Taranaki Wave Classic – The Event

1983 was the year that the Taranaki Wave Classic was born, in it’s first guise as the Sirocco Expression Session. Biggie Smithers, along with his board brand Sirocco, ran the first wave sailing contest in Taranaki. It was designed to maximise time on the water for all competitors – this format proved an instant success with 60-70 sailors participating.

By this time Carbon Art had moved into the region and was bringing the latest Maui windsurfing shapes and technology to Taranaki’s shores. In 1998 Carbon Art lifted the load off Biggie shoulders and continued with the event rebranded the Carbon Art Classic. This event continued until 2002 when the Carbon Art Classic was revamped and renamed to become the awesome Taranaki Wave Classic we know today.

New Zealand - Windsurfing Paradise!

LOCATIONS

Taranaki has 105 kilometres of world famous coast line. This spectacular coast line is followed by Surf Highway 45. Surf Highway 45 gives access to untold amounts of amazing windsurfing locations. The Taranaki Peninsular has 180 degrees of coast line allowing for amazing cross-off shore windsurfing in any conditions. World class port and starboard tack down the line wave sailing is on offer.

TWC Lite - 2020 Pandemic Edition

Hello out there to all you Wavesailors, Windsurfers, Surfers, SUPers, Foilers, Toilers, and Bunny-boilers, Wingers, Dingers, and Wack-tack-diddy-dackers; keeping the faith wherever you may be hunkered down in these times of Covid-19.

The Taranaki Windsurf Club crew know that you are keen as beans to get back to Taradise for the October 24-26 long weekend and enjoy some quality social distancing in the surf, a la TWC 2020. Rest assured, the surf has been pumping along the Taranaki coastline this autumn and winter, and it looks set to continue for the foreseeable future*.

However, as a result of the joyous year of disruption that 2020 has brought us, we feel we cannot in all reasonableness run the Taranaki Wave Classic in its usual format, especially the event social evenings. This year the TWC will be very much a casual gathering at the usual spots on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of October, with a few BBQ snarlers on the beach, weather permitting. No entry fee, no prizes, just quality waves and wind, and hopefully Auckland is out of Lockdown II! And of course, we plan for TWC 2021 next year to be back with a bang and with the regular format.

We will keep you all updated as we get closer to the time, and hopefully see you at the beach.

*It should be noted the author has no background in weather forecasting, and therefore this broad, ambitious statement should be taken with a grain of salt…