Experience eventually prevailed as Mount Maunganui surfer Kehu Butler was knocked out of the Open Men's Division contest at the 2015 Billabong National Championships, but the 14-year-old can hold his head up high.

After catching the eye in the early stages of the competition, the teenager was unable to replicate the fine form, going down to Whangamata's Dune Kennings, 13.83, and Mount teammate Matt-Lewis Hewitt, 10.6.

Mount Maunganui's Matt-Lewis Hewitt during Wednesday's Open Men's Division quarter-finals at the 2015 Billabong National Championships. Photo: PhotoCPL.

Butler finished with 5.5, while Christchurch's Max Marshall scored 7.27. He can now turn his attentions to the Under-16 and Under-18 division's semi finals after breezing through the quarter-finals earlier in the week.

Day four of the event saw the swell remain in the 1.5m-2m range, with a nice early morning offshore wind that turned to sea breeze later in the day.

The improvement in conditions was enough to put the pinnacle Open Men's Division in the water first thing after three days of waiting for the top seeds.

Defending Open Men's Champion Billy Stairmand (Raglan) made an impressive start to his campaign, winning through to the final 16 surfers.

Stairmand instantly focussed his attention toward the middle of the beach at the south end of Piha. The majority of surfers that took the same ‘risk and reward' strategy progressed through to the quarter-finals.

Stairmand's first wave was an 8.33 point ride which set the pace for his performance. He ended up with a 13.2 point heat total, progressing in first place.

'We have been waiting around for three days and we finally got to enter the water today,” he says.

'There were a few good ones out there but heaps of close outs too.”

Stairmand is gunning for his fourth national title at the event - a feat only achieved by four other surfers in the competition's 52 year history. Wayne Parkes (Auckland) and Iain Buchanan (Piha) have five titles a piece, while Maz Quinn (Gisborne) has four.

Quinn can improve on that number this week and is another event favourite at the National Championships. Quinn progressed through his heat in second place behind Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) this morning posting a 9.5 point heat total.

Quinn won his last title in 2006 but today showed glimpses of the form required to match the likes of Parkes and Buchanan. He will face Dune Kennings, Harrison Whiteside (Christchurch) and Dunedin's JC Susan in his quarterfinal match up.

The swell is forecast to remain in the 1.5m range for day six of the event, with light winds forecasted.