KEY POINTS:
Driving rain couldn't stop a spectacular show on the waves at Piha for the national surfing championships.
And although wind and rain whipped up a storm, conditions were near perfect for the surfers who took advantage of the low tide's 1.5m to 2m waves to show their best moves.
In yesterday's highlight, former champion Daniel Kereopa of Raglan, who had come out of retirement for the competition, took on Gisborne star Maz Quinn.
Kereopa went into semi-retirement in 2007 after winning the national title, opting to compete only on the pro longboard tour.
Yesterday, he had the upper hand, scoring 16.2 out of a possible 20 points to win his heat over Quinn, who scored 14.75.
Defending champion Jay Quinn, younger brother of Maz, also progressed through his fourth-round heat in second place, behind Gisborne's Chris Malone.
The competition, the second of six events on the 2008/09 Corona Crown series and the second event on the 2009 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour, runs until Saturday.
Meanwhile, a Taranaki surfer enjoyed the breaks with some space in the water - when three orcas kept most of the other surfers on the beach.
Craig Hunter was surfing at Stent Road surf break near Cape Egmont in Taranaki, when he saw a big whale about 6.30pm yesterday.
"It's one of those situations where you've just got to enjoy it," he said .
"There was no way I was going in because the waves were too good."
He kept surfing and enjoyed the space as there was only one other surfer in the sea.
"It was good, because I think a few people didn't go out, because they could see it."
The whale he saw was swimming around a couple of hundred metres away doing a "bit of fishing" for about 30 or 40 minutes, Mr Hunter said.
"Then he decided he'd come and have a look to see what was happening over there where I was. He just cruised by and then I think he took off."
Photographer Jane Dove Juneau said she saw one large orca and two small ones, which appeared to be heading south along the coast.
Mr Hunter said he must have been "too busy" surfing to notice the other two whales.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA
