As the utter chaos of Christmas subsides and the sobering reality of life comes hurtling back  I hope you all had a killer break and found the few waves that were on offer!
Had a new grom recently so kept pretty local over the holidays managed a few shots a lot of water time and few bears , good times!

Epic to see John John take a well deserved title at a controversial pipe masters , all ways good to see it come down to pipe!

Looking forward to some decent swell in the next couple of days and looks like there will be plenty of options  to pick from , thou the north island is looking like the place to be!
So here is  the last of 2017 I hope it was a good one for you and 2018 is even better!
​
Later

Relaxing at the Batch

Chrissy lights

Rare gold

South

Lines sand water

Place to be

Lines

Cover

Before the chaos

​Later

You do not need me to tell you how good the weather has been lately , but im going to.
Fuck yes summer , fuck yes!
But as my pasty skin turns red and the masses flock to the beach , the surf has gone all but dormant . A couple of nice swells at the start of the month has been reduced to a mare dribble . 
But not to worry there looks to be some swell  early next week  , so get the chores done over this flat as fuck weekend and lock in a few after work sessions next week!

The jolly fat man shall arrive soon and with him will come the all out panic and chaos that is Christmas. Women work  meticulously hard to ensure Chrissy dinner lives up to expectations ,whilst men drink beer and tell tales of uncrowded barrels from long ago to children who just do not give a shit.
What ever you're Christmas plans are , i hope you manage to find some good waves and weather where ever they take you.

It has been a rad year here for me and id like to thank everyone who has supported me  in one way or another , it really means a lot !
I am really excited for the year a head and looking forward to developing new techniques to build on this plat form.

So have a safe and happy Chrissy break and ill see you out there!
​Later

​Inside outing

Blurred lines

Two French men and a Lighthouse

Leroy

Altitude

Fins free

Falls

light

Below

Energy

Later

Some solid swell  this month coupled with some favourable winds produced some of the best conditions we have seen for some time!
The swell kicked around for a few days and produced more barrels than a Jack Daniels factory
Managed a few landscape sessions , some family shoots and have got a 2018 calendar out ,all of which you can check out below !
 And that was October ...not bad eh.
Latter

Natty attack

Fleeting

2018 Calendar just spin me a message to order yours!

Power

Rainbow warrior

Sweep

Locals

Davy

Jimmy

Over the hill not far away

Box seat

Last light 

Shape


​Later.

Spring! Yes one step closer to summer!
The bleeting of lambs the blossoming of trees and of course the wind, the kind of wind that changes 5 times a day and makes picking a place to surf near impossible. A few swells through the month, thou nothing outstanding but certainly enough to keep us wet.
A bit of commercial shooting and a mission to Bluff and Queenstown rounded out my month nicely.
So heres september.

Canvas and Print available just message me or go to the "canvas and Print"
section to order!
Cheers
hayden.blacklabel66@gmail.com

Evening glow

Moke lake is a rad spot!

Styled shoot  for the epic Port Molyneux School wedding venue.
https://portmolyneuxschool.co.nz/

Screamer!

North Coast views

Reward

Loose lips

Free

Hollow be thy name

Kingston

Read

By night

Lead


Catch yas out there!
Cheers

The last month of what felt like a long cool winter came and went in  quite unremarkable fashion.
Unfavourable winds plagued this part of the coast and only offered the odd glimpse of what its truly capable of. The air temp seems to be improving but dont hang up the booties and winter steamer just yet!

Did the mission into  the epic Te Anau and Milford sound ,lady luck was not on my side with below average weather and a night in hospital ,you need a decent chunk of time to really  captrure what  this place has to offer , mountains ,waterfalls and vast lakes should put it near the top of your hit list!

So here is my August in images


Prnts and canvas available just email me to order!
Cheers
hayden.blacklabel66@gmail.com

Lake Te Anau

Milford sound has so much to offer including an army of aggressive sandflys.

The road into Milford offers so many opportunities , this composition is about 1 meter of the road!

Low cloud

Flight , making onshore slop look fun

Peter checking her morning curves

Disposition

Semi going

Fan

Kaka Point

Making the most

Wild NZ

Backwash

Later

Some poorly timed trips this month meant I missed the best of the swell and  managed an injury that kept me dry for a few weeks ,Spewing!
Stayed a night at St Bathans haunted hotel The Vulcan for a some what uneasy sleep , then on to Tekapo for a few days of snow and finally some clear skies on the last night.
Landscape was my main focus this month and after many kms here is the pick of them!
Cheers

Images available as canvas or print just message me for details!

The Blue lake St Bathans, the Vulcan hotel is about 1 min walk from here and is said to be haunted by a "lady of the night" named  The Rose who was strangled and robbed of her bag of gold..
The Rose rented room 1 to ply her trade but meet her untimley death in the1880s.
Guests and staff report mysterious shadows at the end of the bed , lights going on and off , drops in tempature and the odd sighting of the spirit sitting in a chair in the dinning room.
Whilst i experianced none of the above you couldnt help but feel a little uneasy being the only one staying in the motel that night !

The east swell  at the start of the month seemed to last forever !

Drop wallet

A few chilly starts

Lit 1st of  January 1884  The Waipapa point Lighthouse was built in response to the wreck of a passenger ship Tararua on the reefs surrounding Waipapa point on the 29th of April 1881 . It claimed 131 lives .
It was automated in 1975 and has been solar powered since 1988.

Around Tuapeka Mouth

Morning fog at The Nuggets

Lake Tekapos the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin.
Being the most photographed church in Nz i arrived pre dawn after a good dump of snow to get this shot before the snow was disturbed  by th  100s of tourists that flock here daily!

I preferred to shoot the church at night

Snow day Lake Tekapo

Lone tree Tuapeka Mouth

All images available for purchase just flick me a message to order! Cheers

Later

Some amazing surf conditions this month ! How good was the endless north east swell , im sure you will have all exceeded you're monthly wave count .

Time has been the enemy this month , with its measly 8 odd hours of daylight before a  plague off darkness falls over the ocean , instantly killing any chance of a post work surf. Arriving home just in time for the last ounce of light to set on perfect a frame peak! F A R R R KKKKK
I cant tell you how many times this has haoppened ,leaving me more frustrated than a dragon trying to blow out his birthday candles! 

Looks like another dose of swell this week and in the weekend so i will catch yas out there!

Later

Winter light

Winter grunt

One footer

The winter swells have begun to storm our shores , and with it the cold currents of the south. Water tempatures cold enough to freeze you're brain and turn you're hands into useless pieces of meat are not to far away , and im stoked about it!

Indo is amazing , bikini chicks , warm water barrells and a semmingly endless supply of bintang. But there is something as surreal and equally amazing  about hearing the snow and ice crunch under you're 5mm booties as you run down a snow covered beach. 
Trying to put you're clothes on in horizontal rain with barley functioning fingers just laughing because if you dont laugh youll probably cry.
These experiances make surfing what it is down here and make us more resiliant in other aspects of our life , its a bit of a "just get on with it attitude" which is absolutly necessary for surfing through winter in the south.

So if you are not spending the next 6 weeks on a remote island near the equator get you're winter rubber in order and ill catch yas out there!
Later

Lip line

Vision

Cover

The aurora on the 28th of May was a deadset cracker!

Haami hitting hard

Steady

Halves

Walk

Light

Bird dance

life

Haami positioned

Canvas and prints available just send me a message !
Cheers

Sharks sharks sharks ..well just one and it seems to have taken a liking to a french tourist.
Stoked to hear she's going to be ok and onya to the guys that helped with first aid , good shit!
Few good swells this month plus the Colac bay classic was on again and as per usual was a fun and really well run comp to be in.
A few landscapes a wedding  and the usual surf stuff round out the month nicely.

Later

East swell for days

Colac bay classic

I spend alot of time here looking for different compisitions , stoked with this one!

Glow

Sunstar pleasure

Rad day up the valley and at the beach with this crew!

Images are available in canvas or print just flick me a message to order!
Later

Seems as quickly ( and late! ) as summer arrived it seems to be slipping away.
With the end of daylightsavings upon us i hope you used the longer days wisely.
Plenty of swell about to keep everyone stoked , a new swell every week and mostly favourable winds meant heaps of water time!
Throw in a visit from sweet lady Aurora and its been a pretty epic month!
So heres my month in a nutshell.
Later
Prints and canvas available just spin me a email if you are interested!

Took this shot around 3am , one of the best displays ive ever seen !

Few wee morning pockets.

Swell

No nuts no glory

Silky smoothe , the big B

Charlie on a birthday screamer

Thick

Clean

Brief sun

Later