Surfing can change your life - especially if you catch the wave at the right time.
That's the message of Kiwi surfing great and 2015 Ultimate Waterman Daniel "DK" Kereopa, who taught 12 children to surf during Meridian Energy's inaugural Tamariki Surf School at Raglan in late February.
The week-long surf camp at Raglan's Ngaranui Beach was designed to help intermediate school-aged children from around the country grow their confidence through surfing.
The 11 and 12 year olds, all pupils at KidsCan schools in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington and schools near Meridian's electricity generation assets throughout the country, were selected for the surf camp due to their budding leadership skills.
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"We used learning to surf as the tool to bring them to the beach and learn about the ocean. That mix of learning surfing, ocean awareness and ocean survival skills makes a great life experience for young people," says Kereopa.
"Also, I wanted to teach this group of kids to surf in a beautiful part of the country, that most of them had never been before."
Meridian's External Relations General Manager, Guy Waipara, himself a lifelong surfer, says surfing was the glue that bound the camp's experiences together.
"Surfing has shaped my life. When you ride a wave and feel the ocean's energy it's incredibly empowering. You could see the confidence grow in the young people through the week as their surfing got better.
"When they arrived at the beginning of the week, you could see they were nervous but they were soon up on the boards and some really close friendships were formed."
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Waipara says the idea for the camp was a culmination of Meridian's partnership with KidsCan and close association with the communities where it operates its wind and hydro assets.
"We're proud that we were able to offer these kids an experience like this. We couldn't have done it without DK and the Raglan community who gave their time to host the children for activities relating to surf life saving, waste minimisation and eco tourism.
"We hope the learning and inspiration they gained while on camp will help them grow as individuals," he says.
To find out more information go to: Surfcamp.co.nz