Oakura surfer Bachelor Tipene has made a victorious return to the Bayleys Real Estate Aotearoa Maori Titles winning the Open Men’s Division in emphatic style this weekend. Tipene was joined by Waitara surfer Zhana Hutchieson who claimed her third straight title in the Open Women’s Division helping Te Atiawa claim the Iwi of Origin.
In a mammoth day of action it was decided to push through the entire event in one day with the final hooter sounding well after the sun had set into the Tasman Sea. The surf pumped all day with a solid 1.0m swell and light sea breezes.
Tipene competes nationally only on occasions and has not attended the Maori Titles for close to a decade until his appearance this weekend.
Tipene posted a 15.70 point heat total in the final after a near perfect 8.93 point ride on his first wave that pushed him out into the lead and eventually the win.
Tipene admitted to not having surfed much recently but the naturally talented surfer showed no signs of rust as he powered through a stacked field of surfers first posting an 18.2 point heat total in Round 1 before a more modest but still impressive 13.93 points in the semifinals.
Number one seed and New Zealand representative Levi Stewart (Waihi Beach) finished second in the final unable to match Tipene, finishing with a 14.5 point heat total.
Chris Malone (Rag) finished third in the final on a 14.2 point heat total as the top placed goofy-foot surfer ahead of dark horse Danny Kaweroa (Tara) in fourth.
Zhana Hutchieson made it three in a row winning the Open Women’s Division. Facing defeat to eventual runner-up Brie Bennett (Rag), Hutchieson posted a 5.93 on her last scoring ride to jump to the lead and take the win with a minute to spare. She exited the water to a powerful haka from her Te Atiawa team mates.
Hutchieson returned from her current base on the Gold Coast of Australia to defend her title in front of her friends and family. While she won the Open Women’s over Bennett, it was the young Raglan surfer that again got one over Hutchieson in the Under 18 Girls Division to defend her title with Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) finishing in third place in both divisions.
Dunedin’s Natasha Civil placed fourth in the final, being one of several surfers that made the trip north from the South Island.
Local surfers claimed a further three titles throughout the day with Sonny Rapira – Martin taking a well-deserved win in the Under 18 Boys Division.
It was Rapira – Martin’s powerful forehand surfing in the pumping waves that gained him his first win at a national level. He was joined by Jamie Andrews who won the Stand Up Paddleboard Division and Dwaine Mataa who won the Over 35 Men’s Division.
Mount Maunganui surfer Darren Kiwi won the talent-laden Over 45 Men’s Division that included Maioha Kelly (Rag), Jason Matthews (Tara) and Pipi Ngaia (Tara). Kiwi looked extremely sharp in the finals surfing with exceptional speed and flare to finish with a 15.1 point heat total.
Raglan’s Kora Cooper was the only surfer to claim two titles at the event finishing first in the Under 16 and 14 Boys Divisions as well as finishing runner-up to Rapira – Martin in the Under 18 Boys Division. The young Raglan surfer departs for the World Junior Championships on Tuesday full of confidence and plenty of event practice over the last two weeks.
Visiting Australian surfer Matt Dawson used a well-timed vacation back to his homeland to take a win in the Longboard Division and immerse himself in the unique culture of the Maori Titles for the first time.
For a third straight year, the prestigious Bayleys Real Estate Aotearoa Maori Titles was staged along the striking Taranaki coastline crowning eleven champions.
Please see below for full results from the 2018 Bayleys Real Estate Aotearoa Maori Titles held at Stent Road, Taranaki yesterday (Saturday 20th October).
Open Men’s Division Round 1
Heat 1
Danny Kaweroa (Tara), 13.2, 1, Dwaine Mataa (Tara), 12.8, 2, Maioha Kelly (Rag), 7.27, 3, Alan Te Moananui (Kaik), 7.16, 4
Heat 2
Bachelor Tipene (Tara), 18.2, 1, Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 13.4, 2, Eli MacDonald (Tara), 12.1, 3, Duane Reardon (Dun), 5.67, 4
Heat 3
Chris Malone (Gis), 14.4, 1, Sonny Rapira – Martin (Tara), 11.4, 2, Conan James (Tara), 6.67, 3, Jared Lewis (Tara), 2.5, 4
Heat 4
Richard Dowsett (Whangarei), 9.63, 1, Alex Casey (Westport), 8.6, 2, Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 6.44, 3, Craig Snook (Wgtn), , 0
Open Men’s Semifinals
Heat 1
Bachelor Tipene (Tara), 13.9, 1, Danny Kaweroa (Tara), 11.2, 2, Sonny Rapira – Martin (Tara), 7.73, 3, Alex Casey (Westport), 7.47, 4
Heat 2
Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 14.8, 1, Chris Malone (Gis), 14.3, 2, Richard Dowsett (Whangarei), 12.7, 3, Dwaine Mataa (Tara), 7.77, 4
