World champion surfers, Joel Parkinson and Mark Occhilupo, will visit Mount Maunganui and Papamoa in November, in an exclusive visit to the Bay of Plenty.

Appearing within the event 'Joel Parkinson – Up Close and Personal with Occy”, presented by Barrett Homes, the two will provide a supercharged night of chat and banter all about their lives and careers in surfing, and reaching the pinnacle of being World Champion title holders.

Their visit on Saturday November 9 will include interaction with youth and invited surf juniors during the day, before culminating with the evening event held at Trustpower Baypark Arena.

Joel Parkinson, affectionately known as Parko, won the World Champion title in 2012, beating the legendary Kelly Slater to the trophy.

Parkinson retired from the professional WSL last year, after close to 20 years on the tour. Mark Occhilupo, more commonly known as Occy, won his title in 1999 becoming World Champion at the age of 33.

He will MC the event, getting the inside story from his long time friend, Joel.

Phil O'Reilly, General Manager of Barrett Homes who are presenting sponsors of the event, says they are thrilled to be bringing Parko and Occy to the area to celebrate our surfing culture.

'The beach lifestyle is central to the Papamoa and Mount Maunganui communities, and Barrett Homes see this as an amazing opportunity to give back to our community,” says Phil.

'It's appealing for us to promote the sport of surfing, and also highlight the lifestyle here in Papamoa and the Mount. We're looking forward to hosting these icons here in such an intimate and unique event.”

The event is also supported by Tourism Bay of Plenty, Tauranga City Council, SunLive and The Rock.

During the evening event, surf fans will be able to hear stories and insights direct from Parko and Occy, as well as relive some highlight footage of Joel's career and also ask them their own questions. Organisers, Events Innovated, say that the venue is a very intimate space to make this truly ‘up close and personal', which also means only limited tickets are available.

Tickets to the event go on sale tomorrow, Friday October 4 from 9am, and are available from www.parko.co.nz