engage at such speed and grace. There were glimpses of Herro. 

It would be sad to think that the years of Shane’s life were simply in the wake of a couple of crazy surfboard riding contest results, of heaped on expectations that broke the camel’s back. I hope that Shane had reconciled that weight in these last few years of sobriety. I’m so sorry I wasn’t a better host Shane. Rest In Peace mate.


Good Swell, Good Mates and Jumping Sharks /  by craig levers

I find myself constantly apologising for the lack of posting here, as always it's the same reason; work and life have been BUSY. This week though, things got comparatively settled. Surf was back on the menu. 

Gee Piper getting out there

This last week I hooked up with old mates Daniel Davie and Gee Piper on the eastside. Gee and his wife Helen were staying with Daniel on the Coro. Gee's a well travelled Cornish surfer returns to the Antipodes most every other summer. This trip he's already scored Far North perfection, sizey 'Naki and then a week of this somewhat unremarkable swell that kept on keeping on, day after day. 

Gee loving the eastside peelers

Dawns spent right...in the brine

Hmmmm, is swimming around alone at feeding time a great idea? Especially at the beach that both Daniel and Gee had seen a Mako breech twice the day before. I kind of decided to believe they were suffering from group hysteria and collective hallucination. How could you not swim with the camera when cool shit like this is going on... 

Love me a good warppy backwash

Ooosh. Bloody art mate

C'mon, really you don't like it?

What about this pearler?

Daniel joining me with his latest Temu purchase to halve the nibble odds. FYI that $40 Temu i-phone case works really well!!!

Daniel, feeling a bit Gull-able... ORRR taking a Tern for the worse... yes, yes I did.

Dan, all style... except for that fricken Temu T....what the hell bro???

Dan travelling

Gee potentially pushing his 5'6 twin to it's limits

Old travelling buddy Luke Harwood was back in town for a visit from Cali too.... should I write he didn't know where to TERN...or there were so many different Terns he didn't know which one to take??? Done it now

orrr Luke doing a man Tern

ok, ok, enough of the bird puns. Bloody good to see ya Luke. Luke's family home in Topenga Canyon was caught in the California wildfires last year. He's going back to rebuild it

Sooooo Preeeeety


FROM THE GALLERIES


This photo is my first ever commercially used image from 1991, it was used in Tracks Mag and later became a best selling T-shirt print for Hot Buttered. It's old, it's classic, that's quite a weird status for the guy that took the photo. I still remember the day and the consideration I put into the composition- mainly I remember how pumping the waves were. Here's a recent example of a client's framing of it, now happily hung in their Noosa residence. 

The OG, still valid, it's pretty cool. You can check it out HERE

Comp Heads /  by craig levers

I have lots of mates that actively hate contest surfing. This has always struck me as strange, it's almost the ol' vegan verses meat-eater convo';  where a vegan will rip-in to expound the evils of having a lamb chop on the barbie, it's their mission in life to convert and save every soul from a cheeky wee sav'. The old how do you know there's a vegan in the room/  Oh, THEY WILL TELL YOU. I've got nothing against someone eating my food's food. And similarly I've got nothing against a surfer that has no interest in donning a contest rashie, so how come it doesn't work the other way? 

Yeah, no fun to be had a comp shirt aye... Bachelor Tipene and Dawson Tamiti sharing a laugh before paddling out in their senior heat 

I do know the answer to this, as do you, some of it's a cultural hangover and misdirection from the '60s/'70's when successful competitive surfers like Nat Young and Mickey Dora tuned out...and then kept competing. BUT, why oh why, does it even have to be a thing? Where a surfers declares themselves anti comp, not a comp head, that comp heads are somehow voided of being complete surfers. I think it's myopic and lacks any type of holistic overview. A surfer that likes to enter competitions also probably free surfs a shit ton more than you and I... that stoke and froth on surfing has led to their talent getting honed to a point where they can win shit. Entering competition is merely a fractional part of their surfing lifestyle. 

There's a caveat on that, having a long scheduled competition coincidently happen at your beach on one the best weekends of the year, your precious 2 of the 7 days and it's pumping? That's a bitter pill to swallow, especially in NZ, that there is some incredibly bad luck.

Yep you'd have to be spewing if it was your day off and the circus was in town- fair call. That said, the Stent locals were fricken amazing hosts for the 2025 Nationals. Thank you guys!!! 


