SURFING - Riders of the storm

Winds gusting around the 100km/h mark and 140mm of rain in less than five hours might have closed down Whangarei, cut power lines and seen most of the population hunkered down in front of the fireplace, but they obviously weren't members of the Bream Bay Sliders surfing club.
The weather bomb was "da bomb" for the club, as it threw up massive waves at Waipu Cove for the annual Winter Surf Festival yesterday.
Surfers from throughout the north and further afield revelled in two- to three-metre swells, one of the best seen ridden here by Waipu surfer Johnny Diesel.
It provided spectacular action but, only after some cautious surfers kept an eye on the conditions after seven-metre swells were reported at Marsden Point on Saturday.
Northland surfers are hoping the strong sea swell remains too as the annual Schnappa Rock Polar Bear Surf Classic is scheduled at Sandy Bay, north east of Whangarei, this coming weekend.