Photography by Clementine Bourke, Lou Burton and Brydie Watson.
Captions by the author.
The year was 2018 when I was first invited to compete in The Single Fin Mingle, which I soon came to learn was not in fact a dating event for longboard enthusiasts, but actually the most fun surf contest in the world.
A heavy claim, but anyone who attends The Mingle — competitor or bystander — lives and breathes a mantra of all for fun, and fun for all.
Sumner, a small beach suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, is an unlikely location for a professional-calibre surf competition. The town’s main surf spots are along a one-kilometre stretch of generally average beachbreak. But over the last decade, thanks to Ambrose McNeill, the brainchild of The Single Fin Mingle, it has become an underground mecca for traditional-style longboarders.
Hand painted signs by artist-in-residence Bradley King add that extra touch of homegrown charm to The Mingle. Photo: Bourke
I tried to figure out how to get this car back to Australia with me — it practically fits in the longboard bag. Photo: Bourke
Australian Joe Hoffman hopped over the Tasman to partake in the Dance of the Decade. Photo: Bourke
Sumner locals take a break from dominating the lineup to enjoy The Mingle takeover. Photo: Bourke
Charlotte Lethbridge, Tash Civil, Megan McHale, and Natsumi Taoka debriefing after their round two heat. Photo: Bourke
Synchronized noserides by Kiwis Olie LeNoel and Jack Tyro inspire California’s Joe Kisling, on deck. Photo: Bourke
In 2015, competitive longboarding was in a weird place. People weren’t loving the oddly judged and inconsistent WSL contests, and there was a lot of exclusivity and ego coming from the ringmasters of some of the invite-only, privately-run comps. Ambrose wanted to give the tight-knit Aotearoa longboard family a professional-level competition of their own, and, in classic Kiwi fashion, made it inclusive — honoured Māori culture with a traditional mihi whakatau, offered men and women equal prizemoney, and gave it a clever moniker. Thus, The Single Fin Mingle was born.
From day one, The Mingle had its own flair, offering much more than just New Zealand’s best loggers wearing colourful singlets and making the absolute most of onshore, waist-high beachbreak. From the now-iconic graphic illustrations by artist-in-residence Bradley King, to jazzy tunes heard up and down Sumner’s esplanade, to oceanfront hot tubs full of defrosting competitors, to the op-shop-funky-formal dress code—and of course, the ultimate afterparties—The Single Fin Mingle proved that, when it comes to having a grand old time, longboarders do it best. After its first few years, The Mingle was the event of the season not only for the Kiwi longboard community, but for surfers from every corner of the earth.
Always smile! This thing is so international, French expat and Byron Bay local Laure Mayer. Photo: Bourke
Valentina Muga Ellacuria, Lucien Nabbs, Megan McHale, and Joe Furniss in a fine display of Mingle attire on finals day. Photo: Bourke
In 2020, I was graciously re-invited to The Single Fin Mingle, and as March rolled around, I dug into my vintage collection and scoured my local thrift stores, determined to earn the coveted title of Best Dressed, in addition to hopefully improving upon my previous third-place result.
I left two weeks ahead of the event to begin my adventure in Auckland, joining some Kiwi friends on a road trip down to the South Island. The latest social media marketing idea from the mastermind of The Mingle was for surfers to document their journeys to the surf event, inviting us to use the hashtag #TheRoadToTheMingle. Our first stop was the newest longboard event on the Aotearoa scene: the inaugural West End Wiggle.
Yours truly at the inaugural West End Wiggle in 2020, blissfully unaware of the impending plague. Photo: Lou Burton / @louloubphoto
Ōhope’s West End, much like Sumner, is a beachbreak, but as luck would have it, the waves were clean, waist-to-chest, and had enough of a wall to make for some noserides — which is all us loggers really need to enjoy a surf. Spirits were high after a great day of surfing and in anticipation of the upcoming Mingle.
As we gathered for prize-giving, everyone’s phones buzzed simultaneously, and a collective cry arose from the crowd. A mysterious virus was putting a pause on public events around the globe, and the 2020 Single Fin Mingle was its latest victim.
As we all now know, a surf contest being cancelled was going to be the least of our worries for a long time—in fact, only days later, I ended up losing my job, and returned to California with my tail between my legs. No Mingle, no job, no idea that the world was about to change drastically.
Fancy footwork is key to success at the Mingle, whether in a heat or on the dancefloor. Photo: Bourke
For a couple years following, especially with New Zealand’s very strict border rules during the pandemic, The Mingle returned to its original glory as a Kiwi-only event, keeping hope alive that it would again reach the international stage. I was thrilled to find an invitation from Ambrose to join in on The Dance of the Decade: the 10th edition of The Single Fin Mingle.
I was determined to reach the finish line this time, and re-outlined a very similar trip plan, packing up the logs and traveling with my partner, Ben Fleming, from Brisbane to the land of the long white cloud.
Breaking the fourth wall in the coffee queue with Ben Fleming and Margherita Visconti. Photo: Bourke
The quest to take back The Mingle was on. We landed in Auckland, picked up our campervan, and after about an hour of sitting in traffic, realized the engine light had come on. My heart sank. Surely, our road trip couldn’t end before we even got out of the city. After a few minutes of stop-and-go debating, we decided this would be a problem for another day and drove straight to Ōhope for the West End Wiggle, without breaking down.
