Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
About two years ago I found myself sitting with a bunch of mates around a smoky campfire on a beautiful summer’s evening on the West Coast. We were discussing books and analysing the bookstands in our heads, in search of the gap ... what was missing from those bookshelves? Louie poked his stick in the fire and a whole stream of embers shot up like fireworks. He turned to the group and blurted out “we need a book on pies!” at the top of his lungs.
Within minutes we had appointed a team of 20-plus under-the-radar pie testers. The next morning we dispersed throughout the country and gathered intelligence from every corner … and pie crumbs. Crumbfall became a badge we wore proudly (seriously).
Over the next two years the book percolated and very slowly the chapters emerged. My most recent missions have been to travel to these far flung places and document the pies, the pie makers and the places that inspire them all.
It's a light-hearted journey around Aotearoa exploring what many claim to be our national dish. Tomorrow I visit my last pie shop (in Taranaki) before the book field work is complete and we are on the run to the deadline. In many ways it's like getting to the end of a good book ... or pie.
The good news is that you can pre order a copy right here.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS On the way back from some pie book work in Christchurch this past week I stopped into photograph a friend's coastal property that is coming up for sale. I parked the Salty Slug underneath some pine trees and made the most of the evening light. About 3am I woke up as I could hear a rhythmical cracking noise. To my relief, it turned out a new swell had arrived. By dawn it was clear that this coastal property was right on the edge of a pretty amazing point break, that I barely knew about. After my shooting and filming was complete I surfed the 3-4 foot rights for two hours – mostly by myself. I had to pinch myself. It was kind of like a reward for a pretty busy time of work for me. And a new piece of coastline had revealed itself to me.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: