A former Foxton puddle attracting national attention has spawned a New Zealand champion less a year after it opened.
All eyes were on the Off The Loop wakeboarding park when Foxton Beach 13-year-old Eve Ellen Skewes was crowned the senior women's champion recently.
Skewes was honing her skills alongside reigning men's champion Jason Heatherlea at the weekend. Heatherlea was lakeside at the park offering tuition to budding young boarders.
Skewes' mother Gry said her daughter had kitesurfed since she was nine and had a natural aptitude for board sports, like skateboarding and snowboarding too.
But even she and husband Gavin were surprised at how quickly success had come, and credited the Off the Loop venue.