Cyclone Cook: Riders on the storm

Surfers make the most of giant swells at Mt Maunganui main beach today. Photo / John Borren

Cyclone Cook has proven one gnarly Easter egg for surfers, who have been out riding nine-foot waves this morning.

At Mount Maunganui, many board-riders were out at first light to catch the big waves generated by the ex-tropical cyclone.

Surfers make the most of giant swells at Mt Maunganui main beach today. Photo / John Borren

Surf forecast website Magicseaweed.com estimated surf heights of 1.8 metres to 2.7m at the Mount today, and 1.7m to 2.1m further down the coast at Papamoa.

For local man Bart Longman, the surf was too heavy for him to reach the back of the breakers near Tay St but his mate Joe Pointe managed to make it out.

"I thought the current was going to sweep me out," Pointe said.

Tauranga surfers Tom Jordan, Bart Longman and Joe Pointe.

"I just got the current inside, kept on going and made it out the back."

He described the surf as powerful, with fast-moving, large sets.

"It was hard to find your place on it, but there was enough space, and a lot more power than usual for the Bay of the Mount," he said.

Surfers make the most of giant swells at Mt Maunganui main beach today. Photo / John Borren

"It was good: I'd been waiting for that for a while."

Others hadn't been so patient, with some daredevil surfers ignoring Civil Defence warnings and heading out into the waves as Cook bore down last night.

Elsewhere in the country, Magicseaweed.com reported surf heights of 1.9m in Raglan, 1.8-3m in Castlepoint, 1.5m-2.4m in Whangamata, and 1.2m-1.8m and 1.5m-2.4m respectively at Gisborne surf spots Wainui Beach (Stock Route) and Makorori Point.