You get a visual idea of what a place looks like from images and things you’ve read and heard . Most of the comments that came through after googling Santa Cruz was that this place is a touristy surf town with the usual sea side feel of a Californian beach locale .The comments weren’t exactly complimentary .Throw in the pier and an amusement park and you start to see something you know . As a surfer I know that this place has the famous Steamer Lane and the big wave monster Mavericks is meant to be nearby . Theres also the classic 90s movie The Lost Boys with the two Coreys in it .I thought I had a pretty good feel for what I was going to see . I had St.Kilda / Santa Monica Pier with high density living , concrete , grime and some hard core skate and surf culture mixed in with hotels ,cafes, bars and plenty of the homeless on the foreshore . I had some sea mists and a little greenery around the edges and I know it’s a fair bit colder too .Driving from Monterey to Santa Cruz I knew I had it all wrong .
I do remember Tim saying that he was impressed at how green it was in Santa Cruz when he rode through on his crazy West Coast US bike ride . That’s what I noticed first on the drive up from Monterey . This terrain has a bit of Gold Coast hinterland about it . It was green , lush , big trees , just big and voluminous in the hills and roads . This is more Australian in feel than I could’ve anticipated . As the driver I couldn’t take any photos but this joint immediately had appeal . Without even hitting Santa Cruz yet , I’d decided that I like this area . As we sifted our way toward the coast there were cafes , corner burger bars ,trees , gardens , hip eateries and not a fast food chain restaurant to see . I know your Maccas and the like would be here somewhere but it was great to see weatherboard houses , footpaths ,front gardens , funky antique stores ,bakeries, local breakfast spots with courtyards , and all sorts of cool joints . I think it helps when your town doesn’t have a major highway slapped through the middle of it . I think it feels real in Santa Cruz . It has character . The foreshore is a bit like St.kilda or Santa Monica with the giant pier and the big amusement park but it’s cleaner and it isn’t just a straight beach with a big road running along the front of it . The beach is actually pristine . It feels different , the glassy water , the sandstone cliffs , the kelp ,a deep sea smell , the gentle rollers with a dozen kids paddling for each one below the cliffs .
Tex declares that the surf report has Mavericks at 10 – 17 foot today. WTF ! “ Check google maps to see how close to Santa Cruz it is . “ , I ask Tex . “ 43 miles past “ , he says . Ahh , cross that one off for now . We just don’t have the time . We lunch with Leroy’s old school buddy Wesley and his mum Hoki . They moved to Palo Alto , a city south of San Francisco . Santa Cruz is only 90 minutes from San Fran , not unlike Torquay is to Melbourne . Actually there’s some real similarities between Torquay and Santa Cruz with the cool climate surf culture and West coast vibe .We walk the giant pier , check the amusement park and then we settle my anxiety at missing out by driving up the point to check Steamer Lane . I had this fear that the increasing wind would blow out the lineup and the waves I could see rolling along the cliff edge would soon be a mess . I just wanted to get a photo and see this place work , fortunately the wind held off just enough .After talking to a local we jump the railing , walk along the sandstone cliff and follow a young guy and girl to the jump off spot . A clean grey wave wraps around the point , pushing through kelp . It looks rideable .It’s full 3/4 ml wetsuits and booties to ride this wave even though we are about to start summer . It’s a classic amphitheatre set up with the wave running along the cliff with a fenced off viewing point sitting right above the surfers . Steamer Lane , I can definitely see this joint pumping and know why it deserves its reputation .
With time limited we thread our way back south through Pleasure Point and Capitola . Wow , why have I not heard about these places before . Picturesque point breaks a lot like a mini Sunshine Coast or a Coolangatta are met by hotels , restaurants, cafes ,walking tracks , runners , bikers , surfers and holidaymakers. There’s still a community feel with housing in quiet streets , picket fences , balcony’s with wetsuits drying , kids walking back with boards under their arms and ……trees and grass and gardens and birds and fresh air and space and I don’t know . It just seemed content here . Yeah , I guess what I’m saying is that I could easily live here . I admit that I didn’t research property prices and maybe it’s just as expensive to live there as it is in Hermosa Beach ,but it didn’t seem like it .I didn’t really want to find out as it might break my allusion of this place .
Santa Cruz . Yep I can confirm it ….it’s a cool area , under rated too . It’s definitely worth the time to visit if you ever get a chance . Coolangatta , Torquay , Bells Beach ,Byron Bay ,Surfers Paradise ,Sydney beaches,the Sunshine Coast , Margaret River and now add Santa Cruz . We drove away happy . This joint measures up well against any of these places . I even did the tourist thing and bought a Santa Cruz top , I couldn’t resist . Santa Cruz …. ticked that box .
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