One Australian stereotype is that of the blond(e) surfer. The famous Bondi beach has something to do with this, and so does Surfers’ Paradise. And we do have a lot of surfers, professional and otherwise, although they come with hair and skin in all colours. If you’re one of these surfers and are thinking about the upcoming summer, you might be wanting to look somewhere further afield this summer. Possibly you grew up in or near Surfers’ and want to go somewhere new for a bit of novelty or a challenge. Or perhaps you’d rather go somewhere a little less touristy.
Planet Earth is sometimes referred to as the Water Planet and the surface of the globe is about 75% water (approximately the same percentage of water as the human body has, incidentally). This means that the world also has a lot of surfing spots. This list of possibilities is confined to the South Pacific and to other bodies of water near Australia just to keep it short enough for one article. So you won’t find odd surfing spots in obscure places such as French Beach, Karachi in Pakistan or Kish Island in Iran.
Fiji: Tavarua was previously a private surf resort but has now been open to the public, or at least that bit of the public that is able to get there by boat. Cloudbreak and Restaurants are considered to be the best places for catching waves. To get to Tavarua, you’ll need to fly into Suva and then arrange a boat from there.
Indonesia: G-Land, a short hop from the very popular tourist centre of Bali, is one of the surfing beaches in Indonesia with a reputation for good surf. Bali, of course, has other attractions in its own right, both cultural and natural.
New Zealand: Most of the better surf beaches are located on the Pacific side of the country (i.e. the eastern coasts) in both islands. Piha (near Auckland) and Gisborne are for those who would rather not have to pack a wetsuit, with Piha being the easier of the two to get to – you can fly directly into Auckland from most main Australian airports, but you’ll have to catch a connecting flight (or take a bus) to get to Gisborne. Those who don’t mind colder waters can head to the South Island. Christchurch has an international airport and some quite good surf in beaches all along the Canterbury coastline. Further south, just south of Dunedin, are the Catlins, which can get some big waves pounding the shoreline and plenty of wildlife – keep an eye out for sea lions and definitely bring a wetsuit.
Samoa: Savai’i is considered to be the best surfing spot in this Pacific Island nation, probably because it’s one of the larger islands. It can also be quite risky, so this one isn’t for grommets. To get to Savai’i, you can catch a short flight from Apia, Samoa’s capital, to the little airstrip. Savai’i lays claim to being the place that sees the sun set last (i.e. it’s the westernmost point of land closest to the International Date Line) – possibly one could organise a trip to surf where the sun rises first (Gisborne, New Zealand) and to where the sun sets last.
Tahiti: Teahupo’o is justly famous as a surfing centre, with big, big waves of exquisite blue water. It’s renowned for having the heaviest waves about (which, incidentally can be fatal in combination with the shallow shoreline – Teahupo’o can be roughly translated as meaning “chop off the head”, i.e. it’s not for the fainthearted and definitely not for beginners). To get there, fly into Papeete and arrange land transport: Teahupo’o is on the same island.