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The following is an excerpt from the travelogue of Sanuk surf teamrider, Torrey Meister.

I was really looking forward to traveling and checking out New Zealand. This year, there was a 6-star WQS event in Gisborne, so I knew there were no excuses not to go. My Mom and step dad also have a place in New Zealand and they always rant and rave about how beautiful it is with fun uncrowded surf. I was really excited to go down there with them and get the New Zealand experience.

The first part of the trip was a bummer. I showed up to Auckland, NZ with no boards or bags. We ended up staying the night in there waiting for the bags but they did not show. The airline “promised” us that the bags would be transported to the house we were staying at in Gisborne (a good 6 hour drive from Auckland) the next day.

With the contest starting in just two days and the promise we were given, we decided to start our long journey down to Gisborne hoping the bags would show up. Unfortunately, they didn’t they didn’t show up at all while we were in Gisborne. I had to borrow a board and a wetsuit from a local New Zealand guy so I could surf my heat. I ended up losing and we left Gisborne the next day on our way up to Bay of Islands, which is where my mom and step dad have a house. It’s an 10 hour drive to the Bay of Islands from Gisborne and we had to pick up my luggage in Auckland on the way. We spent all day and night in the car arriving to the house in the wee hours of the morning.

This is where the trip got good… I had a week to spend with them before I headed up to Western Australia for another surf contest and we took full advantage of the time we had. Surfing fun beach breaks every morning with no one around watching the sunrise and set everyday on the beach, I remember just being in awe of how beautiful this place was. We went on hikes in rainforest that had more different shades of green then I thought possible and we also hiked to a big waterfall and the best part about it was there wasn’t a soul around

We checked out a few historical sites where there were Maori canoes that were 70 years old. They were carved with all kinds of faces, animals, and symbols painted with reds and blacks. The Maoris reminded me a lot of the Hawaiians so I guess I felt right at home in New Zealand.

The last day the waves got really good which was just an exclamation point on how much fun we had in the Bay of Islands!

Smile…pass it on!

Sanuk’s Donavon Frankenreiter is at it again…

Donny has just released “Revisited”, a complete reinterpretation of his 2004 self-titled debut. Don’t sleep on this one because this aint just a re-recording. Oh no bruddah-  the mustachioed maestro has some big time aloha spirit that gets conveyed through a myriad of hawaiian melodies and new sounds.

According to his Facebook, Donavon “felt inspired to pour his newfound love for the Hawaiian sound and laid back island vibe into a creative medium”. On the record you’ll find your body swaying to some traditional Hawaiian instruments.  Ukuleles, lap steel and slack key guitars give a “completely new sound to favorites like ‘It Don’t Matter’ and ‘Free’. So, grab yourself a big ol’ mixplate, an ice cold island lager and throw couple shakas because summer has a new soundtrack.

To buy and download “Revisited in its entirety click here