In June of this year the Vans NZ Team got together in Auckland city and headed off on a short roadtrip through the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and back to Auckland to session Mountain Dew’s Skate Pinball. Haimona Ngata went along with Mike Bancroft, Adam Wharekawa, Nico Gottschalk, team manager John Parmeter and photographer Jake Darwen to document the trip. The exploits of their travels can also be seen in the Trouting Around article in the September 2011 issue of Manual magazine, #43.

Filmed and edited by Haimona Ngata
Music: Young Blood by The Naked and Famous
myspace.com/​thenakedandfamous

Pre-order your copy of Manual #43 here.

Jason Parkes, Andrew Morrison, Justin Keeley and Nico Gottschalk skating the new Mangawhai Heads pool.

Chris Curren, sweeping in Waipukurau while Nico looks on.

It’s been a while. Friday Photo rears it’s head again.

Tha Peaks have got a revolution in episode 2.

Hamilton July 2010 from Irrom Dist on Vimeo.

One fun looking day trip from the Irrom posse.

Seeing this made my day. Dipset, Dipset, Dipset what? Ow.

For your viewing pleasure, part 6 of Tha Peaks

Your weakly installment from Tha Peaks. Check it.

Nico, Hampson and friends made it out of the pimpalicous apartment in the c-tay to film another installment.

Some doodling at Owairaka, and a little re-edit of the Upland Road edit I posted earlier today. There’s also this that Nick Sansom sent me ages ago but I never posted because I’m a dick.

Jason Parkes has done a well needed revamp of the Upland Road bowl in Remuera. Here’s a clip courtesy of the Irrom boys featuring Parkes, T-Wat, Keith, Nico and others. It looks amazing!

The D’enry is back with Vol 5 of the Gale Force saga. Best episode yet??

Another tip to help you top up your skatie tech from the sporadic world of WWDTI.

1. Learn kickflips and backide 180s beforehand
2. Set up like you’re gonna do a kicky but twist your shoulders like a bs180 before you pop
3. Pop and flick your front foot

4. If everything is going to plan, you should be turning and the board flipping underneath you
5. If you’re crazy and skating stairs, then you gotta pull the last bit round once your back foot has caught it. If you’re skating flatground, be cheap and pivot
6. Roll away and keep twisting your arms so much that even Marc Johnson cringes

Words by Real Talk, Photo by David Read.

Nico just popped in with this video from Puke Bay… to accompany the Pukerua Bay article in the latest Manual.

Better late than never, TTT with Nico Gottschalk.

Talk Turkey Tuesdays

How old are you?
20

Where do you live?
Wellys

Who makes it possible?
The crew, especially the ones with cars. DVS and ALC help out as well

Who is up and coming?
O’Rourke

Who are your favourite Ol’ Top Dogs?
The filthy ones, Duane Peters, Andy Roy. Is Drehobl old yet? He’s legit

What can you not live without?
The vital stuff

When you’re not skating you are?
Losing at the TAB

Frontside 180 ollie, Hastings. Photo: David Read

What are your favourite five albums?
1. Ghostface Killah – Ironman
2. Bob Dylan – Desire
3. The Beatles – The White album
4. Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
5. GZA – Liquid Swords

What are your favourite five video parts?
1. Jerry Hsu in bag of suck
2. Gino and Keenan in Mouse
3. Guy Mariano in Mouse
4. Cardiel in Sight Unseen
5. Mind Blank in My Head

What are your favourite five books?
At the moment its something like The outsider by Albert Camus, Hells Angels by Hunter S. Thompson was good too, Old Man and the Sea by Hemmingway is nice in a tame way. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I know Rum Diaries is gonna make it in this list, just started

Who do you look up to?
O’Rourke

What are your bad habits?
Ciggies, breaking boards, the nightlife and working for the man

What’s the worst thing about skateboarding in NZ?
The winter

What’s the best thing about skateboarding in NZ?
Wellington in the summer is legit. Good crew

Top photo: Frontside hurricane, Waipukurau. Photo: David Read