Police nats cop epic surf

BLUE DAY: Barry 'Beemer' Murray was the highest local to place in the 12th New Zealand Police Association National Surfing Competition, after finishing third in the 040s division.

With Far North breaks turning on epic conditions, the competitors stepped up and ripped into some high-performance walls during the 12th New Zealand Police Association National Surfing Competition last week.

The event wrapped up in unforgettable fashion with the finalists catching rides of up to 250m at Muke 2s last Thursday. Event spokesperson Detective Bill Dawson was nearly at a loss for words to describe proceedings unfolded on the final day. Well, perhaps not quite; any surfer worth his weight in salt will gleefully tell anyone within hearing distance of how good they'd got it before everyone else arrived.

"We had it all time yesterday, all to ourselves too," said one very stoked Detective from Kerikeri, noting the event was always more about participation than competition for the 77 people who entered, although a strong competitive element was definitely in evidence.

"Everyone involved has a love for the sport of surfing, whether they are true novices or have had decades of surfing under their belt. There is a true camaraderie that shines through the event which, at least for me, makes it very special," he said, noting everyone pitched in to help with the running of the the comp during the week, and the judges were all participants.

He also refused to single any one competitor out and it appears the surf was the star of the show. Conditions encountered over the four days of the event which ran from February 15-19, were as follows.

Day 1, Monday took place at Waipapakauri Ramp with a fine light swell and offshore winds which proved ideal for the opening day competition. Day 2 the field returned to Waipap Ramp to find the swell solid and strong cross/offshore winds. Describing the conditions as "relentless" and virtually impossible to run a contest in, Dawson organisers only managed to get through a couple of SUP heats and then called it a day.

"The bonus was to see a pod of orcas surfing the waves in the afternoon as they travelled north," Dawson said. The IRB crew out in the water managed to get some great footage of the orcas and it was now available to view on the New Zealand Police Facebook page.

Day 3 saw the crew making the run north up 90 Mile Beach and run full day worth of heats at Scotts Point where they encountered.

"Beautiful groomed conditions with a solid swell. We came back home via Te Paki Stream, which was an adventure in itself."

Final day 4 the organisers caught Muke Twos in Ahipara. The day began with the running a couple of novice heats at Te Kohanga (Shipwreck Bay) first thing in the morning in very marginal conditions before the contest site moving around the point when the tide ebbed out and the swell began to pump ...

"The planets aligned and we found ourselves primo conditions, with light winds, the sun shining and a pumping swell in the water with some 250 metre rides happening on a regular basis."

The event was wrapped up with a rowdy prizegiving at the Ahipara Park. Highlights from the evening occasion were two surfboards and a $300 voucher towards a surf trip handed out as spot prizes, a fine spread provided courtesy of local Kaitaia Constable, Dion Masters and live music from Kerikeri band, Club Sandwich.

On behalf of organisers, Dawson said the event could not have gone ahead without the support of the main sponsors, the New Zealand Police Association, and also the generosity extended from local and other businesses around the country which had been most humbling.

"We, as organisers, couldn't have been more happy with how the event turned out.

"There's a lot of work behind the scenes to make it all happen and we are all stoked at the results."

Next year's competition will be held in the Bay of Plenty.

- Full results feature nearby.