A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
GISBORNE surfers won both the male and female under-14 divisions at Mt Maunganui on Sunday in the first of three Billabong Grom Series events.
Finn Johnson won the males’ contest and Stella Smith, the females’ event. For both it was their first win at national level. Smith is the younger sister of New Zealand junior surfing and surf lifesaving representative Jasmine.
Johnson dominated the u14 males’ final, finishing with a 14-point heat total. His surfing all weekend looked sharp with powerful forehand surfing.
Muriwai surfer Taylor O’Leary was second, scoring 12.6 after a good start to the final. Christchurch’s Myka Black was third and former Gisborne surfer Josef Jungwirth, now of Raglan, was fourth.
Stella Smith won her first title in her first final. Mt Maunganui’s Georgia Wederell was second, and Gisborne surfers Hannah King and Daizee Rawls were third and fourth respectively.
Of the other Gisborne surfers competing, Kai Woolf finished third in the females’ u17 final, Abby Falwasser-Logan reached the u20 females’ semifinals, and Riaki Ruru reached the u17 males’ quarterfinals.
The premier u20 male and female divisions were won by Tauranga’s Andrew Fraser-McKenzie and Albany’s Gabriella Sansom respectively in waves of less than one metre in onshore winds at Tay Street, Mt Maunganui.
For Fraser-McKenzie, it was his first Grom Series win in his first final.
One good ride eachAll four surfers in the final had one good ride each but late in the heat Fraser-McKenzie backed up his with a clean frontside air reverse for a 5.93-point ride that gave him a winning 12.27-point heat total.
Runner-up in the final was 2015 series champion Taylor Hutchison of Raglan. He had the highest single-wave score of the final, 6.67, but he could not back it up with another good ride. Callum Chuter of Tauranga and Jordan Griffin of Mt Maunganui were third and fourth respectively.
Sansom won the u20 female division after scoring 7.17 on her final wave, courtesy of three consecutive backhand turns on a clean right-hander. Sansom finished with a total heat score of 12.33 out of a possible 20 points.
Piha surfer Claudia Fraser led for three-quarters of the final and finished second with a 10.47-point heat total. Muriwai’s Britt Kindred was third and Albany’s Bianca Sansom, fourth.
Results from Sunday Under-20 males, semifinals, Heat 1: Callum Chuter (Tau) 12.43, 1; Andrew Fraser-MacKenzie (Tau) 10.63, 2; Manu Scott-Arrieta (Sandy Bay) 9.93, 3; Joe Palmer (Kerikeri) 6.33, 4.
Heat 2: Jordan Griffin (Mnt) 14.4, 1; Taylor Hutchison (Rag) 12.23, 2; Jack Wilson (Chch) 8.9, 3; Harry Macintosh (Rag) 5.57, 4.
Final: Andrew Fraser-MacKenzie (Tau) 12.27, 1; Taylor Hutchison (Rag) 10.83, 2; Callum Chuter (Tau) 9.13, 3; Jordan Griffin (Mnt) 8.97, 4.
U17 males, quarterfinals, Heat 1: Reef Matthews (Tara) 11.17, 1; Connor McLennan (Chch) 11.1, 2; Thomas Cater (Waihi Bch) 10.27, 3; Riaki Ruru (Gis) 5.43, 4.
Heat 2: Jonas Tawharu (Mnt) 15, 1; Elliot Brown (Dun) 10.83, 2; Shane Kraus (Piha) 10.13, 3; Lockie O’Connor (Mnt) 4.08, 4.
Heat 3: Lee Ririnui (Mnt) 12.67, 1; Dylan Preston (Whmata) 8.57, 2; Samuel Sands (Chch) 6.6, 3; Luke Griffin (Mnt) 5.13, 4.
Heat 4: Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 14.33, 1; Jared Gebert (Ohope) 14.03, 2; Joseph Critchfield (Mangawhai) 6.53, 3; Jay Piper Healion (Whiti) 6.2, 4.
Semifinals, Heat 1: Jonas Tawharu (Mnt) 13.43, 1; Elliot Brown (Dun) 11.40, 2; Reef Matthews (Tara) 9.47, 3; Connor McLennan (Chch) 9.00, 4.
Heat 2: Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 11.67, 1; Jared Gebert (Ohope) 10.73, 2; Dylan Preston (Whmata) 9.50, 3; Lee Ririnui (Mnt) 9.40, 4.
Final: Jonas Tawharu (Mnt) 11.83, 1; Jared Gebert (Ohope) 10.4, 2; Elliot Brown (Dun) 8.27, 3; Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 7.03, 4.
U14 males, semifinal, Heat 1: Finn Johnson (Gis) 14.3, 1, Myka Black (Chch) 12.2, 2, Jack Lee (Whakatane) 10.7, 3, Tom Butland (Tara) 6.13, 4
Heat 2: Josef Jungwirth (Rag) 9.6, 1; Taylor O’Leary (Mur) 9, 2; Reef Newdick (Mnt) 6.37, 3; Jai Parr (Mnt) 5.63, 4.
Final: Finn Johnson (Gis) 14.0, 1; Taylor O’Leary (Mur) 12.6, 2; Myka Black (Chch) 7.83, 3; Josef Jungwirth (Rag) 6.63, 4.
U20 females, semifinals, Heat 1: Britt Kindred (Mur) 12.4, 1; Claudia Fraser (Auck) 6.97, 2; Abby Falwasser-Logan (Gis) 6.67, 3.
Heat 2: Bianca Sansom (Auck) 15.7, 1; Gabriella Sansom (Auck) 8.47, 2; Indica Ratima (Rag) 4.13, 3.
Final: Gabriella Sansom (Auck) 12.33, 1; Claudia Fraser (Auck) 10.47, 2; Britt Kindred (Mur) 9.23, 3; Bianca Sansom (Auck) 8.53, 4.
U17 females, semifinals, Heat 1: Kea Smith (Arataki) 10.7, 1; Kai Woolf (Gis) 8.83, 2; Zhana Hutchison (Tara) 7.63, 3; Aimee Brown (Auck) 5.73, 4.
Heat 2: Raiha Ensor (Mnt) 13.1, 1; Elin Tawharu (Mnt) 11.2, 2; Tiana-Breeze de Mooj (Mnt) 6.93, 3; Maaia Reid-Bennett (Mnt) 6.1, 4.
Final: Raiha Ensor (Mnt) 14.33, 1; Elin Tawharu (Mnt) 8.5, 2; Kai Woolf (Gis) 6.87, 3; Kea Smith (Arataki) 5.83, 4.
U14 females, semifinals, Heat 1: Hannah King (Gis) 5.67, 1; Georgia Wederell (Mnt) 5.17, 2; Sophia Brock (Mnt) 2.43, 3; Kahana Ngaia (Tara) n/s.
Heat 2: Stella Smith (Gis) 12.2, 1; Daizee Rawls (Gis) 8.83, 2; Anna Brock (Mnt) 5, 3; Poppy Holland (Rag) n/s.
Final: Stella Smith (Gis) 9.07, 1; Georgia Wederell (Mnt) 7.27, 2; Hannah King (Gis) 3.6, 3; Daizee Rawls (Gis) 3.5, 4.