CPL, Author at New Zealand Surf Journal

Is Surfer Magazine The Canary In The Publishing Mine?

CPLOct 16, 2020October 16, 20200

Just last week Surfer magazine folded. Yes, the seminal work that was started by John Severson in 1960 was suddenly no longer a viable business, according to its publisher, American Media Inc. It was cast aside as easily as you might squish a sand-fly on the West Coast. No fanfare....

Nothing Good About Covid-19 … Unless You’re Billy Stairmand

CPLJun 17, 2020June 17, 20200

We’ve all had a topsy-turvy year, but for seven-time New Zealand surfing champ Billy Stairmand it has kind of worked out okay. Photographer Craig Levers catches up with our Olympic hope and finds out why … NZSJ: Hey Billy, you’re wearing a knee brace, what happened? During the Newcastle 5000 WQS...

Artist Daryn McBride Offers Surfers Some Lockdown Relief

CPLApr 8, 2020July 2, 20200

Surf artist Daryn McBride has taken the lockdown message of community into his own hands. Now in his late 40s he’s offering New Zealanders a window into his art through a series of his colouring-in drawings. Daryn McBride is a living legend in the longboard scene. He’s a true talent and...

A South Sumatran Travelogue

CPLAug 20, 2019August 20, 20190

Nowhere in the surfing world has changed as much as Bali in the past 30 years, but if you still want that sublime Indonesian surf experience then you don’t have to mortgage your house to get it. Photographer Craig Levers shares an insight into the surfing subtleties of South Sumatra....

Storm Chasing With Team Backdoor

CPLJul 24, 2019July 2, 20200

When a low-pressure system parks itself off the east coast it spins everyone into a frenzy. The recent July swell was no different and Piha photographer, CPL, fresh up for air after a deadline, wasted no time. He picks up the story … “Yes!” That was the emphatic reply I...

Roger Hall Stole My Shaper: Inside The HC–Surfline Deal

CPLNov 19, 2018November 20, 20180

HC Surfboards shaper Hayden Chamberlain has moved his operation north to Ruakaka and into Roger Hall’s Surfline surfboard factory. It’s a mutual relationship that should see both brands benefit. But surf photojournalist Craig Levers thinks he just may be the one missing out. A couple of months ago West Auckland...

Finding Work Life Balance With Auckland Artist Greg Straight

CPLNov 7, 2018February 8, 20190

You may not have heard of artist Greg Straight, but chances are you’ve seen his work. His art is prolific and right now he’s completely on trend. He, and his wife Hannah, have landed his art into galleries throughout the country. And he’s in demand for commercial illustrations. Craig Levers...

Five Minutes With: Filmmaker Damon Meade

CPLNov 4, 2018March 1, 20190

While channeling his creative side in a fine arts degree at Massey University in the early 2000s, Damon Meade stumbled across filmmaking. That set him on a course that intersected with Maz and the Gisborne hotbed of surfing talent, and launched the career of one of New Zealand’s most successful...