Jacqui from the Local Rag caught up with Jennifer, mum of Kaia and Lani about their family love of surfing and recent Gold Coast experience.
How did the girls get interested in surfing ?
Growing up in Raglan with a surf mad dad has definitely helped establish the love of surfing. Surfing at school with your friends and moving to Australia increased the stoke for sure.
You have recently lived on the Gold Coast of Australia. Tell us about that experience and the opportunities for surfing.
We spent two years on the Gold Coast where you are right amongst the surf craze. The surf is super busy from pre da wn to post dusk. Car parks fill up first thing. Surfers from around the world flock here thanks to the Superbank and the warm water year around. We were there during Covid and had the beaches to ourselves, except for some stranded pro surfers. Most days were spent at a relatively empty Snapper Rocks (surf break) having Mick Fanning encourage you to go on waves, and enjoying chats with Stephanie Gilmore. Whales and dolphins joined the line-up daily and made for a very special experience.
Did they get involved in comps? How did the experience differ to a NZ one ?
We joined a boardriders over in Australia where we had weekly coaching sessions and monthly club rounds. Lani did some grom comps which were fairly similar to here. A lot of the competitive kids in Australia do private coaching sessions on a frequent basis. If you want to get good at surfing, the GC (and Northern Rivers) is all set up for it. NZ definitely has more of a mellow attitude.
Kaia has left school now and on a gap year. Does her love of surfing continue ?
Kaia was pretty keen to head back to the GC after finishing year 13, but ended up going on a surf trip to Hawaii instead. A recent move to the South Island has seen the surfboard being swapped for a snowboard. The plan is to head to Uni next year with a surfboard in tow.
How is Lani going within the grom comps?
Lani has been really enjoying the grom comps here in NZ. The focus has been on having fun, and making a few finals last year was a great bonus. Meeting up with likeminded kids, including our cousins who have been competing as well, in different parts of the country is a great way to travel.
What benefits do you think have come from having the bulk of their childhood in Raglan?
Having left and returned numerous times, we have always felt that there was something special about Raglan. Having grown up here, it’s a place where they feel they belong, a home. Raglan Area School has always been very accommodating over the years and the girls feel very lucky to be part of the ever-growing surfing academy family. Add to that, Raglan has so much to offer. Plenty of sport opportunities. A simple way of living. Friendly multicultural community. The outdoors and a world class surfing spot.
Are you settled in Raglan now for the long term?
Raglan is our home. It’s such a beautiful spot and no matter where we go, people always wonder how we could ever leave a place like Raglan. So here we are, going nowhere, bar a few mini adventures. Who knows where the girls will end up, but Raglan will always be their hometown.
This content was made possible thanks to sponsorship from Raglan Surf Co.
