Johanna Bresby’s surf/bike odyssey across New Zealand.
Who is Johanna Bresby and why did she ride a bike all over New Zealand’s North and South Islands hunting for waves?
I was thinking the same thing as a slew of evocative surf images graced my social media feed. Captivating content, yes. But her reason for setting off on such a quest was a mystery, no less. So, what inspired this pedal-powered mission to find NZ’s best surfing hamlets? I slid into her DMs to find out. Said I had a few questions, said I was a scribe of sorts, who thought there was more to her story…
Turns out, this colossal journey to explore a mix of known reeling coves and the lesser exposed breaks beneath the long white cloud was inspired by an act of homecoming. Johanna, a Kiwi lass by birth, is named after Johanna Beach (her parents honeymooned there, way back when), on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
Bresby left her hometown of Ohope Beach at 17 after a spirited stab at the NZ junior surf circuit. Chasing the pro-surfing dream from a sleepy, NZ town was always going to be tough and when her competitive streak peaked early she relocated to Noosa. The laid-back, Sunny Coast life suited Bresby’s freewheeling style but New Zealand was always calling her back.
Seeking a unique way to explore the coastlines of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and engage with the real surfing communities , Bresby decided a pushy was a tough but worthy pick for the ‘off the beaten track’ assignment. “I’ve done van life, and I don’t know how to sail…yet, ”confesses Bresby. I wasn’t going to walk it, so the bike made sense.”
Ice cream pit stop.Leaving in February 2025 to spend the next three months cycling from the South to the North Islands was daunting yet ...
