SUP Tauranga Stand up Paddle Blog

Surfing Waihi Beach

2011-11-05T13:54:00.001+13:00

Surfing Waihi Beach, a set on Flickr.

WIndsurf Slalom Racing Tauranga

2011-09-25T17:58:00.001+13:00

WIndsurf Slalom Racing Tauranga, a set on Flickr.

some action from todays racing

Kitesurf Tay Street

2011-09-11T17:11:00.001+12:00

Kitesurf Tay Street, a set on Flickr.

No sup today, too windy - but some sweet kitesurfing at Tay Street

For the love of water NZ

2011-08-08T13:40:00.001+12:00

For the love of water NZ, a group on Flickr.

Heres a library of images set up for any type of watersports in NZ - we'd love to see your sup photos on here so join up and start positing...

windsurfing tauranga

2011-08-08T13:37:00.001+12:00

windsurfing tauranga, a set on Flickr.

heres some pics from Tauranga Harbour - on the days when it's too windy to paddleboard the wind toys come out!

Flikr photo group for water sports photos - join us!

2011-07-22T15:19:00.002+12:00

Us kiwis love being in, on and around water, lets share pics of people getting out there and getting wet - surfing, windsurfing, kiting, stand up paddleboarding... not scienics, must have people (or maybe your dog?) Join the flikr "love water" group and start sharing your pics!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lovewater/

Waikato River SUP

2011-06-27T22:10:00.001+12:00

Waikato River SUP, a set on Flickr.

A few pics from a recent trip down the Waikato River, Near Taupo

First attempt with the gopro on the SUP

2011-06-27T21:48:00.000+12:00

Not super successful, was getting a bit dark and the gopro doesn't cope well with low-light - ill try again in full daylight and see if we can't get some better light and more interesting angles - there's heaps of cool videos on youtube to get inspiration from - watch this space...

Ok not sup but why not!

2011-06-27T21:44:00.000+12:00

I took this bit of video in the weekend to try out the gopro. I strapped it to local windsurfer Craig Souters boom and sent him out to see what we could get, i also took a bit of film from the boatramp at the same time. It was great to see it came out ok - needs a bit of anti-fog on the lens but we're getting there. Check it out...

Lifejackets - to wear or not to wear??

2011-06-27T21:39:00.000+12:00

As the sup industry has taken the world by storm it's becoming apparent that lifejackets haven't really found favour with paddlers. It's kind of hard to tell someone on a sunny day who's paddling up and down the shore in a bikini that they should be wearing one - I mean you never see them in the promo material from the main brands so they definately can't be cool! It ends up being the users choice - but many countries have started to introduce rules around thier use, particularly for paddle schools and commercial operators. Personally - I'd never wear one in the surf, or on casual social paddles in sheltered waters... but as soon as i'm on a river or on my own ill grab one for sure.

Other thing is there are lifejackets and there are lifejackets... some of the slalom kayak and kitesurf vests are sweet looking and don't restrict your movement at all so don't think you have to paddle round with a giant orange thing strapped to your chest! Take a look at our photos of the blowfish with the paddlers geared up in adventure gear and tell me they don't look a little bit cool...

If its aesthetics you're after... think adventure sports rather than surf and you'll not only look the part... you'll be safer too.

Source blowfish paddleboards

Lake Okareka SUP Race - Team Liquid Stixx

2011-06-06T14:00:00.002+12:00

Lake Okareka SUP Race - Team Liquid Stixx, a set on Flickr.

Kirsten Wilton from Liquid Stixx took a team of 6 paddlers over to Rotorua yesterday to compete in the 3D multisport race. The weather gods were kind - the lake was flat and there was virtually no wind! As you can see from the photos everyone had a great time - thanks to Kirsten for putting the effort in to support the race and get the SUP'ers involved (and for the record - team LSX took the top 3 places in the sup)

suptauranga's photostream

2011-05-21T16:30:00.002+12:00

suptauranga's photostream on Flickr.

Morning session at the mount with Glenn from Assault... great to see the sun after a really crusty week

blowfish inflatable stand up paddle board

2011-05-17T13:53:00.001+12:00

blowfish inflatable stand up paddle board, a photo by suptauranga on Flickr.

Taking a spin on the Tarawera River, literally

blowfish stand up paddleboards

2011-05-17T13:51:00.001+12:00

blowfish stand up paddleboards, a set on Flickr.

The kids enjoying the estuary aboard the blowfish

windsurfing kulim park

2011-05-16T18:34:00.001+12:00

windsurfing kulim park, a photo by suptauranga on Flickr.

Some days the weather just doesn't want you to go paddleboarding... fortunately we have toys for those days too! (Kulim Park, Tauranga - after work session)

paddleboard, charlie and the dog

2011-05-16T14:18:00.001+12:00

paddleboard, charlie and the dog, a photo by suptauranga on Flickr.

blowfish inflatable stand up paddle board

2011-05-10T20:23:00.001+12:00

blowfish inflatable stand up paddle board, a photo by suptauranga on Flickr.

Took the Blowfish inflatable down to Kawerau today and had a play on the Tarawera River... so much fun!

Wooden paddles... mmmmmm

2011-04-29T16:31:00.001+12:00

Call me old fashioned but how can you not love these wooden paddles! Even if you bought one just to look at it would be worth the money if you ask me! http://www.whiskeyjackpaddles.com/paddles_deuce.asp

Racing this Saturday

2011-04-29T08:32:00.000+12:00

Right folks, no excuses, the weathers getting better - make sure you get to this event in Pilot Bay on Saturday. If you can't paddle at least go and watch and give the SUP'ers some support!
http://www.wakaama.co.nz/racecalendar/lookup.php?regatta_uid=1000-0000782

blowfish stand up paddleboards

2011-04-17T10:08:00.001+12:00

blowfish stand up paddleboards, a set on Flickr.

Took my daughter out for a play this morning to have a go at flash photography. Not as easy as I expected but Im getting the hang of it. Looking forward to getting out on the water today with Kirsten from LSX, get in touch if you want to join us - around 3.30

QB The Very Important Paddle Stroke For SUP

2011-04-15T09:22:00.000+12:00

Surfing this friday

2011-04-14T10:40:00.002+12:00

A few of us are planning on taking a "mental health break" and heading to the Mount on Friday for a surf. Not sure where yet but Im sure we'll be easy to spot. If you're feeling too sick to go to work perhaps you could join us...

And now for something completely different...

2011-04-13T11:37:00.001+12:00

I found this board on the net the other day, it's a "suplove stingray"made by a company called suplove in Aussie. Really unusual looking and quite different from anything Ive see before. I wouldn't say its very pretty but apparently it goes really well. They've got a 12'6" ready now and a 14" just about to hit the market. The shap reminds me of the really old vintage surfboards from the old black and white photos you used to see.

Braided rivers in the South Island

2011-04-13T11:22:00.001+12:00

Flying down to Christchurch yesterday gave me itchy feet to paddle some of those amazing braided rivers. They look incredible from the air - I'm not sure which ones I was looking at but I'm going to talk to some of my rafting/kayaking contacts and get some information. I'd be interested to see if this sort of trip interests anyone else?

Technique and stuff from the best in the business...

2011-04-13T11:19:00.000+12:00

If you have any interest in technique you have to check out http://www.davidkalama.com/ It's a really great source of info, I personally found the "reaching" bit life changing - it really works a treat! Have a look and see what you think.