Open Men’s Final
Bachelor Tipene (Tara), 15.7, 1, Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 14.5, 2, Chris Malone (Gis), 14.2, 3, Danny Kaweroa (Tara), 12.8, 4
Open Women’s Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Brie Bennett (Rag), 15.8, 1, Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 10.8, 2, Thandi Tipene (Tara), 10.2, 3
Heat 2
Zhana Hutchieson (Tara), 12.5, 1, Tash Civil (Dun), 8.73, 2, Jaya Reardon (Tara), 1.07, 3
Open Women’s Division Final
Zhana Hutchieson (Tara), 12.6, 1, Brie Bennett (Rag), 11.5, 2, Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 10.7, 3, Tash Civil (Dun), 8.17, 4
Under 18 Boys Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 12.7, 1, Sonny Rapira – Martin (Tara), 10.4, 2, Jack Luke (Tara), 9.3, 3, Nixon Reardon (Dun), 5.34, 4
Heat 2
Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 13.7, 1, Kora Cooper (Rag), 7.87, 2, Reuben Lyons (Kaik), 7.23, 3, Jarred Lewis (Tara), 0, 4
Under 18 Boys Division Final
Sonny Rapira – Martin (Tara), 14.4, 1, Kora Cooper (Rag), 13.9, 2, Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 13.5, 3, Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 10.2, 4
Under 16 Boys Division Round 1
Heat 1
Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 12, 1, Reuben Lyons (Kaik), 10, 2, Ryder Pennington (Tara), 9.44, 3, Jack Luke (Tara), 7.87, 4
Heat 2
Kora Cooper (Rag), 17.7, 1, Navryn Malone (Rag), 7.6, 2, Te Kauwhata Kauwhata (Sandy Bay), 5.9, 3, Kahea Blain (Tara), 3.44, 4
Heat 3
Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 9.56, 1, Ben Moir (Ohope), 9.37, 2, Kava Matthews (Tara), 8.6, 3, Nixon Reardon (Dun), 3.4, 4
Under 16 Boys Divsision Semifinals
Heat 1
Kora Cooper (Rag), 16, 1, Navryn Malone (Rag), 12, 2, Reuben Lyons (Kaik), 6.13, 3
Heat 2
Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 14, 1, Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 10.1, 2, Ben Moir (Ohope), 9.1, 3
Under 16 Boys Division Final
Kora Cooper (Rag), 12.9, 1
Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 12.5, 2
Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 9.23, 3
Navryn Malone (Rag), 8.24, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 13.5, 1, Ryder Pennington (Tara), 9.47, 2, Reuben Lyons (Kaik), 8.64, 3, Nixon Reardon (Dun), 6.47, 4
Heat 2
Kora Cooper (Rag), 14.6, 1, Te Kauwhata Kauwhata (Sandy Bay), 10.8, 2, Navryn Malone (Rag), 8.83, 3, Journey Lum (Whngrei), 4.17, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Final
Kora Cooper (Rag), 12.5, 1, Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 10.9, 2, Ryder Pennington (Tara), 10.5, 3, Te Kauwhata Kauwhata (Sandy Bay), 10.3, 4
Under 18 Girls Division Semifinal
Heat 2
Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 11.77, 1, Kahana Ngaia (Tara), 5.40, 2, Jaya Reardon (Dun), 5.30, 3
Under 18 Girls Division Final
Brie Bennett (Rag), 12.5, 1, Zhana Hutchieson (Tara), 11.76, 2, Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 5.96, 3, Kahana Ngaia (Tara), 3.8, 4
Over 35 Men’s Divison Semifinals
Heat 1
Chris Malone (Gis), 16, 1, Michael Lewis (Tara), 8.43, 2, Duane Reardon (Dun), 7.73, 3, Shaun Coffey (Tara), 7.5, 4
Heat 2
Dwaine Mataa (Tara), 12.6, 1, Danny Kaweroa (Tara), 10.2, 2, Alan Te Moananui (Kaik), 8.3, 3, Jason Ruddell (Whangarei), 0, 4
Over 35 Men’s Division Final
Dwaine Mataa (Tara), 14.4, 1, Chris Malone (Gis), 12.8, 2, Danny Kaweroa (Tara), 12.7, 3, Michael Lewis (Tara), 7.5, 4
Over 45 Men’s Division Final
Heat 1
Jason Matthews (Tara), 15.8, 1, Pipi Ngaia (Tara), 12.8, 2, Phil Willoughby (Rag), 10.8, 3
Heat 2
Darren Kiwi (Mnt), 14.5, 1, Maioha Kelly (Rag), 11.7, 2, Shaun Coffey (Tara), 7.33, 3
Over 45 Men’s Division Final
Darren Kiwi (Mnt), 15.1, 1, Maioha Kelly (Rag)10.9, 2, Pipi Ngaia (Tara), 9.3, 3, Jason Matthews (Tara), 8.5, 4
Longboard Division Final
Matt Rawson (NSW), 13.2, 1, Josephine Moore (Tara), 6.9, 2, Charles Te Kauwhata (Whangarei), 4.77, 3
Stand Up Paddleboard Final
Jamie Andrews (Tara), 13.4, 1, Alan Te Moananui (Kaik), 12.2, 2, Matt Rawson (NSW), 7.17, 3
Amateur Division
Jordie Luke (Tara), 12.33, 1, Amanda Gouldsbury (Tara), 9.9, 2, Bumble, 9.1, 3, Lochie Hewson-Baldwin (Tara), 2.4, 4, Caleb Casey (Westport), 0, 5
Information
For more information on the 2018 Bayleys Aotearoa Maori Surfing Titles, please contact Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Partners
The 2018 Bayleys Real Estate Aotearoa Maori Surfing Titles would not be possible without support from hosts Waitara Bar Boardriders Club, Bayleys Real Estate, Beach Street Surf Shop, Water Safety New Zealand, Surfing Taranaki and Surfing New Zealand.
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