Having been immersed in the contest scene since the very early '90's, I can confirm there have always been clicks, there is a scene, scenes within scenes. There are the cool kids and the not so cool kids. But you know what? That's at a bar or a club or even at the vegan bbq [arguably a lot more there actually, passive aggressive HQ!] What there also is, is a bunch of like minded people having some pretty great korero and catch ups. Making new and extending the existing networks that span Aotearoa and the world for that matter. Here's a little gallery of some of the faces that made up a small part of the week long celebration of surfing that is/was the NZ Nationals 2025.

And not pulling punches, straight out of the corner, one of our surfing tribe's Kaumatua, an OG, Master Benny Hutchings 79 years young and still shows up at EVERY Nationals. Still goes to G-land every year. Olympic coach to canoeing greats Ferg and Maca, Invitee to the legendary Sunset Smirnoff Pros. And you know what, says gidday too everyone. Was on the sand for every Gizzy heat. I mansplained to Christian Fougere [also pictured]  just what a legend Benny is, he was pretty stoked I think 

If you saw Jason Primrose in a dark alley you'd probably get anixxy right, or maybe be a dick and ask him to smash out a Post Malone tune...either way you couldn't have made a worse call. Absolute GC; Jase shapes under the label Creative Energy [which he started in the 90's???] as well as shaping Freezing Hot boards. Being a sought after Tattooist, pays for his shaping habit he reckons. Think the world of ya brother!

At this juncture I'd like to know what all the legends know about Oakley caps that I don't know. Is wearing one some secret shredding into your 70's and 80's??? Tony Ogilvy - Oges- your Over 70's National Champ. Everyone has an Oges story; seeing him smash 7 vert backhanders at Westend lefts, him always somehow getting the sickest bomb at the Heads in a swell

A generation a part and still a senior champion, Over 30 2025 winner Sean Peggs, actually I do believe this is his second O30 Title. Peggsy will get you in the water with his precision and on the sand with his dry observational wit. Either way you are cut 

I kind of didn't mean for this to be a gallery of champions, but here's another multiple National Champ Thandi Tipene, 2012 Open Women's and 2025 Over 30's and three beautiful tamariki in between

ohh thank god for that, these two roosters didn't win a thing at the Nationals. Oh wait, that doesn't sound that good aye... if there was a participation award Piha's Will Hardie and Rio Bidois are the champions. They surfed their own heats, supported their fellow Keyhole members...hell Rio even chauffeured Dune Kennings around for the week

Damit, another bloody champion...clearly not panning out the way I thought this post would go. The Queen of the coast, the most successful international NZ surfer eva. Of note her dad joke game has been off the boil of late, Paige Hareb... who also features in a little book I published late last year. Rambo Estrada's Unbound Vol 1 ... you may have heard of it

Raglan's Lucca Thompson, grom to watch; every day Manu Bay is reasonable, you'll see a Lucca patented backhand vert stab, more than several actually. The Nat's didn't fall into his hands this time. But be warned the grom is deadly

Two absolute competive legends, Christchurch's Hayden Brain and the Naki's Jarred Hancock. Honestly, if you saw these two names show up in the draw in your heat you'd be bummed. It would mean some serious work. I don't think Jarred is coaching Hayden here, but if that was what was happening.... everyone else is surfing for 2nd

Photographers hate getting their photo taken. This is Logan Yandle, one of the most talented new photographers to be based in Taranaki. Taranaki breeds some fine surf photogs, Daisy Day of course being the matriarch. I hadn't met Logan before the Nats, but I'd been a fan of his work on Insty and on Surfline for a bit. We were in the media huddle most of the week, I can confirm as suspected, even though he rides a lid, he's an absolute top bloke. You need to follow him, he's on InstagramHERE  

My other main media huddler was this guy, Edmon Martin. Ed and I have been mates for over 30 years, the staunch Waitara Boardrider, can bring up a fact or event from the last 4 decades on demand

Yeah, went to a surfing comp, got a traditional tamoko done up and coming practitioner of the ancient art Nick Roberts in the carpark after the finals. Ed under the chisel 

Mikey!!!! Colourful as always Raglan's Mikey Banks, while his heats didn't go the way they very, very easily could. Mikey was there with his whole family, supporting his son Xander

Speaking of whanau... Defending Champ Daniel Farr with his mum Shelly and his dad David, completely ignoring the camera. Remember kiddies  Respect Your Mother

