Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
The second wave of the storm was due to hit mid morning so we threw a week's clothes and food into the Salty Slug and hoped we'd outrun the next front. The Salty Slug hates the two big hills out of Dunedin: the Leith Saddle and the Kilmog. If they were bound up with snow we might not meet our ferry sailing the next day.
The rear vision mirror was filled with ominous clouds laden with snow as their brown hue promised. By midday we heard it was snowing again in Dunedin and it continued for 24 hours. We made it as far as Kaikoura and parked at a favourite surf spot as the storm finally overtook us. We had snow overnight and the wind kept the Slug rocking like a yacht swaying on the ocean.
By morning the sun was shining and the mountains were coated in snow – remnants of the storm still boiling up beyond the Seaward Kaikouras adding some extra drama to it all.
We were on track for our ferry crossing when the Interislander cancelled all crossings – the 3.9m swell turned out to be a little larger than expected with some waves supposedly up to 8m. Rachael and Keo were happy not to travel that day. So was I given the number of sick bags they filled on a recent crossing.
So we had a day-and-a-half wait in Picton. Not a bad place to be stranded.
We eventually arrived in Wellington at 11pm on Friday and Taya's first heat was at 10:30am the next day. We drove through the night until we were too exhausted to continue. We woke as early as we could to resume the trip but arrived just after her heat. Worse still Taranaki's famous Fitzroy Beach had turned to mush for the day. And the next and the next. Right now we are waiting for the second day of the Scholastics and desperately hoping Taranaki will deliver some of its amazing waves for the contest. There is certainly a lot of potential in the forecast ... I have my eyes on a session or two down the coast. Time will tell ...
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Our good friend Isaac Chadwick is holding a release party for his new film Bask: Volume III. This is Isaac's third surf film that traces the journey of student surfers (a bunch of rippers) throughout the seasons of a year at Otago University. The premiere will be happening next Friday, the 14th of October at the St Kilda Surf club. There will be an afternoon skate jam to start off the event as a stake ramp has been kindly donated by the Dunedin skate brand Dol Col. We'll then have the premiere of the film followed by two of the heavyweights in Dunedin's student band scene, Hot Sauce Club and The Beatniks. We'll then finish off the night with some noticeable faces spinning some fruity tunes on the decks.
“This event, beyond being a platform to present the latest surf film, is being put together with the aim of creating a community event for the Dunedin surf community from the students to the locals,” Isaac explains. “We want to bring everyone together for a night to celebrate our amazing community down here after what has been such a hard year for many of us.”
The event will be collecting a $10 Koha at the door to go towards covering the hiring out of equipment while the remaining portion will be put into the gofundme for Anna Parsons's recovery.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: