IN THE FOOTSTRAPS OF GIANTS

Fifty years have passed since Ralph Roberts imported the first windsurfer into New Zealand. In 2024, Bruce Trotter commemorates this milestone by chronicling our history in his new book In the Footstraps of Giants.

In the Footstraps of Giants is more than a celebration of the sport – it’s a heartfelt tribute to the remarkable individuals, places and events that have shaped half a century of windsurfing in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Set sail on a nostalgic journey into the exhilarating world of New Zealand windsurfing.

We’re transported back to the humble beginnings of windsurfing in New Zealand – to an era of Dacron, daggerboards, wooden booms and skegs. We meet the pioneers who ventured far from the shore, carving their own paths through uncharted waters. +

But it’s in the 1980s that our story truly takes flight as windsurfing rides a wave of popularity and success. Through Bruce’s vivid storytelling and a good dose of Kiwi humour, we meet the legends who conquered the waves the world over.

“Bruce, slim and strong, and forever young, his eyes nearly as blue as the New Zealand flag that he carried in his left hand.“

“Who could have foreseen that this crazy new sport, which somehow combined surfing and sailing, would draw us all together and shape our lives in the way that it did?“