Enjoy this early footage of Mount Maunganui legends Allan Byrne and Kevin Jarrett surfing Puni's Farm during the early 70's shortboard revolution. The clip also features an interesting history of how how Byrne and Jarrett developed chopped down surfboards for flat day fun behind a ski boat, which later developed into skurfing and ultimately the sport of wakeboarding.
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Bob Davie was an Sydney surfer who came to New Zealand in 1963 on a working holiday but ended up staying. Over the years Bob had a number of factories in Gisborne, Mt Maunganui, Auckland and finally Whangamata, and trained many of New Zealand’s best known shapers. Bob’s designs were at the forefront of of the New Zealand surf scene and his boards gained a reputation for being current and experimental. Early adopters of Bob’s boards were top surfers of the time such as Allan Byrne. Here is a mid 60's traditional shape produced out of Mt Maunganui. It is heavily worn but beautifully restored to a gloss coat.
A short film by George Greenough that perfectly celebrates the relationship between surfers, their cars, the unknown landscape and the search for waves.
The turn of the 21st century has been a period of radical change. The technological revolution may have not have given us flying cars, but we have smartphones, the internet, and a way of life that even H. G. Wells couldn't have predicted. I recently came across a number of historical photos of Mt Maunganui and its surrounds on the database of the National Library of New Zealand. The photos struck me deeply of how much has really changed. I offer a number of them below with my own perspective and comments. It would be great if anyone would like to offer their own. Wharf construction on the Port of Tauranga 1st of October 1954 by Whites Aviation. There...
