After a week's postponement due to poor conditions, the annual Whanganui Boardriders competition took place under pretty challenging conditions. The wave at Morgan Street was lumpy and elusive.
But competition delays could be a thing of the past.
An unexpected upside of Te Pūwaha reinstatement works of the north and
south moles at the Whanganui River mouth will mean the return of the Tanae Bank, fabled as one of the most consistent surf breaks in the country. Remnants of the original man-made structure are still visible and there's an occasional surfable wave there, only in a heavy southwest swell.
Originally designed in 1857 by English river engineers to act as a wave buffer for boats moored in the port, the byproduct of the bank was a consistent surf break just inside the river mouth.
Whanganui Boardriders president Steve Fulton says it will create a safer channel for boating and other marine activities.
