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ENLARGE PHOTOS........Click on the 1964 songs (Juke Box) then click here...

i think they've got a flatty!! Couple of the first Auckland transplants that we knew...Bruce Ryan and Brian Barnes.....Brian & Ann.. & Bruce hit Waipu Cove summer of '64 (or close to it)...& never went back to Auckland...Brian still lives at the Cove..& Bruce married a Whangarei girl..

Peter Nerothere (Dont know if i have the sir-name right) and Brian Barnse holding up dick robinsons new board..check the roof racks on Peters car...Barnseys leans on his mini...we all had minis then!!! great little cars..

Bruce Ryan from greenlane in Auckland..Waipu Cove..summer of '64 A young looking Bruce...probably about 16 yrs old..luved by everyone was our Brucey

and yes it was a flatty!! Somewhere between the Cove and Waipu...Brian barnes and Bruce Ryan takin it easy....very little traffic then...note those classic old boards!!

notice the cool old chevy on the right...awesome cars! I mean...this is a weekday in Whangarei (a rural town...not a city yet) in '64...you could just about have a picnic in the middle of the road...couldn't you!!....i remember most NZ country towns were a bit like this in '64

and in '64...the Whangarei streets were witnessing a new craze...skateboarding!!! Mike Cooney skateboarding at the 'Kings house' in Keyte st Whangarei....arrow points to Where Colin Hannah lived with his grandma....guess what nearly 50 yrs later..he still lives there!!...we got our first skateboard in '63...but '64 it all took off!!

In the US they were doing moves like this in '64

& so were we..Colin Hannah doin' as good as those yank kids..... tell you what ..he's jumping pretty high, and if you stacked it ...man, you really hurt yourself...and bare feet too!! but hey!!...what the heck..gettin bashed up was all part of the fun!!!!

Kings house....Mike practising those hard turns The house with the VW became Geoff and Sandra Smiths home for a time...so the Kings house became quite a little hive of activity in this neighbourhood!....this was probably starting to happen in little pockets all over NZ in '64...

Brian King showing us how its done We only had small skateboards in those days...nice steep little path...we used to get a heap of speed up!!!

and so Trevor King has a go too.... only difference being...that this is nearly 50 years later.....same driveway...with sister Pat looking ...whom, i am told jumped on the skateboard herself.....silly old people!! Ha!!

and some times, we came a cropper!! Mike Cooney about to bite the dust...havin' fun in the summer of '64.....awesome!!

im'e glad im'e not the only one who came a cropper......... The great mystro himself......Tui.......waving to everyone as he's about to hit the dirt (...or concrete )....ah ..those were the days!!!

latest form of skaters head protection!!! Trouble is we couldn't see where we were going...Ha!!.......gotta be one of the King boys or Colin Hannah!!

and speaking of speed!!!! Here's Billy Prichard doin about 20ks an hour down Hospital hill in Whangarei...could get some speed up on that hill!!

and here's Billy...flying down the hill...doin a 'hang 5' the plaster on his arm was probably from last weeks skating..Ha!!

"so......big deal Billy...just check this out"..... ten toes over the nose....very impressive..."but hey Tui...Billy was in bare feet" na na na na na!!...ha!

and a 'quasimoto'...Billy Prichard..ever the larrakin stylist!!! Im'e pretty sure thats Auckland boy Brian Barnes in the white jumper and looks like Colin Hannah in the consul!!...maybe!!..........Billy ..flying down Hospital hill in the summer of '64...............

and we tried to walk up and down those little skateboards!! Mike attempting a little walk...at the Kings house ...summer of '64!!...awesome fun!!!

another old bloke having a go...Ross Edge..Maunu Rd... When we weren't surfing..we were all skateboarding!!....

the 'Hobie' skateboard was the classic skateboard of the early 60s... if you had one of those and some 'sneakers'...then you were very cool indeed!!!!!...

and some were 'full on' into making their own boards...... and even blowing their own blanks in a concrete mould....Ross Edge Whangarei summer of '64.......wanna see the blank!!!

well....let me just lift up this concrete lid.......... shouldn't be to hard.........

holy c..p this things heavy......... quick!!....can you see the blank...hurry up!!..can you see it!.......ha!!

