One of the things we love most about building Lineup is hearing where surfing takes our users.
From 4 AM road trips to chocolate point breaks with mountains behind, sometimes the best surf stories aren’t the ones you’d expect!
Today we’re sharing a surf travel story from one of our Lineup alpha crew, who spent six months exploring New Zealand’s South Island 🔥
Chantal is from Switzerland: engineering student in New Zealand, surfer for just a year and a half. She spent six months on the South Island weaving surfing into her daily life!
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I spent six months in the South Island New Zealand on the east coast. I originally came here to combine studying with improving my surfing, and even though it’s not the perfect tropical setup, I absolutely love it and here’s why.
First, you need to accept that your car becomes your best friend. One of the local beaches in Christchurch is usually surfable, though most of the time it’s tiny. Depending on the swell direction, it can be better to head up the coast or down toward Banks Peninsula. Some beaches there simply switch off if the tide isn’t right or the swell direction is even slightly off, especially in the bays that stretch far inland.
The best surf I’ve had in New Zealand was at a spot three hours north in Kaikōura. For a couple of days after storms, it was perfect, not too big, but still a decent size with long walls. It was my first time surfing a point break, and the current was insane. I was basically paddling the entire session, then went in to grab food, and went out for another couple of hours. It wasn’t the typical “perfect surf” you might imagine.
Because of the heavy rainfall beforehand, the water was the colour of chocolate, and even in summer you sometimes need a wetsuit. But scoring pumping waves after many desperate, failed road trips felt incredibly rewarding. And to be honest surfing good waves with mountains behind the beach is definitely a bucket list item checked off. The stoke was real!
Speaking of less lucky moments: One time I got up at 4 AM, picked up my friend at 4:30, and we drove 4.5 hours south to a spot I’d never been to before because the forecast looked promising.
When we arrived, it was messy and dumpy, so we tried to find a more protected bay. Turns out many of them can only be accessed through private land, and we saw “No Trespassing” signs everywhere.
We eventually gave up and surfed whitewash before making it back home at 1 AM the next day. A day well spent, I’d say :).
Surfing has made me drive through the middle of nowhere countless times. I’ve discovered bays and landscapes I probably never would have seen otherwise. Especially here on the South Island, the views are stunning.
And in some places, you end up sharing the lineup with seals popping their heads out next to you, or you see dolphins flipping out of the water. It’s not common, but that makes it even more special and it definitely makes up for all the effort, even when the surf isn’t perfect.
Outside the water, you’ll find heaps of sheep and the occasional interesting bird such as the Pūkeko. Though I still haven’t seen a kiwi yet.
Finally, if you respect surf etiquette, people here are generally quite friendly. I’m not at a level where I’d choose to surf high performance waves anyways, which helps, but there are plenty of fun spots along the coastline. The crowd factor on the South Island is nowhere near that of more mainstream surf destinations, though in return it’s less consistent and requires more commitment. But the memories I’ve made here were so worth it!
Lineup travel stories is a series where our team shares what surfing actually looks and feels like on the ground – beyond the forecast.
You can check our surf guides and forecasts on the Lineup website.