February 3rd 2026: Road tripping

I've been working as a photographer since 1994. Throughout that time, I've done many laps around New Zealand. I've visited nearly every beach in the country and most of the best surf beaches multiple times. A lot has changed across those 32 years. 

When I started out, I lived in my car and mostly ate noodles, which cost about 80c a packet back then. I stayed at beaches, parked under the shade of a tree in the summer heat and surfed a lot when the light wasn't so good – making the most of the light at each end of the day for photography.

I can barely remember seeing tourists at the remote beaches. They were mostly focused on the tourist hotspots. On the coast, I was welcomed and made friends with the locals. Freedom camping was not even a concept. It was just called camping. Park up, sleep. That New Zealand tradition, or rite of passage, is now severely eroded. I mostly blame the international tourists – the ones who have little respect for our land and coastline.

On this last trip, we were moved on from a camping spot at Makorori in Gisborne and then again several other times during our lap of the North Island and once in the South Island, too. In Makorori, the pohutukawa trees we camped near were clearly used as a dumping ground by locals – bags of kina shells and rotting waste. So, it felt like a kick in the guts to be moved on when we're so respectful and grateful to be able to stay a night in such a place – and we definitely leave these places tidier than when we arrive. 

Places like Gisborne, Wairarapa and the West Coast are crying out for visitors and need them to keep the locals afloat, but the overbearing council rules around freedom camping turn many away. Yes, we've seen tourists defecate on tracks less than 100m from toilets, and it needs to be policed, but losing this way of life for New Zealanders is an actual tragedy. 

I'd hate to see places like these go the way of Wanaka and Queenstown, where gentrification and entitlement have put a filter on who is even welcomed into the town. 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS Keep an eye out for sea lions moving around with their pups on our beaches at the moment. This time of year the mums are moving around and can turn up in lots of unusual places. They tend to like our surf beaches, so be careful when heading down tracks and when driving on our coastal roads. The pups are super cute, but hopeless when it comes to road awareness. If you find an oversized inflatable-looking seal, then that's the southern elephant seal that's currently visiting. They're the largest seal species in the world. This particular male is like an easily led, curious teenager, so keep your distance and be careful not to accidentally draw him onto roads.