:: Surf Highway 45

Surf Highway 45 skirts the coast of Mt Taranaki, a spectacular volcanic mountain and it's fertile ground for surfers.  Over the Easter Long Weekend we took the 5 hours drive south from Auckland and sampled bach living with ex-Manly wall-dweller Bridget Reedman and some new friends.  As our luck had it, the waves were pumping and the weather divine. Naming a highway "Surf Highway" sounds like a bit of a marketing pitch dreamed up by Tourism New Zealand.   I was pretty skeptical and expected a bit of a Gold Coast surf scene with holiday apartments and cheesy surf shops.  But Surf Highway is the real deal!  The quality and variety of waves is nothing short of remarkable and most breaks aren't sign posted so it's not walk in the park.  Surf heavy right hand reefs, reeling left hand points and just about everything in between in a single day.  I'm not going to give away any of the spots but I will say there are plenty.  We surfed an unnamed 300m left reef for 4 days with no one else on the busiest weekend of the year.  This is the real Surfer's Paradise.  This is Taradise!

Wilderness Motorhomes If you're wondering how we're getting around check out Wilderness Motorhomes.  We're styling in the Basejumper 2.  It's fully kitted out for un-plugged living and complete with a warm shower and drying room for wetsuits.  Takes the sting out of the coldest of surf sessions (not that we've experienced the cold yet!)!  Wilderness are doing a deal for Sprout Daily readers so if you're thinking about a New Zealand roady get online and check them out.