Not to be left behind in the surf pool arms race, New Zealand is getting a Wavegarden Cove of its own, similar to the ones already operating in the United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea. According to New Zealand’s Stuff.co, the project is being spearheaded by Australian Andrew Ross, (who helped launch the URBN Surf development in Melbourne) and New Zealander Richard Duff. While an exact site is yet to be chosen, they’re looking at land just south and west of Auckland.
“We’re comfortable that the opportunity exists here. It’s a fantastic market when you look at the numbers of surfers, the interest in surfing and finally, the fickleness of the [local surf] conditions,” Duff told Stuff.
“It’s obvious that repetition is the most difficult thing to get in the surfing world, and we can bring that at the push of a button,” Duff continues. “If we can build one here and everyone has the equal opportunity to train with good coaching…we’re pretty damn good at a lot of sports. That’s really exciting.”
It’s not as if New Zealand — one of the most beautiful and wave-rich countries on earth — needed a surf pool to get traveling surfers’ attention, but it sure is nice knowing that soon you’ll be able to land in Auckland and drive straight into perfect surf. Nothing like a day in a Wavegarden pool to warm up for a pumping swell at Raglan, just 150km south. As if we needed another excuse to visit NZ.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login