Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
Well, that was a big lap around New Zealand. 4817km to be exact including at least three navigational errors and two cyclone swell chases ...
We surfed waves from the tippy top of Aotearoa to the West Coast of the South Island and we had some adventures in between. We surfed Cyclone Hale, then surfed in boardshorts all day during Westport's hottest day ever; 29°C, but it felt like 35°C.
Our month on the road in the Salty Slug took in three surf comps and we ended on a high with Keo winning the Under 14 division at SISA's Westport Round of the South Island Grom Series. Rewa finished second in the Under 16s and Under 18s and she then went on to finish third in the Open Women's at the Cape Classic in some seriously fun and grunty waves.
But contest surfing aside we visited some amazing places along the way and surfed so many amazing waves. To finish on the West Coast was kind of poetic. We had some of our hottest weather there and I swear the water was warmer than Rarawa in the far north. We had shark encounters there, too, with a likely seven giller approaching local surfer Jacob Fitzgerald one evening session. The ocean seems alive when the water temp blasts past 22°C, that's for sure.
A favourite time for me was seeing the actual moments my kids hit a new level in surfing. That took place somewhere between small glassy Rarawa and big grunty Bluehouse, and then playful Matauri Bay in Northland. And of course watching Ava Henderson return to contest surfing with her great big smile and incredible style at Westport was a bonus and to see Jai Earnshaw hit his straps in a final that blew a lot of world-class events to the weeds.
Thank you to Ava and Jai for being such amazing characters and to the surf communities of the West Coast, Far North, Piha and Raglan for adding something special to our journey. Arohanui.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS For the full stories from the 2023 Westport Grom Comp and the Cape Classic check out our 40 Frames features over at NZ Surf Journal.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: