Ahoy hoy!! So here’s a couple of random pics, I just got back form my Mum and Dads house in Tolaga Bay, which is on the East Coast, pretty chill there and check it out I found a puffer fish on the beach!!! ahahahaha!!

Tolaga Bay

It’s been nearly a week now back at home, after having last weekends Corona Crown Contest postponed an early flight back was on the cards. It’s awesome to catch up with the whanau. There hasn’t been a lot of surfing going on but it’s looking as though the swell is a rising and so will the missions! Hitting Sandy Bay next weekend – Waitangi – for the third Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event. So if any of you are around and about the far north, come and check it out it’s a good laugh with some awesome surfing going down! Will be picking up a SPACESHIP, one of their new models! Ohh la la, bigger chiller, bigger dvd screen aaand shinier! Yuss it’s gonna be a comfy trip.
Have a wicked weekend guys, remember only pigs look good in pink…Slip, slop, slap!!

Mountain bike Olympian Kashi Leuchs will provide a significant challenge for the country’s top XC riders this Sunday in the first round of the RaboPlus South Island XC Cup. Leuchs, NZ’s most accomplished cross country racer, has entered the Otago Peninsula Challenge as part of a nationwide road trip competing at and showcasing a number of NZ’s most important MTB events.

The Raboplus NZ MTB Cup presented by Nature Valley continues this weekend (Jan 31st / Feb 1st) in Dunedin. The NZ MTB Cup comprises six Cross Country and Six Downhill events (three in each of the North and South Islands) during January and February, wrapping up with the Raboplus National Mountainbike Championships in Nelson between February 26 and March 1st.

The North Island leg of the Raboplus NZ MTB Cup has now been completed, and Dunedin is the first venue of the South Island leg. Competitors have travelled to some of the most exciting venues in the north island including Rotorua, Auckland, Wellington and Levin, and now look forward to Dunedin this weekend, followed by events in Timaru, Coronet Peak Blenheim and finally Nelson.

Dunedin hosts the fourth round of the Raboplus NZ Downhill Cup on Saturday on Signal Hill, and also the fouth round of the Raboplus NZ Cross Country Cup on Sunday on the Otago Peninsula.

Sunday’s cross country race is combined with the 44km point to point Otago Peninsula Challenge which is now in its third year of running. The OPC as it is affectionately known is a once a year opportunity to traverse the spectacular Otago Penisula across a large measure of private land, from Smails Beach to Taiaroa Head at the very tip of the peninsula.

Leuchs knows his OPC competition well. Team-mate Marcus Roy (Invercargill) is also racing, along with Jon Richardson (Dunedin) who specialises in point to point style events and knows this terrain in detail. The Mens Elite field also includes Brendon Sharratt and Tim Madgwick (both Christchurch) so there should be a close and tactical duel at the front of this race all the way to the finish line. In the Elite Womens race Sara MacDonald and Erin Greene will both be competing on home turf, but will be challenged by race fit Samara Sheppard (Wellington) and several other top performers. In the age group categories, a number of U19 rising stars have a rare opportunity to measure themselves against not only the 44km OPC course on Sunday, but also against the Elite field over the same distance.

Saturday’s Downhill race sees the return to NZ domestic racing of Trek professional Justin Leov. NZ’s highest ever mountainbike athlete in World Rankings at #5, Leov (Christchurch) has spent his time since the end of the 2008 World Cup season recharging and recovering from injury, and his return to competition will be one to watch amongst the high quality Elite field. Leov will be aware of the very high level of competition entered in Dunedin which includes on form Rotorua charger James Dodds, 2007 World Champs bronze medallist Matt Scoles (Alexandra) and NZ’s Junior talents Aari Barrett and Brook MacDonald (both Hawkes Bay). Several international stars are also in Dunedin this weekend – Danny Hart (UK) and the Scottish podium raiders Ben Cathro, Gary Forest and Joe Barnes, all aiming to challenge for podium spots against NZ’s best Elite riders. Former Junior World Champion Scarlett Hagen (Queenstown) also returns to national competition for the first time this summer and faces off against race fit Harriet Harper (Blenheim) and Harriet Ruecknagel (Germany) in the Elite Womens race.

Additionally to the premier Elite level competition, age group categories from Masters 50+ through to the emerging U15 age groups in their first national events will be just as hotly contested at all NZ MTB Cup events.

Back on the snow again and 2009 has already exceeded all expectations not to mention the amount of potential it holds… Not only have I recently been taken on board by Mountain Dew as an ambassador but I am venturing out into the world. Currently I’m working at a small “isolated” ski resort in rural Japan living as close on traditional as it gets (somehow vaguely like the Jetsons – so futuristic but so far behind..) hence sleeping on a 2cm mattress on the floor, a rice sack for a pillow, NO INTERNET and of course the good ole squatter toilet newly knighted “the throne” ..Oh and I’ll also define ‘work’ – ski instructing in JAPANSE both of which I have never attempted before my arrival!!

So last I updated this I think I had made it thru my quater finals at The NZ nationals in Piha.

Unfortunately I ended up having a bad heat in the semi’s and couldn’t find the waves I needed! Was pretty bummed but got over it during my 9hour drive home that afternoon…

Since then I have been organising my wedding which is now 2 days away. It’s all fairly exciting and very full on!!

Thanks to Mountain Dew for the drinks at the wedding, sorry but my beautiful bride doesn’t want me wearing my Mountain Dew hat while I say the vows for some reason… maybe I can slip it on during the “I do” part hahaha.

I’ll try put some photos up before I head off on honeymoon. we’re going to Thailand, send your shopping wish lists in.

Kirk

Hi guys,

Here’s a pic and interview on http://www.surf2surf.com/page.php?id=105 of Dru and I on our trip to NZ on the best rated NZ surf website.

Ange

Hi guys well Dru and I just flew into the South Island last night, so it is so nice to be back in beautiful Kaikoura there is some solid swell around and we just had a fun session at good old meat works!

The North Island was great fun too, after the Whangamata got cancelled as there was no swell predicted we just played it by ear and went searching for waves. Dru and I head to the West Coast to Raglan were we got some nice waves, but gosh was it crowded!! I really couldn’t believe it. We stayed there a few nights and did some photo shoots with Collen from surf2surf. We then headed north to stay with one of my sponsors in Auckland and did a few missions to Piha again and Muriwai beach which also produced some fun lefts and rights to muck around on.

The waves should be really fun tonight so we are heading back up to Meatys to have another session. It was awesome to surf my home break again with only my sister Kylie, cousin Jonzza and boyfriend Dru. That just sets the icing on the cake!! I’m in NZ until the 3rd of Feb before I jet back off to Oz, but loving every minute here.

Cyaz!!

Kia ora auckalangis! We’re heading out western springs soon for some speedway madness. So catch u all out there from 5pm onwards..