By Ashlee Tulloch
The 50th National Surfing Championships gets underway at Piha this week, and along with the longboard and shortboard titles the stand up paddleboard crown is also up for grabs.
Paddle boarding is the newest category at the event and after surfing for 26 years, Daniel Kereopa has recently taken to the sport.
“I started with an old windsurfer, made up a paddle and started doing it out here in Manu Bay. Everybody used to laugh at me, and I was like ‘don’t laugh at me – they do it in Hawaii,” says Kereopa.
“I like to, not re-invent my surfing, but upskill in all different areas of surfboard riding so standup paddling is my new thing. I’ve been doing it for a few years now and it’s keeping me energetic in the waves and it makes me want to surf all the time, like I’m a young kid again,” says Kereopa.
Like surfing, paddle boarding originated many years ago in Hawaii, and while the sport is relatively new in New Zealand, it is certainly not new to Kereopa.
And Kereopa believes it is a sport for everyone - it just depends what you are looking for.
“Most people just think it’s paddling on flat water. You can go out for those early morning paddles on the estuary with your husband, wife or kids, or you could be the athlete who goes 20 kilometres out to sea,” he says.
There is a lot more to the sport than just paddling on flat water though and for the last two years it has been part of the New Zealand tour where they compete in both a race over distance and a surf competition
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