Well folks there are two types of people out there in this world: Those who go out and live life to its fullest potential despite their own personal fears, discretion, insecurities and the abrogating of popular beliefs. Then there are the drones who sit in their happy little safety blanket they have created around themselves living half asleep and vicariously through the first group. For the longest time I believed Kooky Kyle was a member of the drones and then he broke out of his shell and was awakened in his recent traveling adventures. First in Lisanti Land and then New Zealand.
His adventures abroad have finally come to an end. I think the kid came a long way in the last six months and hopefully will take his experiences, life lessons and other things from this past tenure and use it to enhance his regular life. Knowledge plus experience equals wisdom. Here is kooky’s take on his last days in New Zealand. Enjoy…Lisanti
I am for the first time in 6 months sitting in my parents Maryland house. The contrast in swell between my first few weeks and my last few couldn’t be greater. Last you heard from me I was just out of Piha and unsure of where I was going to go. I met up with a friend of a friend in Auckland for a beer and with any luck a place to stay for the night. “Sorry mate, I asked my girl if you could stay and she was not having it. Sorry” I sat there confounded. It wasn’t too bad, the swell was going to be too big up there anyway.
What was I to do? The sun had set, and there was no way I was finding the way back out to Piha and the Backpackers out there in the dark. Staying around was going to be a exercise in surfing closed out beachies. The East coast, out of the question for a storm was lashing it like Kunta Kinte. Taranaki was too far. The swell was actually looking really good for Raglan.
I called Sarah up and got myself a spot back at Solscape despite the busy Easter weekend. I raced down to rags that night on a mission. Thursday the swell was still down so I got back into the swing of things at Solscape. Friday morning the swell had just started showing and that evening I surfed some fun Indies. Saturday morning the tide was a bit full so Sarah and I surfed Manu. It was good but inconsistent and overly crowded with Easter. I got my share thanks to my time in California. We got out as it was really getting swamped with heads and the tide.
The afternoon session I paddled out to a light crowd with some devil winds back at Manu. I was sitting in the line up and before I realized it I had drifted on to the Ledge (the Ledge is this heavy30 to 50 yard section at the very top of Manu that is most times unmakeable except on the best of days. It is also really shallow and when you fuck up you get tossed into the rocks and then left in shallow water with no channel. If you make one through it is pretty sick. I broke a board there in an attempt to make one. So did Scotty B and my boy Pete.) .
I realized this when a wave swung towards me. Dropping in I pulled into the barrel before a bit of the devil wind chop bucked me. When I came up this grom paddled toward me and said “There are some fucking sick ones out here! I reckon we can make some of them!”. FUCK YEA! He got me fired up and it was on. With a dearth of competition out there he and I threw ourselves into anything that looked remotely make-able. I got rolled on the rocks on a few, and I didn’t make it out of many, but I got some great views. As the tide dropped the wind turned and the ledge got too gnarly for me. I shifted down and surfed the rest of the point. It was definitely my best Manu session of the trip.
Sunday morning was head high and a half, picture perfect Indies. The boys at outsides threw me a wave and Phil, the owner of Solscape even complimented one of my waves I got. That evening the winds turned side then onshore yet I still got some good waves and was pretty stoked on the session. Monday dawned and while there was still some size it was breaking into the point and the whole ride I was basically avoiding hitting the rocks. It was clear the swell was done. The forecast wasn’t showing anything for Tuesday and I had a ride to Auckland so I concluded my stay in raglan and shoved off.
There was part of the trip where I was definitely skunked and had regretted coming, but since the swell before I left for Taranaki things turned on (aside from a day or two) definitely leaving me stoked I took the trip. The final run of swell was great. Phil and the locals had even commented that it was a very good swell as they usually don’t get that many days in a row of waves with good winds. I am definitely going back and will not make the same mistakes I made this time, namely coming with enough money to buy a car and not be tied into a location like I was. All in all I met some great people, surfed some great waves and learned a lot.
So what is next for Dear Old Kooky? Well right now I am sitting at my parent’s Maryland place and am taking care of business this weekend. Then I am looking for a job to last me until lifeguarding starts. I am planning on visiting some friends who are graduating this May. There is sure to be some partying and there may even be a surf trip to be had before I start my final summer of lifeguarding. After that the real world awaits, or at least my deranged version of Dexheimerdom.
Indicators on a really good day.
Surfing Ruined My Life 