The joys of the beach, the waves at T-land and a luxury tropical haven guaranteed to make you forget the rigours of life back home.

seaweed for export, surf for the imports

After boarding our ferry and steaming out of the harbour near Kupang in Indonesian West Timor bound for Pulau Rote, I nod off almost immediately into a deep dreamy sleep but wake less than half an hour later to the high pitched shrieks of panicking passengers. The ferry rocks violently from side to side in what has quickly become an angry looking ocean.

The large swell we had been expecting to coincide with our arrival is right on the mark. Coupled with strongly gusting winds, it has whipped the ocean into a frenzy. Not too comforting then, when a fellow traveller says that only two years earlier on the same journey, a ferry capsized and everybody on board drowned. A few tense moments later we cross the channel and are again cruising through smooth water.

Longbreak’s trip coincided with one of the biggest swells of the season but it must be said that the local ocean conditions are not usually this rough. We take a minute to gather ourselves and my thoughts quickly turn to the legend of a mysterious American surfer known only as ‘William’.

In 1974, William boarded a local sailboat in Kupang armed with only his surfboard, a map and a backpack. He left expecting a couple of days sailing but the sailboat was becalmed when the wind uncharacteristically died and William eventually arrived in Rote some three weeks later.

William was damn lucky he encountered smooth seas in his tiny craft or he might never have become the first known surfer to ride the waves at Nemberala on the southwestern tip of Rote – the southernmost island in the region of the Indonesian archipelago known as Nusa Tengarra and sitting some 16 kilometres off the southwestern tip of Timor.

The first Europeans to reach Rote were Portuguese explorers who were followed by Dutch traders in the 17th century. Unlike its troubled neighbour, Timor, Rote remains a peaceful isolated tropical paradise, that is home to a population relying on ancient methods of subsistence farming, fishing, and more recently the harvesting and selling of seaweed to the Chinese for the manufacture of cosmetics. The culture features traditional beliefs, customs and ceremonies interwoven with the introduced Christianity.

Rote is influenced by the same weather patterns as north-western Australia, with warm and dry conditions that are different from the humidity generally experienced in western parts of Indonesia. This may be why mosquitoes do not appear to be a big problem on the island.

Courtesy of our pre-arranged package deals with Atoll Travel the logistical nightmares, like those encountered by the pioneer surfer William 30 years ago, are neatly consigned to the past. Tour guides ‘Dear’ and ‘Ferry’ make sure our luggage is gathered, tickets exchanged and transport to Rote boarded with a minimum of fuss.

After arriving at Bolock Harbour in Rote’s largest town Ba’a, we are whisked off the ferry and in the blink of an eye are cruising on the bumpy asphalt roads through small villages and headed for the Nemberala Beach Resort, a 42 kilometre drive away. On arrival, we are greeted by a welcoming handshake from the resort’s American manager Greg, who gives us a brief lowdown on the resort’s operations and escorts us to our luxurious rooms.

I catch a glimpse of the ocean and I’m totally blown away. Literally ten steps from the resort lies an immaculate palm-fringed beach, complete with pearly white sand and pristine turquoise water – but even better is the mechanical left-hander peeling off in the distance. This is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and walking the sands of Nemberala is an experience in itself – there is something surreal about seeing the local semi-domesticated long-nosed pigs that roam around Rote, actually walking on the exposed reef at low tide.

Longbreak’s first surf at the left front of the resort, known as ‘T-land’ (short for ‘Timor land’), brings instant gratification Even with set waves pushing over double head height, T-land is perfectly suited for our preferred choice of craft. The takeoff is not death defying but still offers some thrill and a good wave gives you a 200 metre long ride of pure joy. “It’s one of the only waves in Indonesia that won’t kill you when the swell gets bigger. It’s an easy take-off, even at triple overhead,” says a 40-something Australian surfer.

The bigger T-land gets, the better it gets. Some surfers have described it as the best left in Indonesia – big call! T-land can be surfed on any tide and this, coupled with day-long prevailing offshore breezes during the southern hemisphere’s winter months, means T-land has become popular with longboard and older shortboard riders alike. Smaller swells are better suited to a lower tide but the wave then often sections off.

On a large swell and lower tide, the bigger sets can even throw out the occasional barrel. Surfing the T-land break normally requires a 250-metre walk over sharp coral, which can be treacherous at the best of times, making a good pair of reef booties essential. But, staying at the Nemberala Beach Resort solves this problem. When you decide to go surfing, the bar staff can instantly notify the resort’s personal dinghy driver via twoway radio.

By the time you make the short walk along the beach, he will have the twin 50s firing and you will be out in the line-up and surfing in no time. The dinghy driver will check on you every hour, or you can simply be picked up at a pre-arranged time. The sun can be fierce in the middle of the day and it is advised that plenty of sunscreen be used at all times. If you decide against a second surf for the day, the late afternoon volleyball ritual is not to be missed. Every day before sunset, eight-in-a-team volleyball takes centre stage at the resort.

