A tsunami warning doesn't stop Hastings thrill seeker Matt Morley from hunting down those big waves.
Mr Morley, 20, who started surfing in 2005 said he lives for the big swells and has gone around the country searching for them.
"I've surfed all over Hawke's Bay and at Raglan, Dunedin and Gisborne. It is just so exciting."
Mr Morley said he did not go out during the recent tsunami warning but had gone out after the Chile earthquake when a warning was issued.
"We were in Mahia and me and my sister decided to get our boards out and try and surf it. It is pretty exciting to surf something that does not happen often."