Gisborne surfers chasing waves and glory at surfing nationals

Gisborne teenager Archie Alder got through his round 1 heat in the Under-14 boys' division but was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Photo / PhotoCPL

Gisborne surfers are chasing titles on day 3 of the 62nd National Championships in Taranaki today.

A record field of more than 400 entries has gathered on the black sands of the North Island’s west coast for the week-long champs being hosted by New Plymouth Surfriders.

Action got under way on Sunday with the over-30s, O40s and O50s men’s age divisions and continued yesterday with a mixture of age group action.

Two Gisborne Boardriders Club members — Richard Page and Mike Yukich — made today’s O60 men’s final.

Page won his semifinal yesterday with a total of 8.33 out of 20 for his two best waves while Yukich was second with 5.40 in the earlier semi. Steve “Teddy” Colbert — the under-18 national champ in 1984 — was fourth on 3.84 and did not make the four-man final.

The O70 men’s division is a straight final which includes Gisborne’s Benny Hutchings and Ross Moodie.

Gisborne’s Jaxon Pardoe was second in his semifinal yesterday to progress to the Under-14 boys’ final on Thursday. Pardoe posted 9.84 — 0.26 behind winner Haru Madsen of Bay Boardriders. East Coast Surf Riders’ Tobias Smith was third with 3.17.

Another East Coast surfer, Madeline Smith, made Thursday’s final of the U14 girls’ division.

Tolaga Bay teenager Te Waiotu Fairlie is in today’s final of the U18 girls’ longboard.