The first of a whole summer of weekly surfing evenings was hosted at Kaka Pt Surf Life Saving Club and supervised by the Esplanade Surf School of St Clair, Dunedin.
"It’s our first time here but we’ve been looking forward to it for a long time," sheep and green farmer Zita Young, who came all the way from Tapanui with some of her family, said.
About 30 farmers with family and employees could not wait to hit the waves for an hour or more before wading back to a hot shower and free barbecue with a sip of suds.
SFF was launched by Stephen Thomson in Gisborne in 2018 when he saw how pressure on the rural sector was harming farming at an alarming rate.
The free programme has been wildly popular and now operates at 28 beaches throughout New Zealand, including Kaka Point.
It has 16 sponsors nationally, and stays present online to keep the concept simple and fun.
Wetsuits and big boards are provided free, along with lessons and the barbecue supper.
One of Esplanade Surf School’s qualified instructors was Helena Sodergren, who said she arrived in New Zealand in 2005 from Sweden, where her father was a farmer.
"With surfing, you forget about everything else while you have fun challenging yourself in a whole new element," she said.
"Some farmers are quite busy with baleage at the moment.
"They work hard, long days, often alone in stressful conditions, so this brings them together to safely share something totally different in a fresh change of scenery, and feel totally refreshed afterward."
