stuck in transit
You hear it when you travel, you read it in the travel magazines and online. New Zealand, our country, has a reputation as the most beautiful, serene and untouched place on the planet. A visit to our shores is on most tourists 'Bucket List'. As locals it is easy to take what we have for granted, so we thought from now on we would catch up with visiting surfers that we run into on our travels and get the word from them on their experiences while taking in the waves, views and vibes of Aoteroa. It just might make you appreciate how good we have it just that little bit more. This issue we feature Andrew Logreco, a professional lifeguard from the North Shore of Hawaii.
WHAT BRINGS YOU TO NZ?
The vast untouched beauty is what put NZ on the radar for myself. As I get older I find my travels aren't as much surf driven, like in the past. Nowadays it's more about everything else that adds to that place and experience of the travel. With that said NZ seemed liked a perfect fit. I knew you guys get amazing waves, but had no idea to the extent that you do... so we had the best of both worlds.
HAWAII PUMPS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, WHAT DRAGGED YOU AWAY FROM THE WARMTH ON THE NORTH SHORE TO OUR CHILLY SOUTHERN WATERS?
As a North Shore lifeguard, winter time can be very long and demanding. Even we need breaks from the madness to come up for air and recharge a bit. And what better way to change it up and get into the cold for a bit. I actually enjoy coldness, it adds that out of your comfort zone element to the experience.
SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? AND WHAT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED?
Pretty much all of November. We experienced so many awesome places and people. We started in Auckland and went south. Most of the time we hung around south of South Island. Went to Wanaka, Milford Sound, Catlins, Dunedin. Just to name a few. Did some amazing hikes, waterfalls, Cathedral Caves, paddles on rivers and lakes and so on, on top of all of the surfing. This was during the earth quake in Christchurch and the American Presidential race. So we had a lot to talk about with people we met along the way.
WHERE HAVE YOU SCORED THE BEST SURF DURING YOUR STAYS?
The best waves were definitely in the Dunedin area.
SO WILL YOU BE BACK ANYTIME SOON?
Without a doubt, I hope to get back in the very near future! Thanks to the great people and land of NZ!!