Epic Adventure
A long weekend on Northland coast. Five surf sessions, great coaching and beaches Canterbury doesn't have.
Canterbury has great waves. Northland has a different kind of surfing altogether. Warmer water, multiple world class breaks within twenty minutes of each other, and three full days with nothing to think about except improving. This tour is run in partnership with Aotearoa Surf at their Mangawhai base and it’s open to anyone 14 and over. Teenagers, international students, visitors to New Zealand, parents and kids heading away together. You fly into Auckland and from the moment you step on the Surf Bus, the whole weekend is taken care of.
Everything is sorted from the moment you step on the Surf Bus to the moment you get home.
This is not a day lesson. It’s a proper weekend away with surfing at the centre of everything. You arrive Friday afternoon, surf twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday and head home Sunday evening with more waves under your belt than most people get in a month.
The itinerary is built around the conditions. Each morning the coaches check the forecast and take the group to wherever the waves are best. That might be Te Arai, Langs Beach, Forestry or Mangawhai itself. Beginners get into waves quickly and build real confidence across the weekend. Surfers with some experience push their technique with coaching focused on exactly what they need to work on next.
The video analysis sessions are something most surfers never get access to. Coaches film you in the water and sit down with you to go through the footage together. You see exactly what’s happening and exactly what to fix. The improvement from a single session of this is significant.
Between surf sessions there is paddleboarding and kayaking on the estuary, sandboarding, beach volleyball and good company around camp. The welcome dinner on Friday night is when the group comes together. By the time you paddle out Saturday morning you already know everyone.
Fly from Christchurch to Auckland and jump straight on the Surf Bus. It’s that simple. The tour transport picks up directly from Auckland Domestic Airport so there’s no mucking around in the city.
Getting to camp – pickup times:
Getting home – drop-off times:
When booking flights, allow plenty of time on both ends. If you want to talk through the logistics before booking, call us on 03 366 4757 or get in touch via our contact page and we’ll help you sort it out.
The tour is based at the Aotearoa Surf camp at Mangawhai, right on the Northland coast.
Mangawhai is 80 minutes north of Auckland and feels like a completely different world. That’s the whole point of going.
All surf equipment is provided. You are welcome to bring your own board or wetsuit if you have one.
The tour is run in partnership with Aotearoa Surf, operating since 2002. Their experience with international students, youth groups and first time surfers means everyone is well looked after from arrival to drop off.
Not at all. A good number of people on every tour have never surfed before and they have a brilliant time. Beginners and more experienced surfers are grouped separately so everyone works at the right level from the first session.
Not even slightly. Solo bookings are common and the welcome dinner on Friday night is specifically designed to bring everyone together before the surfing starts. Most people who come alone leave with a group of people they’re already planning the next one with.
Yes and it’s genuinely popular with international students studying in Canterbury. All instruction is in English and the environment is welcoming regardless of background. Some of our coaches also speak Spanish, German, Dutch, French and Mandarin. Full RAMS documentation is available for any school or institution on request.
Absolutely. It’s popular bonding weekend for parents. You surf together, you’re grouped by ability rather than age, and it’s the kind of trip that tends to get talked about for a long time afterwards.
Yes. Accommodation is organised by gender and similar ages and friends can request to bunk together when booking.
Get in touch and we’ll add you to the waitlist. We may have a backup spot available or spots come available through changes, often in the weeks leading up to the tour.
The tour is run by Aotearoa Surf, one of New Zealand’s most established surf schools operating since 2002. Christchurch Surf Lessons works in partnership with Aotearoa Surf to make this available to Canterbury surfers and visitors, and our team handles all Canterbury bookings and travel questions from this end.
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