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World's best surfers take over Raglan as WSL touches down in NZ
Sport Nation • May 12th, 2026 2:40 pm
Manu Bay, Raglan | Photo: Photosport
As the World Surf League prepares to take over Raglan, few are more excited than Kiwi surfing veteran and local Daniel Kereopa.
Kereopa's hometown break at Manu Bay is primed to play host to the planet's premier surfers, with the likes of Brazilian superstars Italo Ferreira and Gabriel Medina among the competitors in action at the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro on May 15-25.
It marks the long-awaited return of the WSL to NZ shores, its first since the women's tour made a stop in 2013. It will also be the first time Aotearoa has hosted a combined men's and women's event.
"The energy is super high down here at Manu Bay, and it's actually for the kids right now," Kereopa told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy on Tuesday.
"They are so stoked to see their superheroes surfing at their local break."
Representing for New Zealand will be two-time Olympian Billy Stairmand, 15-year-old Alani Morse - both of whom are Raglan locals - as well as Taranaki's Tom Butlin.
Kereopa - who competed on the world circuit in the late 90s and early 2000s - was on location at Manu Bay, where he says the hosts have already been treated to some spectacular surfing by the pros preparing for competition.
Conditions have been great over the past few days, although the forecast is for more modest - yet high quality - waves when the event gets underway.
"People are getting barrels and boards are getting broken. It was getting a bit small today, but really, really, good.
"The surfing has been so entertaining. These women and men are actually flying through the sky. They're leaving the wave every single time they surf.
"It's something that New Zealand doesn't get to see often, so there's going to be a blueprint to how the future of surfing is going to look."
Raglan is the fourth stop on the 2026 championship tour, with Medina currently occupying the top of the rankings for the men, while compatriot Luana Silva is the early standard-bearer for the women.
Listen to the full interview below:
