Local knowledge counts for a lot when it comes to surfing, and for Northland's Matt Cockayne his main rival had 30 years of it.
Mangawhai's Cockayne drew the short straw at the kickoff to the Hyundai Surf Tour during his men's longboard quarterfinal which saw Raglan local Daniel Kereopa dominate.
Kereopa used his near-30 years of Manu Bay surfing knowledge to navigate his way through the longboard division on Saturday as well as the stand up paddleboard division for both surfing and racing.
Earlier in the day, Cockayne had won his heat with a score of 7.33. Fellow Northlanders Rupert Newbold and Simon Bennett finished first and second respectively, with scores of 7.77 and 6.3, in their over-50 men's longboard first round heat.
The Hyundai Tour moves onto Piha next weekend as part of the national championships before it moves further north to Sandy Bay from February 1-3.
