Whenever I return from a photo trip I often hear lots of comments about what an incredible lifestyle I get to live and there is no doubting that. But it's not through sheer luck. What you're seeing is the Instagram snapshot – those moments that look like I've stumbled across a magical scene with amazing people and perfect light rendering it all disgustingly sublime.
Just like all social media, that's only one side of the story. The real story is weeks of planning, a lifetime of developing the wisdom to arrive at the right place at the right time and the network to bring the right people into the frame. It's late nights and early starts. Long drives and lonely stakeouts.
This past trip was no different and the luck I was conjuring went superbly until day nine when a last minute dash to a remote river bar break ended with me limping into Christchurch with an alternator that had expired on me. Ouch. Stranded in Christchurch. No river break for me. A hefty mechanical bill instead.
But it turns out that Christchurch is not a bad place to end up. By the time my car was ready a north swell was filling in the beaches teasing out a surf community that wasn't afraid to leave work early to make the most of it. The line-up was filled with everyone from hipsters on twin fins to long-haired soul surfers on classic retro boards. It is always nice to see so many women ripping and everyone else from kids on performance boards to grumpy old men on malibus with hearts of native wood ... all wearing wide grins.
And yes, upon my return, the best north swell of the year hits Dunedin and I'm buried under a mountain of editing and can't take a single peek at it. We won't put that on Instagram.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Have you got your hands on a copy of Richard Emerson's book The Hopfather? It's available from all good bookstores and from our friends at Emerson's Brewery and Taproom down by the stadium. It's a great read and a bit of a tear-jerker in places. A must-read. Go get one.
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