NZ Day 32

June 6

Day – Surf Hawai Bay, Check motu river, drive east to cape

Night – East Cape Campgrounds

U’I and I got up early and backtracked to Hawai Bay to surf (I was itching badly both at the feet and for waves).  Yesterday when we drove by, the water was ugly, large and stormy – completely un-surfable.  Today looked like a different ocean altogether.  Head high sets peeled along the point and barreled against the inside sandbank.  There were about 6 guys out.  I jumped in the water for 2 hours and caught some fun ones.  By noon a front began to blow in bringing clouds and onshore winds.  Our timing was good, and we packed up and drove the crazy mountain road back to camp.  Hil and JV passed us on the way, but turned around due to the foul weather.  

The roads were treacherous at times

 Another empty bay and point break

 

 

The inside at Hawai Bay, storm front arriving

On our way over to Hawai Bay, we crossed a river called Motu River.  There was the most perfect wave I have seen in person, my entire life.  The wave was comparable to the best footage captured of Barra or Superbank.  A grinding barrel running down a sand bank for over 200 yards.  I frothed at the mouth and tried to figure out how to get down there.  As we continued to drive to Hawai I noticed a small road that led to a village settlement down by the water, with the river mouth on the far end.  It was raw and very local, and we hesitated, deciding that if Hawai was junk we would return and try Motu River.  At Hawai I asked one of the local surfers about Motu.  He said, “can’t surf there anymore mate.  Don’t surf there.  They’ll chase you out with a shotgun.  It’s gotten real ugly the last couple years”.  I wasn’t sure if this was his tactic to keep it private amongst the local surfers.  He continued, “Eight years ago a couple surfers paddled out when they shouldn’t have, stormy day, the river was full of timber and logs.  Some of the boys drowned.  When a person drowns, Maori culture requires them to close the ocean to fishing, diving and general sea going until the bodies are recovered.  They never found some of the boys, and the oceans were closed for a long time.  The locals went hungry, it was bad.  Don’t surf there mate”.  I believed him.  (UPDATE – CHECK RECENT POST FOR AN UPDATE TO THIS).  We continued on that evening out to the East Cape.  We passed at least three other bays with good breaks along the way, but kept on driving through.  We took the long narrow gravel road towards the lighthouse, and spent the night in the middle of a field on the ocean.

 East Cape camping, about as far from a city as you can be on North Island