New Zealand's greatest surfing rivalry?

OVER 60S: Michael Gray, Barry McCulloch (2nd place), John Gisby, Ben Hutchings. Photo / Surfing NZ

It's been labelled New Zealand's greatest surfing rivalry — and they are our oldest competitive surfers, Tairua's Barry Macculloch, and Gisborne's John Gisby.

Gisby, 67, has 39 national titles and his rival Macculloch, 65, hoped 2021 would be the year he took one off him.

"Thirty-nine national titles for crying out loud. I said to him 'why can't you just give me one you b ****** ?'" says Macculloch.

At the 2021 Surfing Nationals in Piha, eight guys pulled on a jersey to contest in the Over 60s and Macculloch was put in top seed during his heat, but at the end of the day it was only a race between him and Gisby.

"We have a good relationship on the land, we're good friends, but in the sea? We're enemies," he says.

"He told Matt Groube that he would give him $50 if he would break my leg. Little things like that during the week, we'd always have a banter."

Groube says the nerves have been Macculloch's downfall. "One year he was so nervous he put his legrope on the wrong leg. I knew as soon as he paddled out that he'd already lost."

The pair first went head to head at the nationals in 2007 and Macculloch has only once beaten him, placing second against Gisby's third that year.

From Over 45s to Over 50s, Over 55s and now the Over 60s.

Retired builder Macculloch says he never thought he was good enough to compete and took to the competitive arena late in life after age 50. He entered the Over 45s then and placed fourth, learning a lot along the way.

He remembers every nationals, including the first, where he surfed a 1ft final and didn't have the right equipment.

Gisby has "a caddy", but this year Macculloch had wife Vanya and a tribe from Tairua Boardriders cheering him on.

Friend Nick Roberts called it "New Zealand's greatest surfing rivalry" and Roberts and the Tairua crew were certain this year belonged to Baz.

Gisby was coming last in the final, right up until the last seven minutes. Gisby's back-up wave was a 2.75 and he beat Macculloch by .75 of a point.

"He's a formidable opponent. He was getting these terrible righthanders and I was getting these fast lefts. Everyone on the beach was saying 'who's going to carry him?' they were all ready [to celebrate].

"I certainly had him worried, everybody was saying that.

"I was even on priority and waiting for a big one. I had three mediocre waves at fives and fours and threes and needed a bigger one.

"And he came over and just snuck one off me. I should've been more aware of him and done a paddle battle with him, I should've blocked him, I could have dropped in on him because I had priority.

"That wave was the only one that slowed down enough for turns, and all my waves were so fast and I could only do a turn at the end.

"Oh it was so frustrating. He said afterwards 'I looked at your face after I did my first reo and it was a horror story'. I knew he was going to get a good score, and they do score him well."

Also in the final was Benny Hutchings, the father of Cory Hutchings, and Benny is 74.

Hutchings drove all the way up from Gisborne to Piha and slept in the back of his van like a grommet, said Baz.

"It's pain and glory, I suppose the glory outweighs the pain," says Barry of competitive surfing.

"I was so nervous and I don't know why because I had nothing to lose. But the nerves got to me. I guess everyone feels the same."

He competes to help "keep the stoke alive".

"It gives me a goal, and keeps me surfing. It would be easy at this stage to say 'I can't be bothered'."

Macculloch retired at the end of last year from a lifetime of building and recently headed to Shipwreck Bay Northland.

"I'll get him next year. I told him I'm coming down to Gisborne and I'm going to get you. I've got no work and I'm just going to surf, surf and surf."