CAMPHILL RIVER SURFING PARK

The Hawea Surf Park is one of the World's premier Freestyle and Surfing Destinations
The S2o Designed Whitewater Park features two surfing waves.
S2o Principal Scott Shipley surfs with project proponents Gordon Rayner and Roy Bailey
The project hosts River Festivals and Competitions in Freestyle and Slalom
S2o transformed a flat section of the river into brilliant surf waves.
The park is accessible not just by expert kayakers, but also by the general public to boogie board and surf.
The Hawea Surf Park, by S2o
Stand-up Surfing is popular at the park (even if you can't afford a board of your own)
The S2o Designed Park has twice hosted the NZ National Championships in Freestyle
Large eddies and terraced seating create resting and learning areas
Young Lotte Rayner learned to surf at the park before she turned 12 and now competes there against the nation's best

Wanaka, New Zealand

For the Camphill Surf Park, S2o was hired to find a site, complete a design, and oversee construction of a whitewater park near Wanaka, NZ. The resulting park has been referred to as the world’s best freestyle whitewater park. Users of all abilities come from around the world to watch, surf, and compete on the S2O Design-crafted features at Camphill Surf Park.

Camphill Surf Park was made possible through unprecedented levels of cooperation between Contact Energy, one of New Zealand’s largest utility companies, the Central Otago Whitewater Association (COWA), regional and local town councils, government agencies, and landowners.

The park features two separate waves that attract paddlers of all abilities. The top hole was designed to provide stable side surfing with a wide foam pile that allows for surfing, spins, and basic freestyle practice at all flows. The lower feature is characterized by a fast jet of water used for slalom training and basic maneuvers at lower flows, and a fast, single foam pile wave capable of large airborne maneuvers, at higher flows.

Project Highlights

  • The two drop feature are designed to be paddled at a large variety of flows (10-200 cumecs), as well as accommodate a variety of skill levels and paddling crafts.
  • The first drop feature functions as a stable hole, ideal for side surfing, spins, and basic freestyle practice.
  • The second drop feature is a stable hole with 3 distinct foam piles at lower flows, and a fast wave with a single pile at higher flows, allowing for advanced freestyle practice.
  • The Camphill Surf Park has been a tremendous success; alluring paddlers throughout New Zealand and the world to its banks.