Are you planning on travelling south this winter? (If you're not, but know someone who is, make sure they know about this article!). If you are, you're probably starting to make your plans now if you haven't already – especially if you're heading deep south, like all the way to New Zealand. If so, then you're probably not planning on bringing your SUP kit since it's a helluva cost, to say nothing of the hassle. And if, like 90% of visitors to NZ, you're looking at getting yourself a campervan, it's not really practical anyway.

However, you will want to paddleboard if you’re coming to New Zealand. It has over 15000km of coastline, (that's 3000 more than the UK), largely due to an unbelievably twisty-turny coastline, with more creeks and harbours that you can shake a Shaka p'uu at. It's like south Devon on steroids. For cruising and exploring, it's absolute nirvana. And inland there are glacial lakes so blue they hurt your eyes, set in that Lord of the Rings scenery which just blows your mind. That picture on the cover of the Starboard brochure – that's New Zealand. As for the surfing, well – let's just say, it's really rather good. I mean, look at NZ on the map. There's a lot of big open ocean around it. We have some of the best point breaks in the world here. I've had rides of over a mile long on solid overhead lines that just reel off for ever.

As I said, you will want to paddleboard in New Zealand. Here's how you can do it...

We've been thinking a lot about this, as we regularly have friends coming over to visit, and they are initially disconsolate when they discover what it was going to cost to get their kit over. So we've set up a website www.paddleboard-hire.co.nz that lists all the places that offers paddleboard rentals in New Zealand, which is unfortunately, not very many at the moment – the sport is still in its early days here. So we've also set up a nationwide network of pick up and drop off points for Red Air Rentals. The Red Air paddleboards are so good, especially now they have the new pump (we've also gone one better and found a really good 12v compressor which does the job entirely effort-free from your car/campervan battery), that they really do offer the perfect solution for travelling around this amazing country. We've also sourced some excellent three piece paddles, so the whole lot can easily be stashed away in your campervan or hire car boot. All the info and booking form etc is on the paddleboard-hire.co.nz website. Pick the kit up at the start of your holiday, drop it off wherever you finish your tour, and don't miss out on any of the exceptional SUPping that NZ has to offer!

Also, if you are planning to come down, don't hesitate to drop us a line to ask about places, conditions, etc. We'll be very happy to help, and happy too to put you in touch with SUP experts/guides in all the best places, so you can find the secret spots, get the best dolphin experiences, whatever. Even hire a photographer to get some real amazing memories of your holiday.

For the Rugby Fans

Next year is world cup year. And if you’re into your rugby you’ll know only too well that the Kiwis take the sport quite seriously… (That’s intended to be ironic typical British understatement. The seriousness with which they take it actually has to be experienced to be believed. It starts on the school curriculum about 10 minutes after they’ve learned to walk…). So this is just going to be an absolutely fantastic world cup, as Kiwis like to party. And there’s plenty else to do here too. If you can get down here – do. Indeed, I might stick up a wee article here in the next month or so about the SUP scene around the areas where the English/Scottish/Irish/Welsh matches are going to be played, for anyone looking to fine tune their itinerary.

Happy paddling

Bill

NZ Paddle Company

One quick footnote: if you're looking for accommodation while you're out here, you need to know about 'baches'. These are an amazing Kiwi phenomenon – sort of second homes, often quite basic  but usually hugely full of character. Nearly every family seems to have one so there’s thousands and thousands of them, and they're pretty much all available for rent.  Thing is, unlike UK holiday cottages, they are usually incredibly well equipped.. They're basically family holiday homes, so everything you'll need is there. (Other than paddleboards, sadly! Most have kayaks and stuff like that though). And they're also extremely cheap. Waterfront holiday cottages, sleep six - fifty quid a night...  Can’t grumble at that! So if you’re planning an itinerary, check out websites like bookabach.com for accommodation in the areas you’re interested in.

Pix by Scott Sinton, Silas Hansen and Anna Dawes