The contest had grown since I’d attended its first year, with several international participants and three days of action. To my delight: a podium finish for this washed-up corporate sellout.
Kirra Molnar, Mason Schremmer, Natsumi Taoka, and Jasmin Howarth celebrate the end of their final with a well-executed party wave. Photo: Bourke
Hot off a West End Wiggle win, Sunshine Coast’s Mia Waite goes toes, and tongue over. Photo: Bourke
From the Bay of Plenty—and with that engine light still shining/us still ignoring it—we caravanned with Olie Le Noel, winner of the 2024 Wiggle and one of Aotearoa’s premier longboard shapers, and detoured inland to do typical New Zealand tourist stuff, including swimming in a volcanic crater lake, checking out some Lord of the Rings backdrops, and bringing my boyfriend to the snow for the first time.
But a day and a half away from surfing was enough, and before catching a 2am ferry from Wellington to Picton (hint: do not take the 2am ferry), we arrived in the country’s capital and decided to take a quick look at a spot I often check on the cam, only to see… Well, nothing. To our shock, we found some peaky corners, surfing as the sun went down, illuminated by incoming flights landing on the runway directly adjacent to the break.
Driftwood collecting, fin fiddling, and a lot of smiles, 200kms north of Christchurch. Photos: Watson
No stranger to righthand points, Australian Rach Fleming showing off backhand style. Photo: Watson
Feeling a bit crusty after the overnight ferry, we shot on down the South Island’s east coast, about halfway to Christchurch where we drove up on our next destination: a righthand point in a small tourist town known for fur seals, whale-watching, and crawfish. We couldn’t believe our sleepy little eyes watching the nonstop shoulder-high perfection unfolding mere steps off the highway. The curvature of the coastline, along with the coastal highway and parallel railroad tracks, bears a strong resemblance to my one-time-go-to-spot, California’s Rincon — that is, if there were sheep dotting massive green mountainsides capped in snow leading down to the water at the Queen.
We found a handful of fellow travellers on The Road to The Mingle, and traded wave after wave before re-heating by the side of a roaring driftwood fire, well-maintained by a pack of grommets also hailing from Queensland, who were enduring two weeks crammed in a motorhome like sardines. A million waves, two days, and one visit to the baby seal waterfall later (please, do yourself a favour and Google it), it was time to Mingle, heading south and ignoring the engine light. We’d done over 1000kms already; it was in the hands of the Kiwi birds at this point.
Shaper Jake Bevan finds a left in front of a ridiculously scenic backdrop. Photo: Watson
Who knew Middle Earth had such noserideable pointbreaks? Photo: Watson
In Christchurch, the vibe immediately felt different than my first visit six years ago — and not at all in a bad way. The 2018 Mingle was easily one of the most well-run surf competitions I’d ever been to, but the level of polish and professionalism in 2024 was more like a well-seasoned festival. Surfers poured in, rocking the funkiest formalwear you ever did see, excitedly checking heat sheets and sipping on the official Mingle Lager—a collaboration with the event’s beer sponsor, New Zealand’s very own Parrot Dog, adorned with this year’s unique logo. There was also an air of professionalism from the surfers themselves, including some notable figures known for their WSL surfing, as well as the modern era’s determinant of fame: heaps of surf footage on social media.
The weekend rolled on without a hitch. We enjoyed surf conditions beyond expectation, with clean waves, light offshore winds, sunshine, water temperatures hovering around 15 degrees C, and some world-class longboarding. Something about watching professional-level stylists show their wares in everyday waves is even more special than seeing a technically perfect performance at perfect Malibu or Noosa. The finals brought a roaring crowd; seemingly all of Christchurch had come out to join the fun.
In the end, it was Sumner local and hotshot up-and-coming junior Jack Tyro taking out the men’s, and Hawaiian-turned-Australian WSL tourer Mason Schremmer winning the women’s for her second time. I’d lost out in round one — but some might say I scored a few tens out on the after-party dancefloor.
No stranger to international affairs, Kiwi Olympic snowboarder Christy Prior shares a wave with young Californian Mia McMahon. Photo: Bourke
The Mingle Melee: an unserious game with high stakes. Surfers catch one large party wave and finish with a mad dash to the finish line. The prize? A brand new Jordan Griffin surfboard. Photo: Bourke
Name another surf contest with a live jazz ensemble performing during heats. Photo: Bourke
Even the local doggies get into The Mingle spirit, with this pooch gunning for Best Dressed. Photo: Bourke
We came, we surfed, we Mingled. The van made it back to the rental company safely, and we flew back to Australia with our cups full, voices hoarse, and social batteries in need of a recharge.
When I reflect on the trip, one of the very first minutes of The Single Fin Mingle continues to flash in my mind. At the welcoming ceremony, donning his tweed blazer, Ambrose opened the show with the recitation of his Mingle poem and upon its final note, The Dance of the Decade had begun:
Come old and come young,
come out to Sumner and have some fun,
we’ll slide and glide the weekend away
you’ll love it so much you might want to stay,
don’t worry if you’re not one to compete
just come along and watch a few heats
this contest you see, is a rather social affair
a bunch of surfers hanging out and drinking this beer.
New Zealand: come for the scenery; stay for the point breaks, friendly people, delicious pies, and of course, The Single Fin Mingle. Photo: Watson
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Cams and forecasts near here and around NZ: New Brighton | St Clair | Wainui | Mt Maunganui | Piha | Fitzroy