Damit... bloody Ava Henderson, why'd you have to go and win another National title; totally ruining my faces of the Nationals gallery with another Champion... this was not the plan

Oh for f%cks S@ke.... I did not know Tao Mouldey was going to become the 2025 U18 Champion when I made him look into the lens on this one. Bloody elite athletes and their winning things- bloody annoying 

Raglan's Alani Morse, 14 years old, popping airs at will and coming second in the OPEN woman's .... she's 14 people... shots fired

I do like me a good no portrait, portrait.  Tommy Butland DID give me a portrait, but this one of him, a moment of quietness in a chaotic week, I like it. Tom's fast becoming the Mayor of the Naki. I don't mean he's trying to be that, it's just his affable persona. He talks to EVERYONE... fricken EVERYONE knows him

The indomitable, the enigmatic, former NZ Champ [ohhhh man another one! .. and I know there's some more coming in this post] Motu Mataa. Rat bag, legend, mate for life 

Absolute Taranaki and for that matter Aotearoa surfing legend, Mill partner in crime, Mr Pipi Ngaia

JZ! Former NZ representive at Pan Pacific Cups, at the finals day happy to watch and hang with the crew

The last two former Champs [only 'cos it's time to wrap up this post]. Both Dune Kennings and Elliott Paerata-Reid had very clear mandates as to why they wanted to be at the top of the final bracket again. The story didn't go to script for either, either way Bizza would have been proud of his role models, his mentors and his dear older brothers

Free Naki /  by craig levers

Fun As Stent

The dust has barely settled from an incredible fortnight in Taranaki. I was there to cover the 7 day long 2025 Surfing NZ Nationals. This was a special one for me as written about in THIS POST my first ever Nationals being in Taranaki 1995, 30 years ago. But what about the free surfing before, during and after the heats, rounds and divisions. Here are some of my favourite images sans contest rashies….

The Nationals were fortunate to be allowed multiple days at Stent Road

And what about all the images in Rashies??? Well you can view those on the Surfing New Zealand Facebook page HERE There’s over 300 images

Ahhh the serenity - thank you Stent and thank you to all the locals and residents that shared the love

I got interviewed on Radio New Zealand at the Nationals too, the article is HERE

'95 to 2025 30 Nationals In /  by craig levers

You see the mighty maunga Taranaki.... I see the Troopy

I'm so fricken frothed right now. In 1995 I shot my first Nationals in Taranaki. While I had been working for the surf mag for 18 months, me old mate Chris Berge the then editor bumped me from the '94 Dunedin Nats in favour of taking his missus. Fair play I say. I wouldn't say I was in anyway anywhere near being good at the job by 1995, but both Chris and I were getting to know the ropes. We'd had a fricken rocky start to our tenures at the mag- that is for sure. Frankly we were shit, but we both wanted to make the best magazines we could. 

My first ever centrefold in a mag. November 1994, Dwaine Mataa and Komene Rd... pretty sure the date is right. 

The Nationals, especially when they are in the Naki are a big deal, they used to run for 10 days and be packed with heats. '95 was huge, finals day was at Mangahumes and the peak was pumping. The Men's Open Final was between defending Champ Jason Matthews and young upstart Brent Hutchinson aka Hench, So I'm by Chris on the shingle behind the tripod, JM walks down for the finals and hands me his back up board. In typical JM monosyllabic form- 'You're my caddy.' 

Oh course I go through all the emotions, 'Rad, I'm Jm's caddy!!! Hold on, what's a f%cken caddy!!- what do I do!!! F@ck f@ck f@ck, please don't break your board.' JM blows a fin out. 'Oh f@ck.' In front of the who is who of NZ surfing I'm running JM's board down to the shorey. I did ok. I later learnt that that is was what caddies are s'posed to do. JM lost, Hench won. I think JM may have won the Longboard that year. 

Hench the 95 Champ a few months later at Seconds, Wairarapa

Three deadset legends of NZ Surfing there... Bob Davie handing out a trophy [clearly not the open cup] to JM, with then Prez Andy Cranston on the mic 1995. 

I haven't shot 30 Nationals, but I do know I have shot over 20 of them. I very much consider it an honour and a stoke to do so. I've seen some things that is for sure. To be here, back in the Naki as the official photog for the 2025 Nationals, 30 years since my first, wow, I can't explain how good it feels. The Nationals kick off this Sunday and run until next weekend. You can check out the schedule on Surf New Zealand HERE


What am I doing now? Well the froth levels were too high to sit around home, so I boosted down early to get some shots in... 

