Karl Roberts was in Noosa, Australia in 2005 when he spotted a guy stand-up paddle boarding with his dog. He was intrigued and so went about bringing the sport to Northland.
"I thought, 'that looks unreal', but when I came back to New Zealand in 2006, I couldn't buy one so I found an old wind surfer and used that as a board and made the paddle."
He continued to improvise while awaiting the arrival of a paddle board he'd imported. When it arrived, Karl received multiple envious comments so ordered several more for his mates before deciding to sell them himself.
Karl, the Riverside Drive Marina manager, has owned the recently-renamed Waterman's World for around nine years and moved the business closer to the Hatea Loop on the Riverside Drive Marina complex several months ago. It incorporates the latest water sport equipment and shares a space with the newly-opened Kafe.
Since becoming one of the first to stand on water in Northland, he has watched the sport take off and, for the last six years, has raced with the Riverside SUPers, a group of stand-up paddlers who meet every Tuesday evening to race at the Town Basin.