Friendly banter quickly turns to competitive sledging, but at the end of the day all is forgotten over a few drinks at the bar, which runs parallel to the beach and stretches for nearly 10 metres. The bar provides the famous Nemberala Beach cocktail and the perfect vantage point to soak up another perfect sunset.

Longbreak found that sunset drinks were a very social affair, with the bar frequented by guests from other resorts and ex-pats enjoying their annual pilgrimage to Rote.

Nemberala has a habit of lulling you into a dreamy trance as you admire the beauty of the place, and the rigours of life back home are quickly forgotten. A long proud history lies behind its charming beauty and the resort’s assistant manager, Danny, tells us that the name ‘Nemberala’ originates from nember (field) and rala (inside); the village of Nemberala is located at the bottom of a big hill situated inside a field. Danny grew up in Nemberala and inbetween teaching English at the local school he has been working at the resort from the very beginning.

He vividly remembers the first surfer arriving all those years ago. “I remember William taking a photo of me standing on his longboard when I was only six years old. William stayed for a few months, then we didn’t see another surfer for ten years, until the Aussies came in 1994,” he said. The resort first opened at Nemberala in 1995 when an Australian began providing basic accommodation to travelling surfers.

In 2000 he moved back to Australia and the resort was closed. In 2003 a group of American investors purchased it and began building the current Nemberala Beach Resort, which was opened for business in 2006. The result is a meticulously planned and luxurious five-star resort, suitable for guests who want to enjoy the pristine beaches and isolation of Rote, whilst savouring the finer things in life. There are eight open-air beach-hut rooms. Each room accommodates two people, with a choice between a single and double bed draped by mosquito nets. A team of highly skilled Javanese craftsmen was hired to build the resort in conjunction with the locals and the workmanship is faultless. The huts have been built from pieces of salmon coloured stone, a dark chocolate coloured timber known as Bayam and a local grass called Keka for the roof. The rooms have an outdoor shower and toilet, with a terrazzo-style basin and feature rustic towel hangers handpicked by locals from the nearby driftwood beach. The swimming pool is only two metres from the rooms and the poolside lazing chairs are the perfect place to relax and admire the long walls of T-land. The undercover alfresco area has been carefully located to block out the prevailing trade winds, making it the perfect place for meals and entertaining.

If you are planning on dropping a few unwanted kilos at Nemberala, think again! Over the course of our stay we ate everything from Indonesian through seafood to Mexican, and each meal was tastier than the last. All sit-down meals are self-serve smorgasbord and there is always enough food for seconds. This, coupled with exquisite deserts like chocolate cake (a Longbreak crew favourite), necessitated the surfing and volleyball to maintain the waistline.

The management skills of the resort manager, Greg, have helped impart a wonderful team spirit to his staff and their friendly and positive approach ensures that the resort runs like a well-oiled machine. “It’s been hard because most of our staff members are accustomed to extremely long hours of toil as subsistence farmers, working 16-hour days. So getting them to finish after an 8-hour shift was difficult in the beginning,” he said.

“I encourage our staff to participate in activities like volleyball and it ensures they enjoy coming to work every day.” The inside reef at T-land break has been fished for hundreds of years by the local villagers. Originally the locals called the Tland wave ‘Bisialu’, the name of the long piece of steel used to push poles into the reef so that fishermen can attach their nets. The ocean still teems with marine life. Most locals begin their daily fishing excursions in the early morning darkness and return to shore just after sunrise.

On an early morning walk Longbreak witnessed the local fishermen bringing in two buckets of Spanish mackerel, golden trevally, maloop baitfish and a wobbegong shark The resort’s boats are well equipped for fishing the abundant local waters. The boat crews can find the best places for pulling in tuna, trevally, wahoo, mackerel, mahi-mahi and even marlin or sailfish and you can take a boat to explore uninhabited offshore islands and go snorkelling.

It is a short walk from the resort to nearby Nemberala village, with its whitewashed church. For Longbreak it was welcome to the weekly Tuesday market - Nemberala’s version of your local supermarket - weaving through a myriad of local stalls nestled amongst the trees as dozens of inquisitive locals exchange rupiah for an assortment of goods. The markets are a big deal to the locals and it feels like every one of Rote’s 1,000 residents has shown up for the event. Not only is it a chance for them to stock up on supplies like fruit, vegetables, cooking oils, cigarettes and washing powder but also to socialise with family and friends.

As in many other parts of eastern Indonesia, chewing betel nut is very popular with the older villagers and nearly every stall sells them. The locals at the markets are not at all pushy and are extremely friendly. Before long a group of smiling young kids are trailing my every move. On our last morning at Nemberala we are stoked to wake to a completely glassy ocean.