Phil Cooney Maunu Road..all concentration.... summer of '64...fun days!!....

Billy with 5 over......

Bro Phil (Cooney)with his new board..Waipu Xmas of '64.The Malibu revolution was in full swing by'64 ....everyone was getting new(& often their first)boards!..also i remember Phil coming up to me & saying"man,you need to hear this guy called 'Johny Mathis'..he's an amazing singer..Ha!...do you remember those sort of moments!!!..

The colourful Billy Prichard...summer of '64 Billy showing off his brand new board!!

Ross Edge …Waipu…summer of '64 the old straw hats became the rage in the early 60s

anyone recognise this photo taken in '64 (out of a magazine) The Boomerang tearooms at Waipu was always a favourite stop for us on the way to the Cove...always got a pie there...ha!!...fun days!!......you probably had your favorite shop too!!...

and sometimes our new boards got wrecked pretty quick too!!!!...... who tied those boards on!!!!...on the way to Langs Bch in the old mans cool chevy...Ian Milne...Wayne Hutton..Brick Taylor...Mike Cooney praying..Phil Cooney the photographer...such fun times!!

and there were the cars...Barry Chappells first woodie (car)!! is there anything you notice about the car that was peculiar to that era.....yes ...we all had 250ft radio airiels..and suction cup roof racks!..ha!.....Barry...a former Hamilton boy...

and im'e sure that Billy Player had one of these cars This photo was taken in '64 at Waipu...and as soon as i saw the 600ft airiel..i thought...that must be Billys car...Ha!..mudflaps..long airiels..and venetian blinds on the back windows was all the rage then...Ha!!

the mighty Morris 1100.....ha!!

mines longer than yours....na na na na na!! Bill Durhams morris at Ahipara summer of '67

and a new breed of surfer was also in the making!!...guess who...in this photo!! Athletic champion and beach boy-surfer.....Ted Meridith!!!.....second from right!!.....mr nice guy ....Ted M..school intermediate athletic champion......Whangarei Northland...

Ted proving a point...winning the 100yd dash...notice it was still ft and yards then...ha!

and there were some very talented people around NZ joining the surfing ranks then......... Michael Cleverly...another one of the growing ranks of 'The new breed"

and who's this............... he was regarded as one of the Whangarei surf crowd by default!!!....no ...its not James Dean!......answer!!...a couple of photos further on.....ha!!..

and the school senior boys swimming champion.....Doug Ferguson..(2nd from left) Now.....how would you like to meet this bloke down a back alley somewhere...ha!!....big barrel chested Doug......another one of the Northland talented surfing tribe...awesome!!

nice guy Doug...looking an awful lot like Jim Carney here!! Doug showing his style on a nice Bayleys wave 1970's....another one of our hot local rippers!!!

and there was Tony Kivell and Derek Brott..... Havin fun and learning to do some surf stuff at Ocean Bch Northland 1964

and here's the mystery man..(he may have surfed only once or twice)...none other than.......... but had a real surfy lookin bro with brown skin & blonde hair...yes..its..Greg Alachs bro 'Max' or 'Junior' as we used to call him...lookin like a 'hodad'.ha!...the 'fringe' surfer became common place mid '60s..called 'westies'or'gremmies' in Sydney in'64

and of course......they had a supa-star sister........ Mary Alach! Mary was quite a supa-star..every magazine you picked up, Mary was in there somewhere..a real nice girl..but then...they were all nice..weren't they!!...im'e doin a grease here..ha!

January '64 and we get our first look at Pataua...awesome!! the banks were just so good in those early days...sometimes on high tide we would get a perfect peak!!.......just a 30 minute drive from Whangarei....

and here's Mike on that perfect high tide peak...Jan '64 was also a great little left used to run off it too at high tide as well!!

and here's my bro...Phil Cooney cutting back on a beautiful 1964 Pataua wave only just a few of us there...just our 2 carloads ...no one else.......probably the same around much of NZ at that time....heaps of places still hadn't even been surfed (or found) yet!!

