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Illuminated by a faint glow of the ensuing sunrise, swell lines could be seen stacked and marching toward us. For the first time in close to six months and that's half a year, we run back to the car, scrambling for a warm jacket. The balmy epic summer that had broken all records, some for the wrong reasons, had come to a shuddering halt overnight, as a wind chill that surely had to be below zero swept off the mountain above. That very mountain an image of the long, hot and dry summer, it was now late April and usually it has a dusting of snow by now, yet it sits there shadowing over us desolate and dry. As more light enters the day, more crew begin to show up for their early morning surf check. The strong lined up swell had begun to build the night before all in perfect timing for the 77th Primo Roady. A crew of local ambassadors donning their CSA crafts begin to show up after checking a few spots up and down the coast, before declaring that the waves we have directly in front of our sights are the best on offer. Cain Aldridge the shaper and mastermind behind the CSA label put out a call to his

troops and called in a few favours to get a couple of his younger grom prodigies off school for the day, a result the groms were fizzing about. You see here in Taranaki they really get behind the talents in their community and where possible offer support and help to allow sporting folk to follow and realise their dreams. The only catch with getting the two Kettle groms Isaac and Sean off school for the day was that their teacher also a top local surfer Kane Rowson wanted to come surf as well, and took his case and sold it hook line and sinker to the principal of the school, citing a chance to put the school on the map. So thank you New Plymouth Boys High for the loan of your staff and students for the day. We promise we won’t make a habit of it, only on clean, offshore pumping days! Another of the CSA stables soldiers Bachelor Tipene and his wife Thandi rolled out of the darkness all snuggled up in puffer jackets to squeeze in a quick session before work. Now that daylight savings had come off it has allowed those in need a before work session to get them through the week. Sean and his younger brother Isaac surf around here nearly every day, so they know the place inside out and were making some big calls, that with the dropping tide it would start to turn on and pump. Wedgy A-frames detonated half a stone’s throw from the edge of the steep profiled beach, and depending on where the lads took off they could adjust their line and perform their ma-noeuvre of choice, take off on the other side of the peak and get barrelled, or fang down the line and boost off the inside section, it was a hi-performance liquid skate park. Aside from shaping a rather slick board Cain is one of the young breed of shapers that also surf really well, which makes it a definite advantage when testing out his boards, even though he has a pretty up front team of great surfers, it always helps to be able to relate to what they are saying.Sean is one of this country's rising talents and he was all over the show, up past the rocks on the A-frame down the beach on the left and up and down hunting out the next wave to intro-duce his arsenal to, if you didn't show up with a guide book to progressive surfing you wouldn't have a clue what all the different variations of manoeuvres he was doing, with a little shuffle, tweak and grab here and there making for a completely different named move. Bach was making the most of the few moments he had before having to pull pin and take off for work, and managed to find a couple of nice little drainers. Bach would have to be the surfer who has really excelled in recent times and it only a matter of time with a little more consistency that he will pick up a major result in the competition scene. He and his wife Thandi have both been selected to represent NZ at the world titles in Panama very soon. Next up Olympic gold medal rower Eric Murray showed up, walked down the beach stroking his massive slug of a moe and filthy sideburns and paddled out and started tearing the place to pieces in very similar fashion to the style of Luke Cederman, after a while he came in citing player burn out and it was then we realised it actually was Cederman in an Eric Murray mask. Those damn Waikato sportsmen they have everyone confused! There are already unsubstantiated rumours doing the rounds that Cederman will also be fighting Manu 'The Beast' Vatuvei at next year’s Fight For Life.Within sight of our chosen break further up the coast we could see half the population of New Plymouth out enjoying another of their local spots, and with so many in the water it all seemed to flow without a hitch, one wave, one rider. You wouldn't get that anywhere else in the country with a crowd like that, they have some manners down these ways in Taradise. Isaac was first in shivering and claiming near hypothermia, before being told of a Bear Grylls survival technique of lying like a lizard on a hot rock just up the beach and off he ran, teeth chattering. The elders of the crew finally realised they were run-ning low on caffeine and took off for a coffee hit, and Sean, well he just stayed out for hours more in fact, only coming in when the wind swung to an onshore direction just after lunch. That's commitment when the waves are on, after all a day in any surf is better than being at school and Sean knew it! We came, we froze, and scored another epic Primo Roady. Thank you Taranaki, until next time!

ROADY 77

ROADY 77

Sean Kettle

Sean Kettle

Bachelor tipene

Bachelor tipene

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ROADY 77

ROADY 77

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dustinThandi tipene

ROADY 77

Sean Kettle

Luke Cederman

ROADY 77

Luke Cederman

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ROADY 77

Thandi tipene

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Cain Aldridge

Isaac Kettle

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Luke Cederman

ROADY 77