Sunshine and a pumping swell greet competitors at the opening day of the 2022 New Zealand Surfing Nationals held at Westport, Buller.
Day one sets up an exciting set of scenarios for the nationals with Paige Hareb and Ava Henderson destined to square off in a field full of potential champions in the Open women’s. In the men’s Billy Stairmand will come up against a field of savvy operators including one of the best surfers New Zealand has ever produced: local Jai Earnshaw. He’s the one to beat right now at his local break, but a cast of young surfers are keen to step up to the plate and take their shot at the Challenger Series and Olympic star.
Here’s 40 frames to capture what went down on Day One in Westport.