We head for a right-hander known as ‘Sucky Mama’s’, a 10-minute boat ride from the resort. Schools of maloop baitfish fly through the air as the dinghy cuts the oily ocean surface. We hit the line-up just in time to watch a flawless four-foot barrel on the take-off that zips down the reef for another 60 metres. For the next hour and a half we enjoy perfect waves in bath-warm water, with only a handful of other surfers. The session comes to an abrupt end when the wind suddenly kicks in and chops up the ocean surface, making the waves too bumpy to ride.

Local’s say that ‘Sucky’s’ is at its best in the early morning with little to no wind. On a bigger swell it can hold some serious power and turns into a world-class wave suitable for experienced shortboard riders. The surf at Nemberala is most consistent during the southern hemisphere winter months when big groundswells in the Indian Ocean push up past the west of the Australian continent and deliver groomed wave perfection to Indonesia. Often during this time of the season it is not onshore winds that might ruin your fun but offshores that can gust and make it difficult to paddle into waves.

Like anywhere though, Longbreak had times when the wind dropped out completely and conditions were perfect. Spring and autumn winds supposedly can produce really light winds. Rote is slightly tucked away in its corner of the Indian Ocean and consequently does not get really large waves on as consistent a basis as other places in Indonesia.

There are about ten more great breaks within striking distance of Nemberala: ‘Homebreak’ is reported to be a fun, lumpy left-hander that can offer faces up to five metres and, a half hour boat ride from the resort. ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Bo’a’ are two more left-handers breaking on shallow reef. Also within reach of the resort’s boat, ‘N’Dau Island’ is a fast and steep left- and righthander, and ‘Do’o Island’ is claimed to be the longest right-hander in the Indonesian archipelago – 200 metres, steep and fast.

The down side is local reports say that it is very fickle. Longbreak will be sure to hunt down these other great waves on our next visit to Nemberala. Getting There: At present the only way to get to Rote is by ferry from Kupang in West Timor. This means departing on Indonesia’s domestic carrier Merpati Airlines from Denpasar in Bali. The Longbreak crew departed from Bali and the Merpati flight to Kupang took about 80 minutes.

The steadily increasing popularity of Rote as a destination means there are future plans in the offing for direct flights to the island from Bali. On both the inward and outward journey, travellers should allow for an overnight stay in Bali because Merpati Airlines flight schedule can be inconsistent and sometimes delays do occur.

Garuda’s flights from Australia generally arrive in Bali in late morning or early-mid afternoon, so an afternoon surf at the world famous Bukit Peninsula or a kite-boarding lesson at Sanur would not be out of the question. For the return journey to Bali it would be wise to allow for a ‘buffer’ day to ensure that you don’t miss your connecting flight home, For your Bali stopovers, Villa Puri Ayu (www. villapuriayay.com) is the perfect place to stay.

The resort offers a variety of refurbished villas, apartments and deluxe cottages that are a mixture of romantic Balinese island style with a contemporary twist. Situated only 15 minutes from Denpasar airport in the quiet surrounds of Sanur, it provides the ideal location for guests who want to enjoy Bali without the hustle and bustle of Kuta.

As the Longbreak crew lazed by the pool, the sound of birds chirping was a welcome relief from the cacophony of beeping horns in chaotic traffic over on the Kuta/Legian side. The four-bedroom fully furnished cottages offer a spa and DVD player and are perfectly suited for families. Unlike Kuta, Sanur offers a peaceful little getaway that is still within walking distance of many fantastic restaurants and excellent shopping.

Villa Puri Ayu’s Italian-born manager, Jankie, is also a qualified teacher at Bali Kitesurfing School on Sanur Beach – just a hop and a skip from the resort. During the southern hemisphere’s winter months, the wind consistently blows cross-shore at Sanur, providing great conditions for kiteboarders. For the keen surfer, Sanur reef can produce world-class right-handers when there is a big swell, light winds and a medium to high tide. Many regulars claim that it can be the best wave in Bali when all the conditions come together.

After a night spent in Kupang at the Hotel Sylvia en route to Rote, the ferry leaves at 10.00 am daily and takes around 90 minutes in luxury air-conditioned seating. A pre-organised shuttle bus collects the disembarking passengers and boards from Bolock harbour, Ba’a, for the hour-plus drive south to the Nemberala Beach Resort. For bookings and other flight and accommodation details for a Rote riding experience, check out www.atolltravel.com Bali Stopover Villa Puri Ayu: Sanur The resort offers a variety of refurbished villas, apartments and deluxe cottages that are a mixture of romantic Balinese island style with a contemporary twist within the peaceful precint of Sanur. Shopping and fantastic restaurants within easy reach.