Surfing NZ - New Zealand Surfing Mag - 25 Years In The Making

Welcome to the NZ SURFING MAG 25 year anniversary issue. To have been the voice for surfing in Aotearoa over the years has been a mighty fine privilege, while our amazing country has a reputation around the world as the most amazing country in the world with its people so friendly and welcoming, it is not lost here with us. To travel the country's length and width's to all the hidden nooks and crannies our coastline has on offer and to share experiences and world class waves with locals from Cape Reinga to the Bluff has been a moving experience and privilege over the last quarter of a century.

I speak on behalf of the editors that came before me and those that will come after, to be immersed in such a wonderful culture surrounded by such a breathtaking environment is a fulfilling experience and one that changes lives forever.

In this issue we put it to a varied selection of surfers to choose a magazine cover that may have inspired them over the last 25 years, while doing so a certain issue came to me, that I believe is the reason why I am sitting here today. It's funny how life works.

When I was just a little fulla I thought surfies were the coolest bunch of guys ever. Now I grew up a long way from the ocean and once I caught the surfing bug all I wanted to do was be at the beach. Once I got my hands on my first NZ SURFING mag it opened up a whole new world to me, now I had local heroes that I could look up to and be inspired by that weren't out of this world, sure I loved Tom Carroll and Dane Kealoha, but hey lets get real, when would I ever meet those guys.

So NZ surfing mag was it for me, guys like Shane Grimes, Jason Mathews and Glen Campbell were my heroes, I would catch the 11 hour bus ride to Gisborne to hang with my mate in the school holidays and hang out in the rain under my boardbag to watch these guys surf in the Gisborne Pro-am. Some days they would even paddle past me in the surf and I would be frothing that they were even on the same bank as me. Then one day I biked down to the local bookstore and picked up an issue that changed my life in a way. It featured Shipwreck Bay in the far north and pictured on the cover was a guy that looked so styly and powerful, right then I wanted to surf like him, the surfer was Mike Tepania.

That issue went with me everywhere, to school, to bed, you name it. Then one day I met this guy in class in third form who went on to be my best mate, in fact my best man at my recent wedding. Well he saw the issue and talked about how he liked surfing as well and had a place at Shipwreck Bay. At first i thought he was pulling my leg, but come school holidays his invitation to come up was readily accepted, and wow I couldn't believe what I was seeing, there we were driving around the rocks of a wave that had been in my dreams since I brought that mag, to a house right in front of that very premier wave that was on the cover with Mike "Peaks".

That afternoon I caught my first glimpse of my local hero, word on the beach was Mike was about to paddle out, now we didn't paddle out and start snaking Mike which is all to common amongst grommets these days, we sat on the rocks and watched Mike tear the place to pieces in awe. The power and moves the guy possessed were way ahead of his time looping 720's and Barrels over the rock were met with screams of admiration.

Still to this day I would say Mike was easily the most talented surfer to ever come out of NZ. It was a sad story what happened to Mike but he slowly drifted away from the sport, but every now and then he would paddle out and still blow minds. My relationship with Shipwreck grew tight and I spent every swell over 10 years up there defining my own surfing on the points and building relationships with many of the locals that are still great friends till this day.

It's hard to believe but that one 50 page magazine provided me with a idol, a lifestyle and went on to build the person I am today. Funnily as well, I did go on to meet and work with the legends I once never thought I'd meet Tom and Dane, and as an adult I was in awe just like that 13 year old grommet all over again.

May the next 25 years bring you perfect waves and good times, enjoy.

Cory Scott and the team at New Zealand Surfing Magazine.

Also featured inside the silver foiled cover of our greatest surfer over the last 25 years:

- Maz Quinn at NZ's best wave.
- Flying the Flag - Ben Poulter and Sarah Mason, our two best performers at the recent Quiksilver ISA World Junior Champs.
- The 58th Primo Roady - scores NZ's best wave a year on to the day since it last broke with special guest surf star Ry Craike who joined a host of locals for another mind blowing session.
- Gifts from Samoa - We head to Samoa and find it is the island that keeps on giving.
- 25 years of inspiration - A broad range of surfers pick their favourite NZ SURF covers that inspired and moved three generations.
- Red Bull Moonlighting - Keeping with company tradition the crew at Red Bull NZ in association with NZ SURFING MAG pull off a world surfing first, with midnight tow-ats under a monstrous artificial moon.
- Quiksilver ISA World Junior Champs - for the first time in 25 years the world champs return to Australasia, to our very own Piha.
- Girls on top - three of the best women surfers in the world sample Taranaki's waves, surrounded by a cloud of controversy with the upcoming world tour event.

and much more, enjoy the read.


The 25th Anniversary Cover

Billy Stairmand	Red Bull under full moon

The Spit on fire	Gifts from Samoa