Patrick Bowen

Hi, my name is Patrick. I will be 16 years old by the time I get to Huntington Beach. I will be the third oldest aside from the instructors. I live in Auckland but I have spent all my summers at Tairua Beach on the Coromandel since I was two years old. I live with my dad Greg, my mum Helen and my brother Cameron. Cameron came on the last Tairua exchange to Huntington Beach in 2005. So did my cousin Tai, who lives in Taiura. I had a great time with the Huntington guards (Alex, Trevor and Ryan) when they came to stay in Tairua. I’m into rock climbing, swimming, diving and surfi ng. I play soccer during the winter. I fi rst got into surf lifesaving to learn about surf and beach safety and to do fun things with my friends over the summer. I became a lifeugard in 2006 and enjoy being part of the beach education programme that Taiura Surf Lifesaving Club runs over the summer. Last year I coached the Development Squad and this year I coached the Nippers who are the youngest junior lifeguards. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know some Californians and learning about your culture. I’m most excited about swimming and jumping off the pier, going to the theme parks and seeing all the cool beaches. I’m really looking forward to coming to another country, as this trip will be the furthest I have ever been from New Zealand.

Edward Burgess

Hi my name is Ed. I’m 17 years old. I live with my mum Helen, my dad Russell and my 18 year old sister Stephanie. I live in Mt. Albert, Auckland and I’ve just fi nished year 12 at school. I’m going to study a Certifi cate of Applied Technology - Carpentry at Unitec in 2008. I enjoy all types of sports, keeping fi t and being outdoors. My interests and hobbies are music, cars, fi shing and movies. I started surf lifesaving 5 years ago. I really enjoy the challenge and the community of the club. I learn new skills through surf and it keeps me focused and fi t all year round. I am looking forward to seeing how a big organisation like the Huntington Beach Junior Guards works and to meet new people and make new friendships

Gia Garrick

Hi, my name is Gia. I’m 14 years old and I have lived in Tairua for 3 years now. I live with my mum, dad, brother, sister and dog. I love surfi ng. I’ve been surfi ng for 2 years now and I am just starting to enter competitions. I also enjoy playing touch rugby and soccer when I’m not in the water. I also like to fi sh, swim and go waterskiiing/skurfi ng behind my dad’s boat. Academically I do quite well, as I won distinction awards in physical education and social studies. I go to Tames High School and took Te Reo Maori (the native New Zealand language) this year. I am taking art and drama on through the next couple of years as well. In the future I hope to take my surfing further and /or to be a journalist. I have been involved with surf lifesaving since I was 9 years old and I have just recieved my surf lifegard award.

Sam Tate

Hi, I’m Sam. I’m 17 years old and I’m the youngest child in my family. I live in Taupo, in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. At high school I enjoy Graphics, Physical Education and Technology. I play for the local football club and also for the Taupo Youth Cricket Club. When it comes to surf lifesaving, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I like training in the IRBs when I’m not watching the water on ‘deck’ or swimming in the surf. I enjoy meeting new people who are directly and indirectly involved with surf lifesaving. I am looking forward to seeing how big the beach is and how many people can fit on it at once! I’m also looking forward to going to the theme parks

Hugh Springford

Hi, I’m Hugh! I will be 17 years old at the time of the Huntington exchange. I live in Auckland with my Dad, Mum and two little brothers (who are twins). I am involved in Surf Lifesaving New Zealand for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it is a good way for me to contribute to the community, and secondly, it keeps me fi t! At school my focus is mainly academic, with me only participating in the school fencing club sports-wise. Chemistry and English are my favourite subjects. My hobbies basically revolve around music. I play bass guitar in a heavy metal punk band, and used to play for two hard rock bands. I love heavy metal and hardcore punk. Socially, in Auckland, I go to a lot of local concerts and am rather excited about the prospect of going to some shows in HB. I am also keen to meet some new people, make some new friends and generally have a good time.

Jonathan Sowry

Hi, I’m Jonathan, but most people call me Jono. I am 15 years old but I turn 16 on the day that our plane lands back in New Zealand. I live in Mt. Albert, Auckland with my dad Paul, mum Lee, older brother Andrew and sister Emma. My hobbies include surfi ng, water polo, hanging out with friends and surf lifesaving. In 2008 I will be in the 5th form at Westlake Boys High School. I also play water polo for Westlake. Some of my favourite foods are pizza, lasagne and spaghetti bolognaise. Bananas are my favourite fruit. I’ve been a member of Tairua Surf Lifesaving Club for around 5 years. I started out in the nipper programme and I am now a qualifi ed lifeguard since January 2007. There are many things I like about surf lifesaving in Tairua. Some of these are the rock jump trainings after patrol, night swims, learning to drive the quad bike and the great people we get to have fun with. I see the Huntington trip as an adventure and I am looking forward to catching some waves either on a board or swimming.

