What an introduction for the surfing students this past week with a ground swell lasting about four days, favourable winds making great conditions and plenty of different surf spots to choose from.
 
There were a few cooler nights accompanying all the great surf, but if you were a student and you liked to surf, then Dunedin would pretty much seem like heaven right now.
 
And it's about to get better with Dub My Toga kicking off tonight, then Dai Henwood (New Zealand's funniest gnome) and friends leading off the laugh fest on Wednesday. Just when you think you might need a night off, forget it – Thursday is serving up the Converse Hip Hop Party and culminating in Shihad on Friday with Shapeshifter on Saturday. Reserve Sunday for some sleep, because you're going to need it.
 
It's an awesome line-up for O-Week – makes me feel like enrolling in a course, buying a week's supply of Indomie noodles and turning my sheets into a flowing Roman gown.
 
It's a great time of year to be in Dunedin with the influx of charismatic students breathing fresh life into the city's bars, parks and beaches. Yes, the odd couch may be sacrificed (making headline news around the world again no doubt) and there may be the odd case of nudity, but when it's all done with a grin that would even make Graham Henry smile, you have to chuckle along, too.
 
Bring it on and thanks for adding another splash of colour to our vibrant little city by the sea.
 
See you at the beach ...