Mike Cooney & Tui Wordley on that nice little high tide peak...Pataua summer of '64 Tui had the Hawaiian flowery boardshorts thing happening by then!...it also amazes me that we could catch a wave so easily then...i mean Tui's already walking & the wave is no where near breaking yet!!.

Johnny Bruce 'JB' perfectly slotted on a beautiful winters Pataua high tide peak! Johnny was surfing great during this period!!........

Brett Knight and Mike Cooney...Pataua winter of '64 playing around on a little Pataua shorebreak,,,water about 15 degrees...notice Bretts football jersey...no wetsuits then ....just t-shirts or footy jerseys..brrrrrrrr !...

Johnny Bruce doing the crouch thing on a little winters Pataua high tide peak!.. Johnny was wearing one of those diving vests with the flap.......just so uncomfortable for surfing!!

Phil Cooney gliding along a nice little Pataua peeler ...summer of '64

Beautiful Autumn day at Langs Bch (Bream Bay Northland)...1964 Mike Cooney and Brett Knights minis...Brick Taylor asleep on the beach....Brick was great guy...cheeky as they come!!!.......and here's a question for you..."why did heaps of surfers have mini's......dirt cheap to run of course...why else!!!...Ha!!..

We often went over to Langs from '64 on and always had it to ourselves.... Beautiful Langs......photo taken..summer of '64....it was always noticable that small groundswells began to regularly push in from Xmas on...on the Northland east coast...

Beautiful summers day at Langs Bch..summer of '64 Pretty sure thats Terry Hutton in the white shirt...Bill Prichard standing up...Mike Cooney (middle) looking towards the camera!!.......hot days...warm water and prevailing offshore winds...a real paradise!!

Johnny Bruce and girlfriend Jane.....and Mike Cooney..Langs Bch Lunch time on a warm Autumn day...after a fun surf!..1964

Brett Knight surfing Waipu Cove...summer of '64 this was typical of Bretts style..right arm in the air!!!!....but trimming nicely!.....we pretty well knew everyone that surfed locally in '64...i guess it was the same most everywhere in NZ then!!!..

Winters day at Waipu Cove 1964...place looks empty dosen't it! Anne Worsfield ...Waipu school dental nurse....spending a day in the waves ...awesome!.....the girls were a little slow getting on board with this new craze...but around '64 that all began to change!!

also tried a bit of water photography...Phil Cooney....Pataua '64

and Mike Cooney ...Ruakaka...summer of '64 Just a box brownie camera....well, we had a go ..Ha!

Unknown..........Uretiti...summer of '64 Photo from one of the King boys ...who cant remember who she was ....just as well its not 2033...they wouldn't be able to remember what she 's doing....Ha!.....just joking boys!!!

the Kings neighbour...Mr Jones built this body board in '64.. Trev dragged it out of his garage in 2012 and took this photo of it ....made the whole thing himself in '63-64..even blew his own blank...amazing....Trev just put the sticker on it recently!!

Anne Worsfield...Waipu Cove '64 Anne was the local dental nurse (murder house) at Waipu school...which was pretty handy to the Cove....hence Anne was a Cove regular!!

Liz Worsfield also a dental nurse at Waipu... Man these girls had it all sewn up.....lived at Waipu ..handy to the Cove Rd..'murder little kids during the day...then go for a surf...great life! (i went to Waipu school and we called it 'The Murder House'...ha!)...im'e sure they were lovely nurses tho!

Liz looking very stylish on a nice little Waipu wave 1964

and while we're on girls...19yr old Cindy Webb at Raglan! Whangamata girl enjoyed good success in surfing....and couldn't resist a smile for Tui and his camera!

My brother Phil took this photo of (probably) Brett Knight and myself.....but not sure where!!! 1964 Thought it might be Moureeses...or maybe Ocean Bch...got any ideas?........anyway it's somewhere on the Northland east coast and shows one of those typical clean morning summer groundswells...light seabreeze usually came in around late morning....

But here's Moureeses Bay....which was another great find around now....1964 Northlands east coast beach 'Moureeses Bay' was quite a trek around a windey metal road......but man was it worth it...no-one for miles...awesome!!

On the (metal) road...on the way to Langs...Summer of '64 Brother Phil driving the old mans cool chevy..we carried our boards all the way from Ruakaka to Langs & back like this..no roof rack..imagine doing that today..Ha!!..Mike Cooney (left)..Bill Prichard (right.head out window) & Brick Taylor (passenger seat)

Mike Cooney..Pataua ...winter of '64 and we thought we were so deep inside the barrel...Ha!!......beautiful high tide wave at Pataua!!

Phil Cooney Pataua...winter of '64 We all very quickly started to get these neoprene vests for winter when they became available around '64-'65

International Surfer 1964 edition...which i still have!!! This American surfing magazine was difficult to come-by in the early years in NZ....but even when we got it...the whole american surf scene still seemed a little distant from us (in those early years)....we still felt like the new kids on the block!!

Paine Bros....downtown Whangarei 1964 Do you remember these days!!!....classic days!!

in fact this is what that area looked like in '64 downtown Whangarei 1964 ...Cameron street on the right..Plaza theatre (where we went to the 'flics'...Ha!!).. snooker rooms and bus depot at the bottom...

Downtown sleepy old Whangarei 1964.... even a guy on a pushbike in the middle of the road....guarantee he wasnt wearing a helmet then....no such law in '64.......in fact there was no seatbelts, and we would always pile at least 6 in a car...3 across the front seat...remember!!

Classic surf art that we were reading in '64 Aussie mags and surf stuff was getting into NZ around '64

Classic innocent surf comedy We thought this stuff was awesome in '64....we now had our own identity!!...

I remember seeing this classic 1963 shot of Crescent Heads by Ron Perrot.....and thinking... Man Australia looks like an exciting place.....and June '64 i was there...hiking down the Aussie east coast....i was 16....man times have changed!!!! .....actually Roddy Finlayson & Kit Steer became our first (Northland) Aussie travelling pioneers!!

and here's 'Prod' Rod (Finlayson) and the boys...... in their Hawaiian 'Hale' thatched shelter at Waipu.....no permits then!!!..Ha!.....imagine the crap you would have to go thru these days to build that!

in '64 we heard about a point break a couple of beaches around from Langs.. ..there is a private beach (big headland) just around from Langs and one day when i was working there it looked just like this photo of Murdering Bay (South Island)....had it to myself for 2 days like this....on a big swell definitely worth checking out..

and this is the spot ...2 beaches around from Langs Bch...Andersons Cove needs to be a big north-east swell....solid 8ft and it just pumps...200m rides......and no crowds...problem is, that it is very hard to get to...a supa long walk...boat or know someone who lives there!!!!!

Dave Whalen ...Pareparea 'The Farm'....summer of '64 fairly solid swell running this day....

Rod the Prod (finlayson)...doing that starry move again... Pareparea...'The farm' ..summer of '64

Phil ..Baz..& Yuils...having fun at Whananaki...spring of '64 A good solid swell that day too!!

Phil's turn..... Man, we had such fun in those days.......

well this is Tony Kivell i am told and Mal Egginton somewhere...with John Wards car..not really sure if you know who they are let me know!!....

this unfortunately is not far from the truth for some....Ha!!! Well....if we make to that old....we've got no complaints have we....what a great life we've had...Babyboomers rock!!!!!!!!

When we hit Noosa for the first time in '64.... there would often be no-one out...1 guy this day!!!...

anyone remember when these trays came out around 1964.... i remember looking at this picture on this tray and thinking..."oh..that dosen't look to hard to ride"..."i could ride that"!!!....Ha!!

Mike Cooney on a Pataua left....was such a cool time!!!...summer of '64

anybody remember what Beatles songs came out in '64... 'Can't buy me love'...'its been a hard days night'...amonst others of course...

man that bank used to line up beautifully in those days too....Pataua..Autumn of '64

Chris Frazerhurst...Tui..and JB (John Bruce)....Ahipara summer of '64 you would have hardly seen a person there in '64...in fact the local maori's loved us!!!..i remember the Yates family(on the hill) giving us a feed every night..was awesome!!...

and there were no leg ropes then....you lost your board..you swam all the way to shore...remember!!.

