Spring, it's a bit of a shit time to be a surfer in New Zealand, in the upper half anyway, ol' mate Rambo is down in the Catlins currently and he's scoring. But for the rest of us, the majority, unsettled weather patterns make for tiny doggey doors of waves. Howling onnies on the Westside, lake like vistas over East. That said one of those doggey doors looks to be opening later this week with a bout of North Easters.
In the meantime here's some things you may not know about....
That's right, buy ANYTHING on PhotoCPL.co.nz and you'll get a pack of 10 Surf Prints chucked in. Halloween is 31 October, so that seems like a fitting cut off for the deal.
And Deennn...
It's so fricken cool that the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival is gearing up for round 14. And yes, once again for the 14th year I will be watching, I will be judging. It's an honour to be a part of the Judging Panel for sure, to have played a small part in what is now an institution and has been a launching pad, or at the very least a validation for our Kiwi moving picture creatives.
Film submissions are OPEN HERE
NZ & International submissions open
Entries close 1 December 2025.... seriously, send it in, have a go, here's what happened this year;
2025 AWARDS CATEGORIES, PRIZES & WINNERS
‘Best Kiwi Film': 'They Call Me Wazza ' Dir Jonathan Smit
Award: $1,000 NZD Cash, Brand New Custom Verdure Surf Board, GoPro Hero 13 Package
‘Most Environmentally Conscious Film’ supported by Patagonia:
'Aldan Okkar Allra', Dir Steve Wall & Berglind Johannsdottir.
Award: $1000 Patagonia voucher (NZD value) and $500 NZD cash towards the environmental cause / social enterprise highlighted by winning film
Yeti Presents: ASFF People's Choice Award: 'They Call Me Wazza ' Dir Jonathan Smit.
Award: Massive Yeti Prizepack
‘Best Sound Track, supported by Sawmill’: ‘Now You Have’ Dir Cam Haylock.
Award: Three-month Sawmill Subscription
And Speaking Of
Wāhine Waveriders is a film project that is going to be submitted, from what I've seen it is going to be really cool. It documents 3 generations of the Pou surfing wahine. There is a crowd funding page in place HERE for the post production.
Keita, the youngest of the generational Southland legends, the other week at the National Scholastics
Yeah the Southland crew!
Yvonne, Marama and Keita.... Wahine Waveriders, defo a film to support and hopefully be viewing soon