Xmas in Blenheim was the typical day of way
to much food and a great time with family and
friends. Blenheim locals Theo and Guy Robinson
have come a long way since I met them and after
winning their respective National titles last season
and then representing NZ in Italy, I was keen to
catch up with them and see how they
were riding.
The January 5-week trip North kept me busy. At
times I felt like I was either driving a boat or driving
my car to get to another boat. No complaints
though, it was awesome to
be so busy spreading my
knowledge in times that are
certainly tough
in NZ. I based myself in
Rotorua which allowed me to
get to all the major waterways
within an hour.
the Wilton Family who had their 6 and 7 year old
first timers with them. After a slight touch of bribery
to have a go and strapping them into their new LF
Nemisis they were both up first time and riding
down the lake. I have never had the chance to
spend such an extended period of time with first
timers of any age let alone that are so young. It
was a pleasure to be a part of and to their credit
they were both riding regular and switch crossing
both wakes, regular and switch ollies and inside out
jumps. Not to be outdone by the other end of the
age scale, four forty something’s that have a boy’s
trip to Brunner each season.
“I must have to
thank the Wake and
Weather Gods for
that one.”
As January came to an end it was time to put the
competition cap on and get the students prepared
for the premiere groms comp, ‘The Mangakino
Groms Boards and BBQ’s’. All of my regular
grommets put in the work with their lessons with
me and their “homework” behind their own boats to
come out with some
pretty good results for the day. Well-done crew!
(see Boards n BBQ’s article for results)
In the relaxed format I spent the day coaching all
the competitors from the boat while judging and
coaching judging. The day was a success for
all and I would like to thank the Haakma’s from
Taranaki for putting it on. It is a truly positive step
in the development for younger riders.
From the Central North to the far West of the South
I saw quite a surprising change; SUN! Who would
have thought that I would have had Lake Brunner
and Lake Kaniere all to myself for 10 days with
brilliant sunshine and not a breath of wind to mention!
This is my fifth consecutive
season with them and you
will not find a more motivated
group. On the water at
7:30am to carve up the
glass wasn’t even necessary
but