Q: How long have you lived in Oamaru; what do you like about living there?
I grew up in Kakanui, but I've been back here for 12 years with the business, back in Oamaru.
I opened up Soul, Surf & Skate on Thames St in 2003.
I like the geographical location, I like the beaches, the lakes, just the natural surroundings really.
District wide it's a pretty good area.
Q: Is there a strong skate or surf community in North Otago?
There is.
And it's always produced good surfers and skaters, but obviously it's not a huge community because it doesn't have the population.
But skateboarding, it's definitely produced some good skaters.
And surfing.
I don't know what it is, actually.
You know in the city where you'd have all that other influence, here they do it because they're passionate about it.
So, it's something that they love and they just go well with it.
Q: Would you name three top surf spots off the Waitaki coast? Is there anywhere to surf?
Yeah.
Pretty much from the (Oamaru) harbour right through there's a good 20km of coast where you can find surf in every nook and cranny really.
Like, nothing world class, but definitely, heaps of fun waves in between.
I surf every day.
We don't really have any secret spots, eh.
We're kind of lucky here, because we don't have all the crowds, so we're happy to share it.
Q: As a qualified surf instructor, could you comment on who is learning to surf? What are they doing right? What's best to avoid?
Lately, there's been heaps of tourists.
They're all on holiday, and they come through and want to grab a board and wetsuit off you.
Or they're staying for six months and they buy boards and wetties and hang out.
They're right into it. We've been doing quite a bit with school group ages as well.
For me, it's more just how stoked they are at the end of the day.
They might not have tried it, so they're a little bit daunted at the start.
But when they go out, they love it.
That's what I like, just the enjoyment they get from it.
What would I advise them not to do?
I don't know.
I wouldn't advise them not to do it.
I'd say 'Get a board and a wet suit and get out there'.
But, obviously, know your limits.
Be confident in your swimming and things like that.
Q: I heard you've been teaching girls to surf, too?
Leading up to Christmas we had girls' evenings; it was quite busy.
Actually, it is quite a big growth in the sport, the girls.
A lot of dudes would skip the surf lesson maybe, they'd buy a board and surf, you know.
Whereas the girls, I think they feel they want to go through the 'getting ready'.
But you do get a lot of women.
It's cool.
Q: If you had any New Year's hopes for the town, what would you like to see happen in Oamaru in 2016?
Mostly, I'd like to see the momentum that has been happening keep moving forward.
There's been heaps of exciting things here with new businesses and a bit of progress with the council.
There's been a bit of development of the harbour, the town's a bit more positive about things and getting behind the town now.
It used to be, kind of, 'off the radar Oamaru', but people are starting to believe in what actually is here and how valuable it is.
I think it's cool - there's a bit of a buzz around here at the moment.
