Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
On our last morning in Kaikoura we woke up and raced to Meatworks on the promise of a new swell. We only needed a sniff, that's how desperate we were to bookend our trip with some decent waves at the special break. We weren't the only ones. Dave Lyons is the most amped adult I have ever met and his excitement is contagious ... enough to see Waihi's Levi Stewart extend his stay an extra day and enough to drag local charger Levi O'Connor across town for a wave.
Sharing the lineup with those two is something else – they're two of New Zealand's best surfers and two of the most under-rated. They traded waves amongst my kids, Dave's son, the Morse family and the Brock girls in a swell that didn't quite meet expectation, but was busy enough for the last remaining surfers in town.
Levi O'Connor's air game was, as always, sensational. Levi Stewart proved why he deserves to be chasing the WQS. Then there is Anna and Sophia who seem determined to continue their trajectory in surfing – with Anna laying down some impressive carves and critical reos. The rest of us just looked on and did our best to pick up a thing or two.
Kaikoura is always such an amazing place to surf. Unique in the world really, and underpinned by that superb Kiwi hospitality. Can't wait to go back there.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Today, as you read this, I will be handing over the last pages of my upcoming book to my publisher. It has been an incredible adventure photographing and writing this latest one, but crikey, it has taken some life out of me. Looking forward to surfing again ... see you out there, but be nice ... my surf fitness is zero.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: