East Coast teen wins at NZ Festival of longboarding

Te Waiotu Fairlie shows the style that won her the open women's final at the NZ Festival of Longboarding in Pāpāmoa on Saturday. Photo / PhotoCPL

Tolaga Bay teenager Te Waiotu Fairlie has jumped to the top of the standings in the New Zealand Longboarding Series with victory in Pāpāmoa at the weekend.

Fairlie won the open women’s final at the NZ Festival of Longboarding as a few Tairāwhiti surfers featured at the pointy end of the competition.

Having finished second to Gisborne’s Jay Ryan-Emerre in the heats, Fairlie reversed that in the final after both had won their semi-finals - Fairlie with a score of 11.83 for her two best-scoring waves; Ryan-Emerre 10.17.

With the swell sticking below the 1-metre mark and forecast to fade into Sunday, organisers pressed on to complete the event late on Saturday night with a nice, clean swell that improved with the late afternoon low tide.

Tolaga Bay teen Te Waiotu Fairlie is carried across the sand after her victory in the open women's final of the NZ Festival of Longboarding in Papamoa. Photo / PhotoCPL

Fairlie won with a 9.86 total to Emerre-Ryan’s 8.34, with Demi Roberts (Mount Maunganui) third on 7.53 on a countback from Emma Ryan (Mangawhai).

“It is so epic,” Fairlie said. “I had a hard year last year but have come into this year trusting that I have what it takes to do well, so yeah, I am happy to win.

“All of the big names were out of the final and all the groms were in there and it was good to be surfing with them all and vying for the title.”

Gisborne’s Dylan Barnfield was second to national champion Jaxon Willows (Mount Maunganui) in the open men’s final.

Barnfield was second in his heat, but won his semi-final with a 15.17 score, eliminating fellow Gisborne surfer Daniel Procter (third, 11.84) in the process.

Willows, who did the open/under-18 double at the national championships in Gisborne, repeated that effort in Papamoa.

The 17-year-old won the open men’s final with 14.67, heading off Barnfield (12.84), local Matt Cockayne (11.90) and Auckland’s Matt Newdick (10.44).

Willows also won the U18 boys’ final with the highest score of the event - 17.66, including a 9.33 wave.

The New Zealand Longboard Series comprises six events including last month’s national championships, and the Gathering of Stoke in Gisborne in April.