For Tim O'Connor, of Mt Maunganui, life has been a beach.
O'Connor, the top-ranked North Island competitor, won the South Island championships at St Clair over the weekend.
The 21 year-old quantity surveying student at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic has a love of the beach and a surfing ability that may yet see him qualify for such world tour events.
"That's a goal I have at the moment," he said.
O'Connor ventured south to spend time with his girlfriend's family in Ashburton for the holidays, and decided the Dunedin event was added opportunity for further competition, before focusing on winter training.
He recently finished third in the six-event national series at Gisborne, Dunedin, Whangamata, Mt Maunganui and Raglan.
The series included the Super 16 at Raglan earlier this month where by his own admission he had a "shocker".
He had set himself up to win the national title, but found he could not do a thing right in the series decider.
"I just couldn't get into the zone. I had my chances but didn't take them. My surfing was fine; it was just the choices I made and I didn't really get the waves.
"Now I know what it takes to win, and I'll be better for it next year."
O'Connor was introduced to the beach early in life. His father, Kevin, has always been a keen surfer, and his mother, Seal, also loves the beach.
Impressive results in the Gisborne and Raglan stages of the national series have encouraged O'Connor to look at surfing on the world stage.
He makes no secret of a desire to enter world qualifying events in Europe and Australia once his studies are behind him.
