<< Back to news
Te Pairi wins at first attempt
31st October 2019 The Gisborne Herald
Photo: MAIDEN WIN: Harley Te Pairi won the open men’s section of a new surfing event bringing together Gisborne, Mahia and Hawke’s Bay board clubs. Picture by Don Pearson.
TWO Gisborne surfers took top honours at a new event that brought together board riders from Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Mahia at the Makorori Red Bus break.
Harley Te Pairi, in his maiden event, took out the open men’s division of the New Wave Invitational on Saturday with perfectly timed carving turns while Rina Kitazawa, with her smooth, calculated approach, won the open women’s final convincingly.
It was the first combined competition for the three regions.
This year, the invitation was extended to include surfers from Hawke’s Bay and Mahia board riders’ clubs, as the Gisborne club is keen to build relationships with its nearest neighbours and develop a whanau-friendly environment.
Surfers were not disappointed with the conditions at the Gisborne beach, with light winds and a good swell in the 1-metre to 1.3m range.
The event sponsor, New Wave NZ Surfboards, was “stoked” with how the day went.
The organisers plan to put on the event again next year.
Open men: 1 Harley Te Pairi, 2 Finn Vette, 3 Patrick Braithwaite, 4 Ben Roberts.
Open women: 1 Rina Kitazawa, 2 Stella Smith, 3 Asia Braithwaite, 4 Ruby Lobb.
Under-12: 1 Gabe Lobb, 2 Shea Ferguson, 3 Ollie Tong, 4 Mahia Braithwaite.
U14: 1 Dale Cromhout, 2 Riku Gordon, 3 Asia Braithwaite, 4 Max Phillips.
U16: 1 Kobey Gregory, 2 Tobias Murfitt, 3 Max de Groot, 4 Joshua Wynee-Lewis.
Over 50s: 1 Andrew McCulloch, 2 Francois Sneedon, 3 Haydn Key, 4 Anton Lobb.
Over 60s: 1 John Gisby, 2 Max Bryant.
