Inspiration - New Zealand Surf Journal

Daniel Farr and Maya Mateja Win 2024 Surf Nats

Derek MorrisonJan 14, 2024April 9, 20240

Taranaki’s Daniel Farr and Raglan 15-year-old Maya Mateja win the 2024 New Zealand Surfing Champs held in Dunedin over the past week. An explosive final day of the 2024 National Surfing Championships has seen Taranaki surfer Daniel Farr claim his second national title by the closest margin in the history...

40 Frames: NZ Surf Nats … The Free Surf Sessions

Derek MorrisonJan 11, 2024March 25, 20240

The 2024 New Zealand Surfing Champs is underway in Dunedin right now with a challenging forecast keeping organisers on their toes. There’s always a lot more to a surf comp than meets the eye. Especially when the swell, wind and tide combination is in a typical summer mode, with swirling...

Business Insight: The C-Skins New Zealand Story

Derek MorrisonJan 5, 2024April 9, 20240

Bringing a new wetsuit brand into New Zealand was never going to be easy, but that didn’t deter Simon Clowes and Cian Sullivan – the duo behind C-Skins here in New Zealand. Simon jokes that he and Cian could be father and son. While there is a 25-year gap between...

Watch: Calypte

Derek MorrisonJan 2, 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...

Oscar Hetherington Wins International Surf Photography Award

Derek MorrisonNov 15, 2023November 17, 20230

New Zealand’s Oscar Hetherington has won the world’s most prestigious surf photography contest, when it was announced that he had won the Follow The Light Surf Photography Grant award a few days ago at Laguna Beach, California. The awards are held each year to honour the late Larry “Flame Moore,...

Barrels, Beers & Dislocations: An Indonesian Rookie’s Story

Isaac ChadwickNov 15, 20230

Isolated beaches with no one in sight. Dreamy barrels curving onto a perfectly shaped volcanic reef. Amazing food for the price of next to nothing. And now Jack McLeod is being precariously lifted onto a wooden tuk-tuk boat with his left arm painfully protruding from its socket, muscles throbbing in...

The Waddell Collection: NZ Surfing Memorabilia & Boards Offered For Sale

Grant DysonNov 14, 2023November 14, 20230

One of New Zealand’s finest collections of classic Kiwi surfboards and surfing memorabilia – held in a private collection – is being offered for sale. The collection, stored in a hangar at Tauranga Airport, centres on more than 130 surfboards, both longboards and short boards, most in excellent condition. It...

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...

Surf Business: In Deep With Backdoor Owner, Hutch

Derek MorrisonNov 6, 20230

While the surf industry seems to be in a slump, Backdoor’s Geoff Hutchison remains cautiously optimistic as he opens his 25th and biggest store in Dunedin. We caught up with the 60-year-old ripper and surf business guru to learn a bit about what’s going on in the surf industry right...

Roadtrip: Into The Deep South With Team Backdoor

Derek MorrisonOct 25, 20230

The Backdoor Team of Billy Stairmand, Paul Moretti, Jay Piper-Healion, Caleb Cutmore, Taylor Hutchison and Darren Celliers immerse themselves in southern waves … and marathon sessions. Filmmaker Isaac Chadwick and photographer Derek Morrison are on hand to capture the antics, fin blows and air revs … and they hardly miss...