Way, Peter (1939 – )

Big, boisterous New Zealand surfing pioneer and surfboard manufacturer; winner of the inaugural New Zealand surfing championships in 1963, and once described as "the epitome of the wild-man surfer."

Way was born Auckland in 1939, the son of a former wrestler and Piha Surf Club standout, and began surfing at age 18 on a hollow plywood paddleboard. In the late '50s and early '60s, he made regular forays up and down the northeast coast of North Island and mapped out dozens of now-familiar surf ...