The Home of Armstrong Tour

Aotearoa (New Zealand) is a pretty special spot on the map; plenty o’ wind, incredible point breaks, towering mountain peaks and singularly beautiful highland lakes. It also happens to be the birthplace of Armstrong Foils and home to the company’s founder and product visionary, Armie Armstrong. So when four Armstrong team riders – Oskar Johansson, Austin Tovey, Jeremy Wilmotte and Noah Flegel – joined Armie and the Armstrong crew for a tour of the country’s ins and outs, the carte blanche itinerary could only be a foil-fest. Here, we get the lowdown on four highlight sessions as seen through the eyes of those who were there… (and we highly encourage you to watch the journey recap on YouTube in its eye-popping, drool-inducing cinematographic rendition.)

Photos: Georgia Schofield

Raglan Bar: Oskar Johansson

I’ve seen photos of Raglan in surf magazines ever since I was a grom, its corduroy swell lines stacked to the horizon with a seemingly endless left hand point break in the foreground. Being shown around this magical spot by Armie and the Armstrong family with their deep local knowledge was such a dream come true. This was also the first time my fellow Aussie Armstrong teammate Jeremy Wilmotte and I got to meet our Armstrong teamrider counterparts and all-around legends, Noah Flegel and Austin Tovey. For years, I have watched the strapped foiling madness these two pull off, so I was psyched to see it firsthand and learn as much as I could.

Our first few Raglan sessions were a bit up and down, plagued with onshore winds and plenty of rain. Of course, we still spent most of those days in the water. With patience, the weather turned around and we were gifted a properly clean Raglan day with light offshore winds and clear blue skies, just the kind of thing I’ve been mindsurfing in magazines all these years! We headed out first light to the bar with three skis to hunt down some fast-peeling perfection. Straps on his board, Austin sent some of the biggest airs I’ve ever seen, including some monster back flips out into the flats. Absolutely mental. Jeremy was gouging every pocket as hard as he could, flowing from one turn to the next in absolute power surfing mode. Everyone was so hyped from this session and only went in to refuel the skis and get some food. Without a doubt, this was one of the most memorable sessions of my life.

“The surf was pumping non-stop and the waves would ramp up on the inside section which made it easy to get lots of speed while prepping to blast off the lip into the closeouts.”

Raglan Shorebreak: Austin Tovey

Halfway through our shred-fest of a team trip, we found ourselves enjoying some much-appreciated recovery time in Raglan. After convincing Noah and Oskar to join me in some MIS (myofacial integrated stretching) yoga and a few rounds of sauna, it was time to get in the water. Just like any other day on this trip, we knew the sunset session would be on! We dropped the skis in the water and headed north to check out the sandbar when we spotted the fast and dumpy inside shorebreak with just enough water depth to (probably) ride out of tricks. The surf was pumping non-stop and the waves would ramp up on the inside section which made it easy to get lots of speed while prepping to blast off the lip into the closeouts. I was fired up to see our content crew Slater and Georgia putting themselves right in the impact zone to nail the shot! Noah was our tow driver for the session and surprisingly managed to get the ski on the inside in hardly knee-deep water where I could hop back on to get a lift back out through the shore wompers. This pickup technique maximized my wave count, big time! Jeremy laid down some gorgeous turns and I was stoked to see Oskar and Aidan strap up and charge those chunky ramps. Definitely one of the best foil sessions of my life. Couldn’t have done it without Armie and the whole local Armstrong crew who had us dialed from start to finish!

Taranaki: Jeremy Wilmotte

Located on the southwest corner of New Zealand’s North Island, the small town of Taranaki is named after the perfectly cone-shaped stratovolcano that looms over it, Mount Taranaki. Apart from the cold temperatures this time of year, Taranaki is a wind enthusiast’s paradise. In my opinion, we got our best winging and towing waves of the trip here on the area’s long, soft pointbreak waves and enough wind to make just walking a challenge. Amid the epic wing and tow foil party, we got ourselves into a pretty funny experience. I noticed the tow team on the outer reef sitting next to our jet ski. In a case of excellently timed bad luck, our driver (let’s call him 007) had sucked up the tow rope and to be honest I initially found it hard to imagine a positive outcome, with big sharp rocks and a pounding break nearby. From shore, Armie watched his ski drift unpowered as the crew kept miraculously dodging outer reef sets. In a bid to get off the firing range, our shamed captain 007 was standing atop the ski, XPS wing in hand, while I lay on my board on top of the sled. This gave us wind power to move the ski and steering ability from the foil in back. We followed the coastline northwards a few kilometers towards a beach where we could get the ski out of the water safely. Once in the shorebreak, we aimed for 007 to jump off with the wing and grab my board as I ditched it so I could steer the ski in from the sled. Sure enough, it all went to plan until a wave broke and ripped the board out of his hands and torpedoed it towards me… right, wetsuit soiled. The adventure wrapped up in the pitch black with us managing to get the truck and trailer stuck in the soft sand. All in a day’s work!

Queenstown: Noah Flegel

Queenstown is one of those places on Earth that feels like a huge playground. Almost like Disneyland, but shaped by nature instead of a corporation, and built for thrill seekers instead of tourists. So many fun things to do, and never enough time to do them all! There are seemingly endless mountain bike trails, zip lines, extreme jet boating, racetracks, go carts, skydiving and many other adventure-filled activities to enjoy, but my favorite part about Queenstown is its massive lake filled with pristine, crystal-clear water. One of our close Armstrong friends, Rod, is a Queenstown local and an absolute legend. He was kind enough to host the whole team at his compound and let us use his Nautique G25 wake boat to wakefoil behind! With my longtime background in the wake world, it was extra special for me to get to ride behind my favorite boat in one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The morning of this session, we were greeted by sheet glass conditions with no wind and stunning, snow-capped mountains in the background: the perfect conditions for an epic wake foil session with some of my favorite humans and fellow team riders! Austin Tovey and I grew up foiling the boat together all the time, so it was particularly special to get to share a session with him so far from home. Unfortunately, my back was in some pain due to a wipeout a few days prior, but I fought through and had a blast regardless. All in all, we had an amazing time in Queenstown and I’ll be dreaming of the next session there until the next time we head that way.