KEY POINTS:
Erin Taylor's brief foray into surf lifesaving is over for now and with a bit of luck, she won't venture into the briny for the next 12 months.
It's a shame, considering her exploits for the New Zealand team at the International Surf Challenge in Sydney this week.
Come Monday, however, the 20-year-old will be back on Lake Pupuke to resume her steely focus on making the kayaking team for next year's Beijing Olympics.
"My coach [Olympic champion] Ian Ferguson was fine with me taking this week off to do surf - he's got a pretty good history on the beach himself - but that's it for me until at least March," Taylor said. "Kayaking will definitely be my focus until then and hopefully beyond."
It means she'll be out of the reckoning for next year's Surf Rescue world championships in Germany and though that's not enough to distract the Red Beach paddler from her Olympic ambitions, she still relished her dalliance with surf lifesaving.
Taylor was one of the stars at Bondi Beach, sealing a great three-test series by beating the best surf ski racers in the world in two of her three women's ski races and teaming with Kevin Morrison yesterday to also nab the ski relay title.
"This is my first time in a New Zealand surf team and I've loved it - the atmosphere is fantastic and everyone has been really supportive. I've got pretty good fitness from my kayaking training and the swell dropped a little bit, which suited me because I could use my flat-water speed."
Taylor needs to beat the top Australians at March's Oceania Championships to guarantee Olympic selection. None of her transtasman Olympic rivals competed at the International Challenge - there aren't the same crossovers in Australia and she can see why.
"Surf helps a little bit with my strength but technically the kayaking is a major help for surf, rather than the other way around. I've come into the International Challenge purely on kayaking fitness so in that respect, it was really satisfying how well it went."
The New Zealand team also came away satisfied by their performance, despite losing narrowly to Australia for the third straight day yesterday.
Australia picked up 132 points to New Zealand's 106 but the number of victories snatched on their home sand was enough to satisfy the visitors.
The Kiwis were led once again by the fast feet of their beach brigade, with Paul Cracroft-Wilson winning the beach flags and only missing the beach sprint title with a false start. Gisborne's Rebecca Wright made no mistake in her beach sprint, however, heading home Mt Maunganui teenager Chelsea Maples yesterday, after the pair dead-heated the day before.
The Titahi Bay boat crew also wrapped up their transtasman contest, beating Australia five races to four, while both Kiwi beach relay teams again tasted success.
Saturday's scores: Australia 131 points, New Zealand 115, South Africa 85, Japan 54, United States 50, Britain 47.
