Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
Three years ago we were in the midsts of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Dunedin had gone crazy for Ireland, the Poms were getting up to mischief in Queenstown and the All Blacks were picking their way through a field of thorns on their way to World Cup victory number two.
Somewhere in amongst that chaos, on a Tuesday at 10:30am, the first edition of Box of Light (then called Dunedin Light) dinged into the inboxes of my family, colleagues and buddies throughout the world. It was a surf-laden feast of photography timed perfectly for your morning coffee break.
It seems it caught on. Today's report is read by more than 6000 people, we have another 6000 on Facebook, our Instagram feed is growing rapidly and we get showered in amazing emails from readers we've moved in some way.
We couldn't have done this without the help of a few key supporters. Among them are Seventhwave Wetsuits who have been there supporting us from the very beginning. Not only do these guys make their wetsuits in New Zealand, but they are at the forefront of technology. Make sure you buy your next wettie from them.
Since Canon New Zealand came on board the support we have had has been amazing. The people running the show in Auckland are super passionate about surfing, sports and photography. They even ran a special Box of Light photography blog from Samoa. You can read it here on Canon's community blog page.
From the very beginning though we had the support of the Dunedin NZ brand and without that we would never have survived. For the team at Tourism Dunedin to look at this mad idea (and back it) was the spark we needed. We are very grateful for that.
Box of Light is free for subscribers, but that is only possible because of our brilliant advertisers – support them and you'll be supporting us.
And finally thanks to you. Thanks for your great emails and sharing Box of Light with all your mates. That's the real reward for all the work we put into it. Now plan your week of surfing here.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Vote this Saturday. It's important your voice is heard (you're awesome).
PPS Don't forget the Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival is on October 4 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: