February 22nd 2022: Early risers

I'm a little envious of my kids' grommethood in surfing. When I started surfing we lived on a farm in the middle of the North Island and I had to wait until I got my license and could drive to the beach. Don't get me wrong the farm upbringing was incredible, just not so conducive to surfing.

My kids get to surf everyday and this past week they dragged me out of bed each morning for before school dawnies. It reminded me just how amazing those early surfs are – especially with sunrises that seem extra colourful – thanks to the ash in the sky from Tonga's eruption, I am told.

So, under a sky that looked more like a painting, the kids and their friends started each day with a handful of waves that are sure to have made them content at school for most of the day. This time of year we're also talking air temperatures demanding not much more than a t-shirt at sunrise, which helps.

Go get your own dawny and start at least one day this week with the right mindset ... that's my plan.

See you at the beach (at dawn) ... Derek

PS We're back to normal programming now and have some beautiful new prints in the gallery including this one of a wave breaking at Second Beach, St Clair. It's 2.4m long and looks stunning. Book an appointment to check it out whenever suits you best. Or you can grab one of our books in our gallery ... or right here online!