$3k of surf gear abandoned by tsunami Good Samaritan in Waipū returned

Ruakākā's Lee McClelland had hoped a good sort had spotted his gear on the roadside and thought to take care of it while the area evacuated during last week's tsunami alert. Photo / Tania Whyte

A Whangārei man was worried $3000 of foil surf gear was lost after he abandoned it on a Waipū roadside to help schoolkids evacuate during last week's tsunami alert.

But thanks to a "great guy", Ruakākā resident and RED Boardriders owner Lee McClelland has been reunited with his self-designed hydrofoil and foil surfboard.

"I was pretty confident someone saw it out of place and grabbed it to keep it safe and that was the situation, thankfully," McClelland said.

News of a potentially impending tsunami saw McClelland rush to Waipū Primary School to pick up his 8-year-old son.

He was told his son had to remain with the school and that parents could evacuate with their children instead.

As he made his way, in his van, to the assembly point – around 1km away down St Mary's Rd in Waipū – he noticed people struggling with the trip on foot.

"I picked up some staff and kids and gave them a ride. As the van filled up and there was some urgency to get to high ground I made extra room in the van by leaving my board and foil gear on the side of the road," McClelland said.

His mind was more concerned with getting everyone to safety than the importance of his gear.

As the all-clear came more than five hours later, he returned to pick up his gear but it had gone.

"I was in a bit of trouble when I got home," McClelland said. "My partner said, 'you've lost what?'"

The gear was special to McClelland as he had designed the foil board himself and was in the process of kick-starting a Wing Foil branch of his business.

A Facebook post pleading for the return hydrofoil and foil surfboard led to a quick exchange of his gear and a box of beer as a thank you to the man who had helped keep it safe.

Wingfoiling is a cross-over discipline between wind foiling, kite foiling and SUP foiling. It consists of managing a wing that is not attached to the board; instead it is carried with two hands while standing on a hydrofoil mounted on a short stand-up paddleboard.