Hi Paul & Gloria- hope you both are well.
Here’s a bunch of pictures (in two batches, hope that's OK) and a few
notes on my recent trip to New Zealand.
I got lucky with
accommodation. An amazing little cabin at a friend’s house was available
(“The Bat Cave”), right overlooking one of the three points. It was a
treat to be in that room; my friend is a hardcore lifelong local surfer
and every space he builds is designed with big windows to observe the
surf.
Because of rampant Covid in NZ
and the relative brevity of my time there, I spent a lot of time at the
house (and the points) and limited my socializing to a few close
friends. But that was fine. My host is one of the coolest, happiest guys
I’ve ever met, and was a pleasure to hang out with. He’s retired (after
a lifetime of surfing these points at their best and a string of
eccentric short term jobs that accommodated it), lives in the house he
built on property he bought for a song 40 years ago, and spends his days
socializing, adding to and maintaining his place, building his own
functional surfboards that he hand paints with images of flying lizards
and Amy Winehouse (!) and his trademark glitter, and does world-class
abstract art photography that he has absolutely no desire to promote.
And surfs, when all the factors align.
I arrived in the dead of
winter, and got pretty lucky. We had about half wet and half clear,
sunny weather. But no matter what, every day was beautiful and dramatic,
to me. I always come home from NZ with a hundred photos of clouds and
attempts at capturing the shifting quality of light, of curtains of rain
moving out to sea. NZ weather seems so dynamic compared to coastal
California.
I got lucky with surf too. It was
pretty magical to be so close to the point, to semi-bushwack down the
slippery steps through the dense foliage to the boulders along the
waters edge, and paddle out right there. And to return the same way, to
my little awaiting cabin.
Unbeknownst to me, my host took a few photos of me out in front, on a windy morning.
Lots
of fun surfs. I was reunited with my surfboard which I had left here in
2019, but had my best surfs on my Lotus and new Standard (which got
baptized on a memorable, pumping day). Here’s a random entry from my
surf journal:
7/5 Grey, rainy and offshore. Walked down G’s
path and paddled Liddle out at WB. Antony out with Kai. Really good head
high lined up walls. Still having trouble popping up- an embarrassment-
but once up, got good enjoyable hull rides. Then paddled to TV. One
remarkable ride: steep drop head high wave, only able to get to knees
and instantly slotted in a long, fast tubing wave. Spread arms to touch
both sides; a really WIDE round tube! The Liddle knee rides REALLY well.
Straighed out at the end.
Then returned to WB (too high tide by
then), went back up the path, got my mat, and paddled to MB. Stronger
offshore, some good rides but also- TOO TIRED; couldn’t ride well.
Realized how much physical strength is actually needed even prone.
Really raining now. In bed, heater on.
So,
a really lovely trip. Bittersweet compared to previous trips because of
Covid, but there was some positives in that regard too- I had visits
with a few old friends who are on the other side of the vaccine issue,
we both knew it- and we all consciously focused on our enduring
connections. Coming from America that was incredibly positive. I’ll hold
this experience dear for a long time.
Jonathan
PS Honest, I wasn't searching for "Tuesday Weld Boobs"
Stoddy
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My sunrise swim spot out front.
Whatalife!
Our choices involve: surf or snorkel in the morning?
These days George lives in Australia, and is a legendary waterman. For some years now he’s been riding an air mat, which he considers superior to a knee board. It appealed to me. For one thing, it’s way easier to travel with a foldable air mat and fins in your backpack than to lug around a surfboard. For another, as us surfers get older, here’s a way to stay in the water. Plus they are fast as hell.
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Today I went out to my
favorite secret spot up the coast a bit. 2nd day of south swell that
has graced the area. Yesterday was just a handful or less of us for 4
hours. Super! Today was the day the word got out, there were 10 cars
there at 5:30 when I arrived. And the surfers just kept acomin'.
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It's been way too long since last posting. So here goes...
What I've been thinking about lately: After thirty-seven years on 4GFs matting has become an ingrained process of seeking profoundly surreal moments when everything clicks and sublime feelings of cheating physics melded with minimalist simplicity to produce unique sensations of zen perfection.
Chasing this elusive attainment propels mat questing through mundane slop sessions and frustrating days dealing with cruel crowds in anticipation of eventual top gear speed runs and solo soul super sessions. Just when matting gets a bit bothersome a fresh day unfolds and the elements combine to provide novel situations where new challenges evolve into more stoke than ever before. On a mat the variables are inherently dynamic for seemingly infinite possibilities that keep turning up unimaginable experiences with subtle nuances that make all the struggles and downtime well worthwhile.
This post is intended to express my gratitude for the continually evolving adventure of surfmatting. It's taken me to heaps of amazing places and spaces with tons of interesting characters along the way. George and PG and the whole airmat community have opened up the innermost limits of pure fun for we who are lucky enough to have adopted this means of expression that is so basic and yet refined.
Above all is the thrill of getting it right... Ideal air volume on a fast walling wave... Letting the the mat find its own way... Just being there... Balanced with no effort... Gliding along the perfect line... This is the true heart of the matter.
Mat Max
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