Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
One of the projects I'm working on at the moment involves me collecting a lot of imagery from various terrain, flora and fauna types around Otago. I find it quite staggering just how varied our coastline and hinterland is. Within a 50k radius you can discover so many different (and often rare) species and terrain from volcanic plugs to shallow inlets and long stretches of white-sand beaches.
I've also learnt that before Europeans arrived, much of the land was covered in tall native trees and thick scrub – right down to the sea – kind of like what you can still see at Papatowai in the Catlins. That would have been an impressive sight. No doubt with a few moa running around amongst it all and a dawn chorus that would blow us all away.
It was a good week to be out filming with some super warm water (18.3°C apparently) and scorching hot days turning Otago into some kind of tropical paradise. I even managed a couple of surfs in boardshorts. Now that is a treat.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS The South Coast Boardriders joined forces with Hydro Surf to deliver the 2023 Otago Surf Champs at the weekend. A beautiful swell made for some fun conditions and some really exciting surfing. Nixon Reardon won the Open Men's with Kai Woolf winning the Open Women's title.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: