The 2012 Hyundai Tour returned to a clean Mount Maunganui beach today (Saturday 18th February) for the fourth event of the series. It is the first time that the Tour has returned to the Bay of Plenty Beach since the Rena shipwrecked on Astrolabe Reef.

Despite the shipwrecked Rena still being visible from the event site, the ocean and beach were spotless and a clean but small 1.0m swell was on offer for New Zealand's best longboard surfers.

The Open Men's Division went according to plan with all the top surfers moving through to the semifinals which will be contested tomorrow (Sunday).

Top seed Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) used his small wave knowledge to the best of his ability nailing some vertical backhand re-entries on his way to a 12.40 point heat score.

Kibblewhite has a healthy lead on the Hyundai Tour and it will be his opponents that will have to make all of the moves this weekend if they are to peg back his near unassailable lead.

Looking good for the title challenge was Ohope surfer Dylan Barnfield. Barnfield used his slick footwork to complete some nice hang tens. Barnfield finished his quarterfinal match up in first equal with Daniel Procter (Gis), both surfers scoring 10.83 points. Procter and Barnfield meet up with top seed Kibblewhite in the semifinals for the match up of the round which also includes local surfer Owen Barnes.

The second semifinal is filled with three Bay of Plenty surfers and New Zealand representative Matt Cockayne who top scored for the round with 12.77 out of 20 points. Ant McColl (Mnt) was one of the standouts of the day using his local knowledge to find the medium sized waves that reformed through to the inside.

Fourth seed in the Stand Up Paddleboard Division, Karl Aarsen (WGM), dominated the first day of the proceedings scoring 16.03 to win through to the semifinals. Aarsen has been knocking on the door of the top seeded surfers all season and today he showed that he can mix it up with the best of them, his best ride scoring an 8.67 being awarded for a series of big forehand re-entries.

Top seeds Daniel Kereopa (Rag) and Shayne Baxter (Chch) also moved through to the semifinals along with Sean Hovell (Gis) and Jeremy Stephenson (Auck) who both won their day one match ups.

The Women's Division saw four of the five travelling Australians progress through to the Quarterfinals to meet up with the top seeds. Molly Powell (Aust) was the top scorer of the round posting 10.90 out of 20 points. Powell is travelling with several friends some who have already taken in Hyundai Tour events in the last couple of weeks.

The top seeds in the Women's Division will enter the water early on Sunday morning with number one Mischa Davis (Piha) in the first heat of the quarterfinals and hoping to progress toward her second win of the year. Davis will take on two local surfers, Anna Gooding and Ann Snyder as well as Denise Piper.

Action on Sunday takes place at Tay Street from 8:00am - 4:00pm with the finals taking place from approximately midday.

Please see below for results from day one of the 2012 Hyundai Tour event held at Mount Maunganui today (Saturday 18th February).

Men's Longboard Round 1

Heat 1

Oliver Le Noel (Auck), 1, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope), 2, Dave Elley (Rag), NS, 3

Heat 2

Daniel Proctor (Gis), 12.7, 1, Owen Barnes (Mnt), 10.87, 2, Ben Poulter (Rag), 9.1, 3, Marc Bayes (Auck), 5.13, 4

Heat 3

Ant McColl (Mnt) T/P, 12, 1, Morgyn Bramely (Whtane), 11.93, 2, Sam Poulter (Rag), 7.13, 3, James Schedwy (Auck), 3.97, 4

Heat 4

Matt Cockayne (Mngwhai), 9.57, 1, Craig Anderson (Mnt), 8.43, 2, Paul Culpan (Auck), 7.53, 3, Blake Barnfield (Ohope), 6.33, 4

Men's Longboard Quarterfinals

Heat 1

Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), 12.4, 1, Owen Barnes (Mnt), 10.03, 2, Oliver Le Noel (Auck), 5, 3, Sam Bound (Tara), 4.43, 4

Heat 2

Dylan Barnfield (Ohope), 10.83, 1, Daniel Proctor (Gis), 10.83, 2, Sam Bradford (Pakiri), 3.37, 3, Tim Renouf (Gis), 3.33, 4

Heat 3

Ant McColl (Mnt), 10.87, 1, Craig Anderson (Mnt), 9.07, 2, Zen Wallis (Piha), 8.97, 3, Marlon Clamp (France), 5.57, 4

Heat 4

Matt Cockayne (Mngwhai), 12.77, 1, Morgyn Bramely (Whtane), 9.77, 2, Glen Johnson (Auck), 7.17, 3, Branko Vela (Auck), 6, 4

Women's Longboard Round 1

Heat 1

Anna Gooding (Tau), 5.03, 1, Cheryl Lowe (Mnt), 2.1, 2, Tsuneyo (Sunny) Yoshida (Rag), 1.7, 3

Heat 2

Rebecca Law (Mangawhai), 5.73, 1, Ann Snyder (Tau), 5.47, 2, Maddie Watson-Brown (Aust), 4.57, 3, Ai Sumihira (Auck), 2, 4

Heat 3

Catherine Watson-Brown (Aust), 8.9, 1, Sam Suendermann (Aust), 8.6, 2, Lisa O'Brien (Tau), 2.03, 3

Heat 4

Molly Powell (Aust), 10.9, 1, Lucy Small (Aust), 7.87, 2, Anna Barnes (Mnt), 4.33, 3

Stand Up Paddleboard Round 1

Heat 1

Deon Boonzaier (Auck), 8, 1, Robert Hawkins (Rag), 7.73, 2, Eli Barnfield (Ohope), 7.5, 3, Mark Houghton (Auck), 4.53, 4

Heat 2

Armie Armstrong (Rag), 9.07, 1, Greg Barfoot (Auck), 7.13, 2, Te Roha Fairlie (Gis), 7.03, 3, Daren Jones (Auck), 5.43, 4

Heat 3

Raman Patel (Auck), 6.17, 1, Scott Elliott (Auck), 4.93, 2, Shaan Miller (Auck), 3.17, 3, Hiria Rolleston (Tau), 2.87, 4

Heat 4

Paul Culpan (Auck), 8.9, 1, Gavin Houghton (Auck), 4.83, 2, Annabel Anderson (Auck), 4.1, 3, Rachel Cann (Auck), 2.2, 4

Stand Up Paddleboard Quarterfinals

Heat 1

Daniel Kereopa (Rag), 13, 1, Shane Murrell (Auck), 9.3, 2, Greg Barfoot (Auck), 5.6, 3, Deon Boonzaier (Auck), 4.23, 4

Heat 2

Sean Hovell (Gis), 10.37, 1, Armie Armstrong (Rag), 9.67, 2, Robert Hawkins (Rag), 5.43, 3, Mike Cann (Auck), 3.55, 4

Heat 3

Jeremy Stephenson (Auck), 8.6, 1, Shayne Baxter (ChCh), 8.43, 2, Gavin Houghton (Auck), 6.3, 3, Raman Patel (Auck), 4.97, 4

Heat 4

Karlos Aarsen (Whmata), 16.03, 1, Paul Culpan (Auck), 11.43, 2, Warwick Gray (Hawaii), 7.77, 3, Scott Eliott (Auck), 4.33, 4

The remaining event for the 2012 Hyundai Tour follow:

Hyundai Tour Event 5, 2-3 March, Port Waikato (6-star)