On Thursday, the legendary US skateboarder paid a whirlwind visit to Newcastle, Mark Richard’s home town, dropped into the Bar Beach bowl for a few runs and then went for a surf with the four-time world champion.

The Birdman and The Wounded Seagull, once the best in the world at their chosen sports, looked like old mates as they bobbed around out the back at Bar Beach and discussed surfing, skating, snowboarding and the unlikely possibility of encountering a shark. Hawk and his entourage flew from Sydney to Newcastle via seaplane early Thursday afternoon, landing in Newcastle Harbour before heading to the Bar Beach Bowl.

Hawk is in Australia to defend his Masters title at the Bowl-A-Rama event in Bondi over the weekend and came to Newcastle to promote skateboarding in NSW on the back of the Australian Bowl Riding Championships in Newcastle two weeks ago. 

With two burly security guards watching on, an unmistakable lanky frame and smiling face stepped from a van, board tucked under his arm, and casually made his way over to the Empire Park bowl.

He introduced himself around to a few people, answered questions from some young skateboarders, signed autographs and posed for photographs.

Then it was time to ride the bowl. Hawk is renowned for the amount of air he can generate and for pulling off the first documented 900 degree aerial.

Now 46, he looked like he had hardly lost a step as he wowed those gathered with massive airs, grinds, handplants and a few breathtaking McTwists - an inverted backside 540. 

He skated with locals like Sabre Norris and Daniel Hallett for more than 30 minutes, waiting his turn to drop in and congratulating others on their good runs. He stacked it once or twice as he got used to the bowl’s subtleties but humbly told a group of kids watching on: ‘‘I fall everyday’’. 

About an hour before Hawk arrived the park had been near empty. But there was a rumour doing the rounds that Hawk, long speculated to visit the Hunter, would finally drop in.

Once he started skating, social media lit up, Facebook statuses trumpeted his presence and kids left nearby high schools to watch one of their idols skate in person. Hawk didn’t disappoint and showed why he is the most recognisable skateboarder of all time.

After a few runs he gave the bowl his approval. ‘‘It’s really good, getting used to a whole new pool is like changing your whole set-up,’’ Hawk told the Newcastle Herald.

‘‘It’s great though, it’s really fun. ‘‘I would like to be here for a few more days. ‘‘I like it, to be honest it’s more my style than Bondi because of the flat walls and the bigger transitions, so it’s more my scene.’’

In 2014, Hawk headed to Sydney and Manly, but didn’t make it up to Newcastle. He saw photographs of the crowd and the quality of competition at the Australian Bowl Riding Championships in early February and was impressed.

‘‘Usually when we’re in Australia we go to Bondi and Manly, but it’s great to break out and see something new,’’ Hawk said.

‘‘I’m here to try and raise awareness for tourism in NSW. ‘‘Destination NSW [the state government’s tourism arm] have been really accommodating and it’s been a great trip.’’  Skateboarding has provided numerous opportunities for Hawk, but the iconic figure is making sure he gives something back.

He is involved in various philanthropic activities, including his own Tony Hawk Foundation that helps build skateparks in underprivileged areas.

‘‘I think what people don’t realise is how much interest there is in skateboarding uintil you actually provide a facility and you see that it gets used from sun up to sun down,’’ he said.

Hawk said he had followed Richards’ career as a youth growing up in surfing-mad California and was thrilled to get to surf with him in Newcastle. Hawk was 11 when a 22-year-old Richards won his first of four World Championships. 

‘‘I grew up in California so surfing was ever present, everyone knew who Mark Richards was and the MR logo was what you drew in all your notebooks,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ve seen him now and then through the years because my brother was the editor of Surfer Magazine. The pair also vaguely remember meeting up in Paris in the early 1990s for a gala event that mutual sponsor Quiksilver had organised. 

Once Hawk was done skating, he chucked on some board shorts and met Richards’ over the road at the Bar Beach ramp. MR had brought two of his own boards and the pair headed out for a few waves among some unsuspecting locals. 

‘‘It was good fun,’’ Richards’ said afterwards. ‘‘It’s always fun to go surfing with people and generally you find someone who is from another sport they are always pretty excited to do something different.

‘‘It sounds like he surfs quite a bit but obviously his passion is skateboarding. ‘‘It’s terrific to have him here in Newcastle and it was great to see him skate the bowl, it was insane to see what he could do. 

‘‘It was great that there was a lot of people there who had no idea and he just turned up. ‘‘It’s kind of the equivalent of being at your home beach one day and Kelly Slater just starts surfing unannounced.’’

Hawk even told Richards he was keen to get one of his boards, and had his eye on a retro twin-fin. ‘‘He surfs a thousand times better than I could ever hope to skateboard,’’ Richards joked.

Hawk and Richards parted ways and the former jumped back on a seaplane bound for Sydney. His visit to Newcastle was complete.