Mount Surf Shop

Is a family-owned, locally-run Surf, Ski, Clothing and Coffee shop located in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.

The story began in 1996, when Redge Spiers, a keen surfer and skier, returned to New Zealand after a number of years travelling the world. Having met his wife Toni during a snow season in Whistler, the pair decided to swap the snow-capped mountains for a beach-side life in Mount Maunganui. 

Redge began repairing surfboards from his shed for a couple of the surf stores that had sprung up around the Mount, as well as helping local legend Mike Murden and his sons at High Voltage. One of the stores he worked with was Ocean Sports, a store in Downtown Mount Maunganui selling second hand sporting goods. After a while, he and his mate Dusty Waddell decided to buy the place, aptly naming it Mount Surf Shop.  

first opened in 2003

The business partners shared a passion for collecting vintage surfboards, both boasting an impressive quiver by the time they first opened in 2003, and after a few years trading from the Downtown Store, the pair opened the Totara Street shop, a space to display the boards and show off their collections. 

With more stock arriving and a growing set of classic boards, the collection gradually found itself being showcased from the rafters, constantly being added to by local surfers wanting to show theirs off too. The Totara Street spot became the local ‘Surf Museum’, a retired feature of the store since it moved a few blocks up the same road, but an attraction we still have enquiries about to this day. 

A few years down the line

Dusty felt it was time to take more of a back-seat in the business – and passed his share on to his son Scott, who had just moved back to NZ after working overseas. Both Mount Surf Shops and the newly opened Rip Curl at the Mount continued to thrive until both partners felt it was time for new adventures, and who better to pass the store onto than their current and ex-employees, Matt (Timmy) Saunders and Lauren Pedersen. 

With their mentors passing on their legacy, Timmy and Lauren didn't want to change too much of what was a successful business. However new and exciting opportunities came up for the stores. New leases, new brands, and new suppliers that the partners felt were a good new direction for the Mount Surf Shops, including moving the Downtown store next door and introducing the likes of Thomas Bexon, Deus Ex Machina and expanding the Classic Malibu longboard range within store. Soon after this, the Totara Street store moved up a block or two, and Timmy and Lauren had entered into a joint venture of ownership of five more Rip Curl stores around New Zealand.

Now many years on

Timmy and Lauren have since sold their shares within the joint venture of Rip Curl, retaining their Mt Maunganui Rip Curl store alongside the Mount Surf Shops which made them decide, 3 stores just wasn't enough and added on M.S.S Espresso, serving up liquid gold and selling the dream they are continuing to enjoy the lifestyle as owner/operators of your local surf shop.

Timmy and Lauren continue to run Mount Surf Shop and their Mount Rip Curl store, alongside their epic handful of staff and trusty mascot Cooper.