Digby Powell

Hi, my name is Digby, but my friends just call me Digs or Diggers. I am 13 years old and I turn 14 on the 20th of July (the day we land back in New Zealand). I have a great family. My parents are David and Kirsty and I have two brothers, Garth who is 15 and Leonard who is 11. I live in Auckland. My hobbies include anything in the water, making things, motorbikes, mountain biking and friends. I like giving everything a go. I go to St. Kentigern College and enjoy all subjects. I have been in the Taiura Surf Lifesaving Club programme since I was 7 years old and I love being shown the ropes and learning all about lifesaving. This summer in New Zealand I am going to try to learn surfi ng. I can’t wait to come to Huntington Beach and see the high level of discipline that I have heard about and see the legendary beach. Until then I will keep up the training!

Ben Nicholson

Hey, my name is Ben. I’m 15 years of age and my birthday is the 12th of July ( I have my 16th in America). I love sports, I play squash, soccer, waterpolo, compete in snowskiing and triathalon events, and of course, am a lifeguard at Taiura Surf Lifesaving Club. I like most types of food but my favourites include pasta, mexican food (although I hear it’s different over there), rice dishes and I like trying new things as well. I come from a small town in the central North Island called Tokoroa. I went to school there until High School when I transferred to a boarding school in a city about an hour north of Tokoroa called Hamilton. It’s alright boarding there but the food is really bad. My family has a bach in Tairua. We spend the whole summer there getting a mean tan and doing surf lifesaving. I’m fundraising and starting to train really hard for this trip. I’m looking forward to a great time and some hard work!

Mathew Kerr

Hi, I’m Mathew (Matty) Kerr and I am 16 years old. I am in my fourth year at Westlake Boys High School. I live at home in Auckland with my Mum (Jane) and Dad (Scott). I like most sports. I have played water polo for four years, I play for my school, club and I am presently a member of the New Zealand Under 16 training squad. I really enjoy surfi ng in my spare time, and have recently joined our High School Surf Academy. We have a holiday house at Tairua Beach and I have been a member of the Tairua Surf Life Saving Club for eight years. Surf Life Saving plays an important part of my life, and I really enjoy the challenges in working my way through the qualifi cations needed to be a life guard on our beach. In Summer 2008, I was fortunate to be contracted as a paid Life guard on Tairua Beach, where I worked for four weeks. I was a member of the Tairua Team that came to Huntington Beach in 2005 (the youngest member!), we had the best time, and came home with lots of new skills to pass onto our other club members. This year, I travel with the team as one of two coaches, and I can not wait to travel to Huntington Beach and share with my other team members the great experiences that I had in 2005 with the HBJG. See ya in July!

Alisha King

Hi, I’m Alisha I’m from New Zealand this is my second exchange with Huntington Beach. Im a swimmer, play Netball, water polo, surf, body surf and am a paid lifeguard for the Bay Of Plenty and have been for the past three years. I’ve got one year of college (high school) left and I’ve got no idea what I want to do...the way I see it is I’ve got the rest of my life to do what I want, so live life to the full! I live,eat, breathe and sleep for the beach. Summer is my favorite time of the year and I end up migrating all over the country side between Tairua and my home town of Mount Maunganui. I am involved with two lifeguard services. I am a member of Tairua Surf Rescue as Junior club Captain (3 years), a junior surf instructor (4 seasons), as a lifeguard (4 seasons), and have been in the programme for about 7 years. I’m also with the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard service where I instruct and compete. In my down time, which isn’t all too often, I spend alot of time with my sister, Shamay, and I like to listen to music, shop, and have a good time.

Erin Ridler

Hi, it’s me, Erin. Many of you already know me as I was a member of the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards as well as lifeguarding for the City of Huntington Beach. I am excited to return “home” for a visit with a team of great kids from my new home in New Zealand. While my membership with the Tairua Surf Lifesaving Club has just begun, I know that there will be many summers of surf, sun and patrolling to come. I still love the beach and I’m still taking pictures which makes a great combination for this exchange. Along with Sean and the rest of the team, we are all looking forward to the wonderful hospitality of our Huntington Beach friends. I would also like to note that I am especially glad to be returning to California for proper mexican food.

Sean Ridler

Hi, my name is Sean Ridler and I am one of the managers of the Tairua Surf Life Saving team to Huntington Beach this year. This will be my 8th visit to Huntington Beach and the 2nd with a team of young junior guards from Tairua. I have been a Surf Lifeguard in New Zealand for 12 years, I am a qualifi ed Advanced Guard, IRB Driver, RWC (Jet Ski) Driver, Lifeguard Instructor & Examiner, Ambulance Offi cer, and completed 8 years as a paid Regional Guard at Tairua. I am currently involved with patrolling at Tairua, a member of the Northern Lifeguard Support Team (LST) which operates RWC’s at Auckland’s most dangerous west coast beaches and crews the Rescue Helicopter. I am married to Erin who is my fellow team manager and offi cial team photographer! In my leisure time I enjoy wakeboarding, fi shing, surfi ng, free diving, and anything else in the ocean! I am very excited to be able to bring another group of junior guards to visit the awesome HB programme, and I can’t wait to catch up with some great friends.