The Queen of the coast! Legend Paige Hareb 

Grom to watch though Paigey, Poppy Entwhistle, quite literally in her new backyard. 

Heat winning tail stomp from Paige this morning 

Poppy throwing buckets 

Fair to say, I'm in my happy place. Hope you are having a sick start to 2025. Keep an eye on the Nats via SNZ or Liveheats,com Yeooow!!!! 

The Final Countdown /  by craig levers

Holey Heckers!!! It's been a trip, last post was just before what we knew would be a biggy, Stop 4 on the Unbound Book Tour, Rambo's home grounds, Wild Flour, Mount Maunganui. And the Mounties did not disappoint.

... then it was off the Raglan. Sam Mathers kindly hosted us at his Gallery... and with Rambo and I thought it would be a pretty intimate evening. We were wrong, the Raglan crew showed up in force, after the Mount, Raglan has been the second biggest stop. It was sick, as with the Mount so many good buggers came along, and for the first time on tour, the food platters were picked dry [Thanks Luke Cederman] 

And Deeeeen... Whangamata, at this point I kind of need to point out how crazy lucky we have been with the weather, every fricken venue we have scored balmy evenings and Whanga was the same. It was a bit more mellow, but certainly not in a bad way. We were hosted by Liam at Salt District Brewery. Again a perfect venue for the style of evenings we wanted to put on, low key, grass roots, casual and fun. 


Next stop is the last stop. And neither of us have any idea how big or small it will be. Wednesday evening from 6pm until 9pm we'll be set up at White Studios, 30 Burleigh Street, Grafton, Auckland. AND being the finale Rambo's lost the plot...not really. He is running a competition over on Instagram, Tag a mate in on the post and you will be in the draw to win one of the big framed prints we have on display at White Studios. Of course you have to be there to claim it, if you aren't then we re-draw. The mate even wins an A3 unframed print. Tag a mate on the post on Rambo's insty HERE 

Everyone is welcome, come on in for a gander of the book, and the exhibition of images from the book, big. The Gizzy Golds and Liquid Deaths will be chilled and there's even Rambo's handcrafted food platters.... free beer and food, what's not to like! You can buy a book or print on the night and get the author to signed it for you. 

IN Other News

Big news, but still book news, Rambo was interviewed by Duncan Garner on his podcast. And man, I reckon Duncan is probably Rambo's biggest fan. It's a really good interview, as a guy that has interviewed a fair few crew in my time, I really noticed that Garner had researched and read the book in prep' for the chat. It's quite big thing getting on such a big nationwide poddy.

You can listen to it on Rova HERE  

It's really good. 

The Home Towner /  by craig levers

Crystal Cylinder - epic venue and solid turn out

Rambo and I are getting all battle hardened and limbered up. We are now three deep into the Unbound book tour. Verdure, Lyall Bay being our debut outing, Crystal Cylinder, New Plymouth stop 2 and Sunshine Brewery, Gisborne the third. I talked about how good the debut at Verdure was HERE and it really was. 

And Then Gizzy ...

Sunshine Brewery, our epic beer sponsor also hooked us up at the Taproom 

Pretty much spot the legends in these images 

All loosened up and ready, this evening's tour stop is Rambo's home town, the Mount. We don't know quite what to expect, will it be carnage or crickets? Probably somewhere in between. But all I can say is... If you're in the Mount or near, come along for a beer or water on us, wait not ON us, from us. Come have a squizz at the book and the print exhibition. We do have books for sale and signing and deals on crate prints. 

Here's the remaining dates including this evening at Wild Flour 

5pm - 9pm Wednesday 30th October 2024
Wildflour - 5c Hull Road, Mt Maunganui
@wildflour_

6pm - 9pm Monday 4th November 2024
Sam Mathers Gallery - 536 Wainui Rd, Raglan
@sammathers

6pm - 9pm Wednesday 6th November 2024
Salt District Brewing
101B Winifred Avenue, Whangamata
@saltdistrict_brewing

6pm - 9pm Wednesday 13th November 2024
White Studios - 30 Burleigh Street, Grafton, Auckland
@whitestudiosnz

Come join us!