Chasing the local waves

PHOTOS: RAMBO ESTRADA

Mount Maunganui surf photographer Rambo Estrada has always been drawn to the back roads of Aotearoa. In this extract from An Aotearoa Road Trip Unbound: Volume 1 he talks to surfer and student Finn Vette while checking out Dunedin and the south coast's waves.

I’ve spent most of my life roaming this beautiful country, but I’ve dedicated the last few years to being on the road. Embracing freedom over comfort, I often call my Land Rover home, chasing waves and adventure.

I find inspiration in the typically overlooked aspects of rural Kiwi life. The rugged allure of our secluded coastlines, the quirky charm of small towns and the unique characters I encounter along the way. This is the essence of Aotearoa I love to document.

There’s a certain magic in the challenge of living on the road. The unpredictability, the freedom, the raw authenticity of this lifestyle make me feel truly alive. When I find myself at an isolated beach, down a deserted gravel road, and the elements align to create amazing waves. The swell, tide, wind and weather all combine to confirm that I am exactly where I’m meant to be at that precise moment in my journey. It’s a pure, unrivalled sense of fulfilment.

By nature, I am a solitary traveller, selfishly driven by my desire to squeeze the absolute maximum out of every day. But I love meeting up with friends on the road, both old and new. I enjoy swapping stories with the colourful characters of our local surf culture and learning about their connections to this land.

Admittedly, part of my motivation for creating this book was merely an excuse to justify and prolong this unconventional lifestyle I love so much. But more importantly, it’s a chance to share the images, stories and experiences I’ve collected on the road.

Finn Vette is from an epic Gisborne surfing family. Back in 2021, Finn won the U18 New Zealand title on the same day his sister, Saffi, took out the Open Women’s division. Finn has relocated to Dunedin to study and surf. I hung out with Finn for a few days on the South Coast ... We had this conversation over a couple beers at a pub that only sold Speight’s.

Rambo: What made you choose Otago University?

Finn: The whole reason I wanted to go to Dunedin was to get good waves. I didn’t even know what I wanted to study.

Rambo: Oh really? So you chose the location first and then just worked the study around it?

Finn: My father always said you need a back-up plan. You can’t just surf your whole life without anything behind you. So I was like ‘right, I’m going to uni and try to do something I enjoy’. But ultimately I wanted to surf, too. I’m doing psychology and sport management.

Rambo: That sounds pretty intense. Is it something you’ve always been interested in?

Finn: Nah. But I wanted to do something interesting, something I would enjoy. Understanding human thought, behaviour and how the mind operates is pretty cool. So I decided to do psychology. It is pretty full-on. I love sport, so the sport management ties it all together.

Rambo: What would be your dream occupation at the end of that?

Finn: I’d love to work with high performance athletes. A team manager role within surfing would be pretty nice.

Rambo: Had you been to Dunedin much before you decided to go study there?

Finn: I’d been once for Nationals. Then the year before I moved down I did a couple trips to get a feel for it. I ended up mostly partying on those trips, not much surfing going on. Ha ha!

Rambo: So you’ve fully embraced the social aspect of the student lifestyle?

Finn: Yeah, for sure. In my first year I was in University College, which is a hall with 500 students. It was epic fun meeting so many people from all around New Zealand, creating relationships with people that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise. In my second year, I moved into a classic scarfie flat in the infamous Castle St area, lived in an absolute dump with five other boys. It was freezing, it was cold as f... and rubbish everywhere, but just heaps of fun.

Rambo: How many rooms did it have?

Finn: Six rooms and only one bathroom. It was gross. The layout of the place was so bad, no sun came in. It was just a dark, mouldy pit. The first day we rocked up to the flat, walked in and the carpet had a stench of alcohol. We were just like, ‘what are we getting ourselves into?’ So I did that for a year, you’re living on a street with all your mates as next door neighbours. Constantly something on, something to do, and someone’s always keen to go on an adventure. This year, I’ve moved out to St Clair. I’m living in a nice three bedroom home now. A lot more surfing this year than last few years, ha ha!

Rambo: Did you know many people from Gisborne that were in Dunedin?

Finn: Yeah, I had a few mates already down here. And then a couple of mates came down with me as well. But not too many, probably five or so.

Rambo: You have that little handwritten Dunedin surf guide, right? It was handed down by Gizzy scarfies from years gone by?

Finn: Yeah, I’m not too sure how long it’s been going but it’s something that previous Gisborne surfers that have studied down here have written, a bit of a guide to the surf spots around here. Hannah Kohn gave it to me. And she got it from someone else, so it’s been at least two people before me.

Rambo: I looked through it and it’s actually pretty accurate. Have you found it useful?

Finn: Yeah, all the main breaks are pretty accurate. But there’s definitely a few mythical ones in there. There’s a few really good spots that it doesn’t mention, so maybe I’ll have to update it, ha.

Rambo: I reckon Gisborne is probably one of the most consistent zones in the North Island and Dunedin is definitely the most consistent zone in the South. Which one do you reckon gets good waves more regularly?

Finn: Dunedin. For sure. Hands down.

Rambo: Does that make it the most consistent zone in New Zealand then, surely?

Finn: Easy. There’s just so many options down here.

Rambo: I know a few surfers that have studied in Dunedin but have never left. They just like it so much. Do you think once you got out of the uni lifestyle, you could stay down there?

Finn: Yeah, I definitely could. I love it here, but I think for me, I’m pretty keen to get out of here once it’s all done and go explore some other places.

Rambo: How many more years have you got down there?

Finn: I’ll finish off next year. It’s only three papers, which is half a semester, but I’ve extended it out for another full year. Make it worthwhile. It’s so fun.

Rambo: Are you doing any work down there?

Finn: Yeah, I actually do my own surf coaching. Once a week I have six kids, they all surf pretty good and come every Monday. I video them and help out with technique and some comp stuff.

Rambo: It’s cool that you’re putting your skills and everything into practice while you’re still studying.

Finn: Yeah, exactly. I love it too. Watching kids develop and grow, it’s incredible work. It’s unreal.

Rambo: It must be quite a different experience going from Gisborne where you grew up and know absolutely everyone, to somewhere you don’t know many people in the water?

Finn: Yeah, most of the locals here don’t think of you as a person, they just think of you as another scarfie. Which I totally get. If I was from down here, you’d probably end up thinking the same. It’s so epic here and it must be annoying to have a fresh batch of frothing surfers moving to town every February. But that vibe is only really at the city beaches and there’s so much more to this zone. It’s all about risk v reward down here. If you’re prepared to put in a bit of time driving, you might just luck into the waves of your life with no-one around.