I like the CT of New Zealand and I really like the country.

On the one hand, it's excellent that the tour is presented with the challenge of surfing a maneuverable left, which there definitely weren't any of.

It's great to see the pros on a new course. It's not about clipping the rail like at Pipe or Chopes, nor is it about the timing and courage of Fiji. It's a different game. At least for now, it seems to be.

And it's extremely interesting to see professional surfing on a different court.

But on the other hand, there's the richness of this country. I heard Medina say that this is his second time there. And I remember his first time because I was lucky enough to be there, in 2010, for the ISA Junior World Championships.

Beyond Medina's flawless performance in the grand finale, the place, the country… I kept telling myself it was the best place I'd ever been. A country where I wish I'd been born.

I remember that we were staying in Auckland and traveling daily to Piha Beach, and that one night they invited me to sleep on the beach so I could extend the afternoon surfing and make the morning one a reality.

I woke up on a green mountain, with the sea in front of me and nature's sounds filling the air. That morning will stay with me forever. Something as simple as a morning that you cherish for a lifetime.

An orderly life, fair wages, a fair life, making ends meet is not a question, it's the rule.

But that's a minor detail when you consider the waves everywhere, the natural beauty, the friendly people, and the variety of scenes: from snowboarding on the mountain, to surfing in shorts with other people on the North Island, or in a wetsuit and without anyone on the South Island.

The pros look happy to be there and I completely understand why.

I hope this event continues for years to come; New Zealand deserves it, the tour does too, and especially the surfers.

And I hope that one day I can return and reconfirm all these wonderful things I'm saying about that amazing country.