Swell time at Whareakeake

Professional surfer Shayne Baxter, with his surfboard strapped to his bike, rides back to St Clair in Dunedin after making the most of the huge swell off Whareakeake Beach yesterday.

Surfers made a beeline to the beach north of Dunedin yesterday as a large swell from a tropical cyclone made for perfect waves.

Anticipation has been building for about a week while surfers waited for the swell to arrive.

South Coast Boardriders Association president Duan Reardon said he was one of those surfers making the most of the conditions.

''Everyone is pretty excited about the swell up the coast. It's the first cyclone we've had of the season so it's created a bit of a buzz.''

Generally, there were three or four swells of this type a year, Mr Reardon said.