Rambo Estrada

needessentials founder Ryan Scanlon met Kiwi master photographer Rambo Estrada hiking back from a remote wave about seven years ago. We've kept in touch ever since. Rambo and his partner Elke test our wetsuits, bags and expedition wear in New Zealand's harsh climates. Rambo recently sent us a bunch of images with this message:

I clocked up a lot of miles over the last year. Thanks to border restrictions and local lockdowns it felt like I’d driven my van 30 years back in time. New Zealand was like a giant ghost town. I was stoked to get down South twice and surfed some new spots in both islands. I looked at weather maps a lot more and took a few chances. Often I was wrong, but that’s the best way to learn ha ha.

Elke & I traveled to Queensland when the Australian bubble briefly opened, but then it closed, then the state borders closed. But what an epic place to be stuck! Queensland is massive and we had a ball exploring some of the national parks and the tropical north.

Here’s a few images from my travels.

Rambo

The most important piece of equipment for creating my imagery has nothing to do with camera kit - it’s my van. New Zealand has some epic waves, but if I was to sit around and wait for them to come to my local beach I’d only see a handful of good days a year. Being able to live comfortably on the road for weeks has been a real game changer.

This spot lies dormant most of the year, but when you get the right swell angle.

I hiked into this spot but totally under estimated the swell size and took my longboard. It came in handy for the long paddles back out though.

Surfing solo kinda freaks me out. It’s hard to feel comfortable in the ocean on your own, my mind always goes into overdrive... start thinking about sharks, hurting myself and most importantly, what if I get the tube of my life and no one is there to witness it!

It’d be easy to start thinking you were pretty tough doing a South Island van trip in sub-zero conditions - if it wasn’t for the fact that so many locals are still wearing shorts!

The best bit about being down South in winter? With sunrise at 8:30am you can chase the magic light and still get a sleep in. ⁣

I’ve always been drawn to wild weather. It makes me feel alive.

This shot is a good example of why you always buy the flexible ferry pass. Elke and I were supposed to be back in the North Island this day.

Best thing about living on an island?⁣ It’s always offshore somewhere.

I love spending time in Queensland. There’s plenty of perfect setups but I’m more drawn the weird waves on offer.

We were in Queensland when they shut the state borders so did a trip up to Cairns. Not sure what sort of sharks these were, but they’re a lot friendlier than the one’s we have back in NZ.⁣