Otago's biggest mountain and best surf break were among the locations for the ultimate snow and surf trip around New Zealand by four adventure-seekers, which ended this week.
Wanaka-based snowboarder Maria Kuzma was joined by North Cantabrians Angus Kebbell and Tom Dunbar, and Lyttelton ski personality Alex Herbert as the group spent a five-day road trip visiting some of New Zealand's best-known surf and snow destinations.
The group managed to ski a different summit and surf a different break each day, during an ultimate road trip last week.
On day four of their trip, Kuzma, Herbert, Kebbell, and Dunbar surfed Dunedin's St Clair beach then drove through to Wanaka to ski and snowboard under lights on fresh powder at Snow Park NZ on the Pisa Range, last Friday.
They finished their trip with a morning helicopter flight to Mt Aspiring to ski and snowboard the 3033m peak, before they travelled into the eye of the snowstorm which struck Southland during the weekend.
The mission ended at Colac Bay, near Invercargill, where they surfed the beach break in howling Southwesterly gales, falling snow, and amid a hailstorm.
During the various stopovers on the trip from Cape Reinga to Bluff, the foursome travelled by campervan, helicopter, ferry and plane.
Stormy weather throughout the trip meant a few changes to the original schedule, with the Taranaki coastline bypassed because of a heavy-rain warning, after the first day surf venture to Northland and ski Mt Ruapehu went as planned.
Surf stops at Kaikoura and Hickory Bay, Banks Peninsula, were followed by skifield trips to Mt Olympus and Mt Lyford, before the group arrived in Otago.
Tour leader Angus Kebbell said the group encountered some tough conditions during the trip.
"We have big plans for our next surf to summit mission. Eventually we completed this world-first mission and we made the best of the conditions thrown at us."
The group's feat - to travel the length of a country surfing and skiing every day - has never been done before, he said.
