South Island

Raglan, New Zealand making the thousand-dollar plane ticket from LAX seem more than worth it. A strong local crew and Team Volcom make their mark on an April swell.

New Zealand's south island is a magical place -- claiming enough color and beauty to give Walt Disney a migraine and some of the most delectably shreddable beachbreaks in the Southern Hemisphere. And from here, the place seems to be pretty crowd-free. Or maybe it just looks that way, because Christie surfs better than most people there and therefore commands a little space. Either way, you can learn all you need to know about the Kiwi sensation at RicardoChristie.com. Meanwhile, all you need to know about Aotearoa is available right here in this magical clip.