Environment: coastal issues, protection, a better way

Watch: The War on Style

Derek MorrisonDec 19, 2024December 19, 20240

After competing on the Freeride World Tour, and transitioning into a new career in nursing, Hank Bilous brings us an exposé into the relationship between different passions, the skill sets behind them, and the self-expression that mastery of them allows. In his directorial and producing debut, Hank adds another qualification...

Photo Essay: Inside The Hīkoi

Morgan TahapehiNov 26, 2024November 26, 20240

Surfer and surf photographer Morgan Tahapehi is renowned for her body of work: Surfers of Aotearoa. Morgan has whakapapa to Tainui, but the reason she decided to hīkoi was to document the voices of New Zealand using her gift as a photographer. This is her story. Ko Tainui tōku waka...

Verdure Surf: The Future Of Flex

Taira BlakelyNov 1, 20240

Jack Candlish and team at Verdure Surf just might be the future of surfboard manufacturing. Operating on the cutting edge of sustainable surfboard development, they seem to have found accessible solutions to the environmental flaws plaguing the surf manufacturing industry. They’ve already won over top surfers and shapers, and they...

Watch: Southern Blast

Derek MorrisonJul 2, 2024July 25, 20240

Southern Blast tells a story of natural beauty and the looming threat of oil and gas exploration along Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania’s coastline – endangering a unique coastal lifestyle and surfing culture. Southern Blast is a beautiful cinematic celebration of the wild landscapes, abundant marine ecosystems, and local communities...

Watch: Calypte

Derek MorrisonJan 2, 2024June 11, 20240

When Torren Martyn and Aiyana Powell borrowed the 35ft sailing boat ‘Calypte’ and departed from the east coast of Thailand in early 2022, they had a combined sailing experience of only a few days. Ishka Folkwell documented that journey. The one requirement of their charter was to eventually deliver the...

Book Review: Salt By Terry Fitzgibbon

Mark "Curly" ThomasNov 7, 2023November 7, 20230

“More and more I find myself talking to the sea,” admits poet Terry Fitzgibbon, whose latest work, Salt, Coastal Connections is a 160-page love letter to the sea. Mark “Curly” Thomas gets his hands on a preview copy of this impressive body of work. As surfers, we are drawn to...

Special Report: What The New Marine Reserves Mean For You, Fishing … And Sharks

Derek MorrisonOct 26, 2023April 9, 20240

New marine reserves raise a raft of questions for southern surfers as 10-year process finally bears fruit. We ask the experts how they even work, what implications there will be for surfing and fishing, and whether we should expect an increase in sharks over time. In early October this year,...

Marine Reserves And Types Explained

Derek MorrisonOct 25, 2023October 26, 20230

Following the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) announcement of six new marine reserves to be established along the southeastern coast of the South Island we delve into what they are and what they will mean for our coastline. Some of the early confusion with the unveiling stemmed from the addition of...

No Marine Reserve For The Catlins

Derek MorrisonOct 25, 2023October 26, 20230

When the Department of Conservation (DOC) announced six new marine reserves to be the first established along the southeastern coast of the South Island in October, there was one glaring omission: The Catlins. While the six new marine reserves, dotted from Oamaru to just north of Bull Creek, aim to...

The Bittersweet Arrival Of A Cyclone Swell

Derek MorrisonFeb 23, 20230

From a dark cloud of calamity emerges a swell like no other. This is the story of Cyclone Gabrielle … It’s a bittersweet tale for the surf community. While Cyclone Gabrielle tore communities apart throughout the North Island, days later its swell brought communities together. The ominous sight of Cyclone...