Coast breakfast team starts streaming into Tauranga

The Coast breakfast team Jase, Toni and Sam. Photo / Supplied

Earlier this month, at 6am on a Monday, Coast Breakfast launched in Tauranga. After almost a decade of Brian Kelly - including three years as a host of the only local Coast breakfast show in New Zealand - Jase, Toni and Sam took over the airwaves for three hours every weekday morning starting February 1. They sat down to answer quickfire questions.

What is your favourite thing to do in Tauranga?

Jase: Catch up with friends. We're lucky to have some of our best friends living in and around Tauranga so catching up with them is always a favourite thing to do.

Sam: Visiting our cousins, who live there. Long lunches at the waterfront ... and can I extend it to TECT park? One of the most outstanding off-road motorsport facilities in the country. I have spent some time there with Hayden Paddon sliding around in a range of cars.

Tauranga vs the Mount

Jase: Ohhh that's like choosing between chocolate and boysenberry icecream! I love them both! Tauranga has some fantastic restaurants - and award-winning bakeries - but a walk at the Mount is a must-do!

Sam: The Mount has everything. We spent last New Year's there. It was a wonderful mix of fishing off the beach, the hot pools and eating loads of Mexican food from The Barrio Brothers.

Toni: They're both great, but I've spent more time at the Mount for surf-lifesaving so I'll have to stick with that!

What Tauranga person do you most want on the show?

Jase: Dame Lynley Dodd! I know she was born in Rotorua but she went to school in Tauranga and probably learned to write and draw here. And as the creator of Hairy Maclary she is a huge part of so many Kiwi childhoods! Also with the America's Cup in full swing and all the drama we've seen so far (and with my mate Toni hosting the coverage on TV) Emirates Team NZ's Peter Burling would obviously be awesome to chat with. I think it'd also be fascinating to chat with Phil Rudd from AC/DC but I'm a massive All Blacks fan so Sam Cane is always welcome on the show anytime!

Sam: Sam Tanner ... he's a middle-distance champion, a sub-four-minute miler, and will go on to be an Olympic champion. And a lovely young man. We got him on Coast recently to humble the All Blacks in their fitness test "The Bronco". He was 11 seconds quicker than Beauden Barrett. He's an incredible athlete.

Toni: Peter Burling! He's the man of the moment with the America's Cup in full swing.

Favourite song of 2020 and why?

Jase: Old Town Road! Yes it was catchy, yes it was easy to sing along with, but it also proved once and for all that Billy Ray Cyrus was not a "one-hit wonder"! To think that some people thought he was, broke my achy breaky heart!

Sam: L.A.B In the Air – it sounds so uniquely NZ. It has the pedigree of a Black Seeds or a Fat Freddy's Drop.

Toni: I was loving Ed Sheeran's Perfect.

What was the best thing about lockdown?

Jase: Family time. We went for walks in our little bubble most days, we drew pictures, we watched movies, we had dance parties in the lounge, we made some really cool memories. But I wish I could say we've kept up the daily exercise routines!

Sam: Slowing down and spending more time doing more simple things with my family. We spent most days kicking balls and running around parks.

Toni: Getting to spend heaps more time as a family of five.

What is the best advice you have received?

Jase: Work hard, be good to people and amazing things will happen.

Sam: Don't follow the beaten track, cut your own course. I didn't study broadcasting ... I made my own TV shows and segments.

Toni: Never be anything but yourself, authenticity is everything!

Would you rather have toes for fingers or fingers for toes?

Jase: Fingers for toes for sure! If your hands are full and you drop something - no problem because you can grab it just as well with your foot. Grabbing your jandals before a walk at the Mount or Papamoa? Use your feet without having to do that little shuffle we all do! And monkeys have shown us how cool it can be!

Sam: Fingers for toes. Like a monkey. I cant see the upside of having toes for fingers. Has anyone ever answers this question with toes for fingers?

Toni: Fingers for toes - I'm assuming you'd run faster and could pick stuff up with your feet!

What is your guilty pleasure?

Jase: Fish and chips. And honestly, there are some phenomenal places in Bethlehem, Pāpāmoa, the Mount, Greerton, on 14th Ave ... Tauranga has so many options!

Sam: Off-road racing. I have a Can-Am x3 that runs on alcohol and makes 300hp. It's wild and brings me more joy than you can imagine. My 71-year-old father is my co-driver and we have a ball scaring each other silly.

Toni: Watching Netflix in the middle of the day during holidays!

First celebrity crush?

Jase: Christina Applegate (as Kelly Bundy on Married with Children) and Alyssa Milano (Tony's daughter on Who's The Boss?).

Sam: Topanga off Boy Meets World the 90s TV show. Although I did have a crush on the girl off the Benadryl cough syrup bottle. She was hot. And cured my cough.

Toni: Leonardo DiCaprio.

Favourite Bay of Plenty beach?

Jase: Waihi Beach! I've loved going there for years and since I met my wife, she's become a huge fan of the place too. We try to get there as often as we can. Our kids love it too because we meet up with our really good friends each time. We love it there.

Sam: Mt Maunganui is hard to beat. But have special memories from Waihī and Ōpōtiki as well. Good god, that whole coastline is near on perfect.

Toni: Waihi Beach.

What is one thing you couldn't live without?

Jase: Family.

Sam: Sunshine.

Toni: Aside from my family - hot chips!

What can we expect from Coast Breakfast in 2021?

Jase: The BEST music to make you feel good each morning and the three of us love chatting with listeners so no doubt some hard case stories from all of us! I'm thinking there'll be a few involving Sam trying to negotiate his way through being a dad to brand new twin girls - as well as his 2-year-old boy. I think this year Toni and I are going to have to be like a mum and dad ... to a dad?!

Sam: Three people that really like each other. Working very hard to bring you the best show they can. A show that focuses on selecting music and conversations that leave you feeling good. We pride ourselves on feeling better after spending time with us.

Toni: We are determined to make 2021 a "Feel Good" year for everyone after 2020 - so lots of laughs, fun, heart-warming stories and hopefully Sam's wedding haha.

What have you been up to over summer?

Jase: Packing and stacking and moving house. We've bought a place with a bit more room for our growing boys (Max is 8 and Olly is 5). Sadly, for the first summer in I can't even remember how long, we've hardly got to Waihi Beach! But we'll make up for that soon. And often!

Sam: My partner, Sarah, and I had our identical twin girls. It's been the biggest summer of our lives. We are just overjoyed. They have arrived safe and healthy on 21/01/2020 (a great date). We are currently changing on average 23 nappies a day. And we wouldn't have it any other way. Brando has just turned 2 and he's still contributing to the nappy numbers. We are working on that.

Toni: Spending time with family in Taranaki and lots of beach time in the Coromandel!

Catch Jase, Toni & Sam on Coast from 6am. Find your frequency at coastonline.co.nz or download the iHeartRadio App for free. Follow Jase, Toni & Sam on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest laughs.