The Barrett Homes Open Papamoa Lights Up

It’s no secret that the Bay of Plenty surf zones of Mt Maunganui while offering up classy waves on their day, are well associated with long flat spells, inconsistent surf and appearing almost lake like at times.

Yet for three years straight the Barrett Homes surf event has managed to score pumping surf at Papamoa’s Pony Club. Some may say it’s simply a coincidence but a sense of strong karma seems to prevail. You see while surf events have traditionally been sponsored by corporates and major surf brands, here we have an event put on by a relatively small local company in an effort to give back to the local community and the sport that they love, and in return, Tangaroa is loving them back. We caught up with Barret Homes co-director Mike Bryant at this year’s event, as we overlooked pumping waves surrounded by the amazing vibes and a next level contest site that looked more like the US Open.