Nothing beats the crisp autumn air and intensity of colour as the spectrum condenses in readiness for winter. From vibrant, whole-sky sunrises to the clean blue lines of the Pacific Ocean and the southerly front-groomed cloud formations, we live in a particularly beautiful part of the world.
Making the most of it this week I got to shoot with Dunedin's rising surf stars Elliott Brown and James Murphy. Elliott is the current Under 18 National Surfing Champ and James is right on his heels. They're also two of the nicest surfers you might meet in the lineup – a trait that will serve them well as their surf careers take flight. And that is partly what impressed me about these two in the difficult and complicated conditions at St Kilda: they both added to their rail-to-rail surfing with a glimpse of their air games. That is what young surfers have to bring to the competitive table these days, so it's nice to see both these lads have it on tap. Alongside some power surfing, that's a promising mix.
James stepped it up in another arena recently when he became the youngest surfer ever to paddle into a wave at Papatowai in the Catlins. Witnesses put his wave in the 10-foot-plus range – a great feat in the extremely windy conditions at a place as foreboding as Papas.
That big swell today (have you seen it?) should be cleaning up during the week ... make sure you book your day in.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS If you get a chance to pop into the Box of Light Gallery this week we have a new 1m x 1m artwork on display that would look great in a designer home. It's a minimalist impression of those vibrant blues of the South Pacific Ocean at St Kilda ... and it's an edition limited to 10. Find us at 1 Dowling Street, Dunedin.
Proudly supported by:
