drooling to ride things we know we'll miss this
trip. All the more reason for another trip. I'd do
it all again just to ride what we have so far, and
we're only halfway through the trip. Lee has
been showing us an insane time; he has driven
us the equivalent of Seattle to San Diego and
back, stopping every hour at another bowl or
ramp or crazy Martian lunar pad landing. Lee
has nothing. He finds a shirt every once in a
while, shoes on only when skating vert.
Otherwise, it's just him. Lee and the world. A
simple life, one I have come very much to
admire. Day 8 we arise, go for breakfast; chick-
en sammies are standard fuel for trip. Skate
through town to Shaffer's Park again. The con-
crete mini vert was insertion molded so the sur-
face is glass-smooth and perfect. That evening
we go to an indoor vert/street rec center. Sick
sessions. We went to the museum, absorbed
the native carvings and customs. Amazed at
the creatures found on this island. The Maori
people are truly successors of their culture.
Able to hold on to their heritage. They sur-
vived through the mayhem and have never
been conquered. Hopefully we have learned
to respect the ancestry and spiritual views of
the roaming island people. Truly nomads. Hit
the road and leave your "baggage" behind.
A bathroom wall in America might have gang
scrawlings and phone numbers. In New
Zealand I found this:
"THE OLD RELIGIONS PEOPLE HAVE LIVED
FOREVER HAVE DECAYED OR ARE IRRELE-
VANT; OUR PROBLEM IS SECULARISM. WE
HAVE REPLACED OUR SPIRITUAL VALUES
AND WISDOM WITH MATERIALISM.
FOLLOW YOUR FEELINGS AND INTUITION
AND REAL DESIRES NOT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH DUTY, OBLIGATION, GUILT, OR THE
DESIRE TO PLEASE OTHERS."
-Munk
THRASHER
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT. MARTY HUBBARD ON
TOP OF THE WORLD. DOWN FOR LIFE. KIRBY
FLOATS ONE OVER THE HIP AT WANGANUI. GROUND
TRUCKS MAKE GREAT FRIENDS. JULIEN STRANGER
STANDS UP AT LYNFIELD. PARTIAL OVERVIEW OF
THE CONCRETE AT BIRKENHEAD. AY.
THE HITS:
1. LYNFIELD-Peanut pool. Long snake into small bowl.
2. NEW LYNN-Crazy kidney dish. Snake fullpipe into bowl.
3. WAIHI-Bathtub with twinkie into 8 ft bowl, pool coping.
4. WHANGAMATA-Snake run. Mini ramp.
5. TAURANGA -Vert ramp.
6. MT. MANGANUI -Street skate park.
7. MORRINSVILLE-Wide open 8 ft round bowl w/ steel coping, 2 little hips.
8. BIRKENHEAD-Concrete double hip minis, street bumps, and qp's.
9. BROWNS BAY-Concrete 8 ft vert ramp/mini bowl connected.
10. ALLENBY -Snake dish run, wave wall.
11. HAMILTON-Perfect 10 ft round bowl, 8 ft tranny 2 ft vert grindable edge.
12. JOHNSONVILLE/ONSLOW BOWL-Gnarly 13 ft deep pool, death coping.
13. PORIRUA -Metal 6 ft ramp, snake, banks, cracks.
14. PUKERUA-Blacktop snake dish flounder pan.
15. PARAPARAMU-Street rollerbanks/hip bumps mini, vert, slider bars.
16. JEDI RAMP -Mini, 2 extensions.
17. LEVIN -Metal mini tight fun.
18. PLYMOTHTON-Mellow snake skate track.
19. MELROSE PARK-8 ft vert ramp with mini cross ramp.
20. KARORI -Mini mini with curb on top.
21. WELLINGTON CITY -Shaffer's Park concrete casted
8 ft mini to vert, street obstacles.
22. WANGANUI-Half bowl, 2 hips out, one-round, one edged,
steel coping/banks.
23. GREY LYNN -Wood 5 ft mini in park setting.
24. ONEHUNGA -Vert ramp, small lake, we're out.
78 THRASHER
79