📍New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
1990 – 2008“Paige Hareb was born at New Plymouth Hospital in June 1990, and grew up near New Plymouth on the Taranaki coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the shadow of Mount Taranaki, where black-sand beaches face the wild Tasman Sea and some of the country's best surf breaks line the Surf Highway. Her local break was Ōakura, just south-west of the city, and the coast was her playground. Her father encouraged her to start surfing at about six, and she grew up surfing the waves around Ōakura and New Plymouth, often in cold water and rough conditions that made her strong. She was a sporty, energetic girl who also played soccer and basketball and skied on the slopes of Mount Taranaki, but surfing was her passion. At thirteen or fourteen she got her first sponsor, which, she joked, meant free stickers, and that was when she first thought surfing could become a career. She trained hard and won New Zealand junior titles. In December 2008, at eighteen, she became the first New Zealand woman to qualify for the women's world tour, and in 2009 she finished eighth in the world. She has competed for years at the highest level, representing New Zealand around the world and inspiring a generation of Kiwi girls to surf. She often comes home to the beaches of Taranaki, where she grew up, and competes at the New Zealand Surf Festival at Fitzroy Beach in New Plymouth.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
🛰️ Satellite view · © Google