Feb. 24, Cape Turnagain

Feb. 23, 2009
Cape Turnagain

Those lads who wrote the NZ Surf Guide are not fools. Surfers are eminently protective of their breaks; this is why throughout the Guide they'll list "Spot X: Ask a Friendly Local". I've been using the Surf Guide and the Lonely Planet guidebook exclusively on this trip (I have the Rough Guide, but haven't opened it.)

There are 2 ways to use Lonely Planet: follow its directions to the backpacker "highway" (it's a lot more than a "trail" in super-touristy NZ), OR...use it in the inverse, ie, go anywhere BUT where the LP Guide recommends. This way you miss 90% of the crowds.

So, when I saw Cape Turnagain in the atlas -- a beautiful SE-facing bay that juts out enough to catch alot of swell -- I noticed that it (and 2 points south) were oddly left out of the guidebook....but in such a way that if you didn't look at a map, you'd assume the coverage of this area was continuous.

SNEAKY. this place has Real Waves. Serious waves. As hollow as Wainui, but faster. These are expert-level waves (not in terms of danger, but in terms of being able to tube-ride). I really wish I had a proper thruster.

Did I mention the exceptional, world-class beauty of this beach? Cape Turnagain has a dominating c.3,000 ft. mesa that recalls the mesa at Pta. San Carlos in Baja. tends to funnel winds sideshore. To the south there are huge sand hills and cliffs. The sand on this beach is this

soft, golden stuff. And there's a nice grassy flat with camping right above the break.
If you love wilderness beaches, NZ is the place for you.