Some people in this world just make you smile simply because of the way they approach life. Tony Moore, or T-Man as he is known to just about every mountain bike rider in New Zealand, is one of those.
That's him pictured above twisting his impressively cultivated moustache the way any character with such a facial feature would. He's growing it for Movember – to support men's health, but it also proved useful when he renewed his driver's license – for the next ten years it will sport the image of a ginger werewolf. Tony laughs outrageously as he shows me his license. His unbridled energy is infectious and it has made him a celebrity in the mountain biking world. A family man in his 40s, T-Man has made Queenstown his home and it suits him perfectly.
When he hears that Box of Light is planning to spend more time in the mountains his eyes light up and he begins rattling off a string of characters with intriguing stories to tell. T-Man is good like that. He connects people.
Some nice groundswell at the start of the week to keep the banks busy around Dunedin. Nice to see Blackhead Beach back in shape, even if the local wildlife is exceptionally curious this time of year – I spent one session with a sea lion looping around my fins right on dusk.
Our Queenstown sessions ended with a trip with our friends Paul and Katherine Mitchell, of Heli Tours, as they ferried volunteers up onto Ben Lomond for a day of wilding pine eradication. We couldn't believe how prolific these wild pines were, so it was nice to see Paul and Katherine and a lot of local support going into controlling their spread. Big respect for all involved there.
Little pulse of north swell over the next few days and then a kick of south swell at the end of the week.
See you out there ...
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