Wooleys Bay 1964...looking very tranquil....peaceful...

on the way around though Parua Bay...can just see the Parua Bay pub... 1964

and there it is....was still to young to drop into the pub yet...like most everyone!!!... was still 21 drinking age...we'ed have to get Tui to buy it for us...Ha!!

Kamo....maybe early 60s....

Onerahi Airport terminal...1964 you can see the NAC trolleys on the right.....

Port road cricket pitch with the glassworks on the right...summer of '64

Glassworks and Okara Park ...all new development...1964

glassworks in '64

and remember the brand new tugs the Harbor-board got for the refinery...1964..

The Andresen's Motel...which a few of you may be familiar with... I guess Elaine's parents owned this...or have i got it wrong!!!...anyway Elaine Andresen could surf pretty good i knew that!!!..

Dicky Robinson ripping it up...summer of '64.. even the crappy days like this at Waipu were still a lot of fun...

16 yr old Mike Cooney with dinner for the surf club... Man...Wayne Hutton and i were smoking 20 fags a day before i turned 15....sheeeesh!!...

end of '64-65 it was all starting to happen with the new Waipu Surf club building... The Treasurer was Mrs C Hanna...was that Colin's Granny?...Tui ..vice club captain, patrol captain Chris Frazerhurst...

anybody remember McBreen and Jenkins?... i do remember my brother rolled one of Somners big D8 bulldozers once...it rolled all the way down the hill....sheeeesh..he was lucky he didn't get killed!!!....

Ian and Robin Hills mum and dad with Don and Ross Edge...Waipu..summer of '64 not exactly a very enticing day at Waipu this day...however...we really didn't care then...was just awesome just to be at the beach...Ruakaka was often like this and we just loved it anyway!!..

Maunu road...Ross's place and we have 3 ding repairs on the go.... even see a board there with 5 stringers...very nice!!!

635 pounds for a 2 yr old Anglia...what a bargain!!... and a '58 Plymouth for 885 pounds....about $1700....sweet!!

The home of the Dept of Inland Revenue...1964 about to employ one real dodgy character who says he's sick when the surf was good....Ha!!

Dicky Robinson and friend ..Waipu Cove 1964 Dick would have been about 17 now and was doing a carpentry apprenticeship with Jack Guy builders...hence the mini and the new board!!

This photo of Greg Noll (Da Bull) at Pipeline...was our biggest inspiration in '64 Greg Noll was also the last surfer to talk to Miki Dora as Miki lay dying of cancer in a hospital...'"love you man" Greg said to Mikey "love you too man" said Mikey to Greg....died shortly after...beautiful!!!

and as i mentioned earlier...the 1964 surfer magazine comes out ... 75cents... and we were all going for the old woodies (bottom left)....was the classic surf wagon of the early 60s...

who would have thought that 30years later those old woodies would be worth $145,000....sheeeesh!!!

Bayly's 1964....toheroa's

Bob Atherton and Neville Masters...having a classic time at Shippies 1964

Dicky robinson with Phil and Mike Cooney....Moureccess ...1964

The innocent days of 1964.....Waipu Cove......beauuuuutiful...

Sue Lane gets her first surfboard in the summer of '64

Onerahi Airport 1964

Onerahi Airport 64...picture of latest Çomet 4B on the wall...

taken outside Plaza theatre 1964 check the classic metal tyre cover on the Consul....

Kit Steer and ol'classic Cove surfers truck...

Duke Kahanamoku Wordley...1964...Waipu

glass works...'64

Don Edge....the saprano....:)

Mike King...buddy from wayback

Dad King....best dad

Colin Jones made his own board....lived next to the kings

heres trouble...King bros

Elizebeth Worsfold and Brian Barnes....Waipu 1964

elizebeth ...waipu Cove

Elizebeth...nice trim

Elizebeth in her hawaiian gear......

Elizebeth ...Waipu Cove again

Raglan ...'64 Doug Hislop and the crew.......and those classic old cars

Warren Patterson in white trunks.....looks like Greg Alach (middle)...Waipu Cove ...think thats Brian Barnes behind Greg

Claire Sanky, Ainsley Knight, Elaine Andresson, and Leslie Ward.....waipu