July 14th 2026: Lost and found

These past few weeks, I have only had small windows to chase waves, and most of those trips have ended without me surfing – or surfing average waves. I'm always quite positive, because I realised very early on in my surfing life that you have to get skunked sometimes to really appreciate the days when you do score the best waves of your life. 

Modern forecasting has taken some of the gloss off that hit-and-miss reality – we've come a long way from the days we read the isobars on a tiny map on the back page of the paper! But these days, some beaches need very specific combos of swells, winds, sand movement, or tidal flow ... or a concoction of all of those things. Forecast models don't have the detail yet to pinpoint those days. These tend to be the more fickle spots, and you can still be pretty sure you'll get them alone. In my mind, they're worth the gamble.

This week, we managed to snag one in full flight. A dreamy session with just a few out, it made me think about how lucky we are in New Zealand to have so much coastline to explore. Last year, we saw a push from a local council to shut access to a whole section of coastline in Wairarapa. Luckily, the full closure didn't get through, and we can still hike in to surf those waves. But we have to really start to think about what the future might hold for our coastlines – especially in this new era of wealth politics. 

From 13 July until 10 August 2026, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) is keen to hear your views on a range of environmental, cultural, social, recreational and economic issues and opportunities along the Otago Coast. This is your chance to have your say and speak up for your right to maintain unfettered access to the coast, protection of surf breaks in the region – anything that you feel strongly about and that you would like to see woven into the spatial planning and management of the Otago Coast. 

Your feedback will support the development of a framework to manage coastal issues and activities under the new resource management system, including a future regional spatial plan.

Please take your time to respond to this before August 10 and contribute your voice to ensure that the coastline we love is not hijacked in the future. 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS: The ORC is keen to understand coastal environmental issues, opportunities, and risks, in partnership with mana whenua and our communities, to ensure a strong evidence base is available regardless of future regulatory settings. Have your say here: https://www.orc.govt.nz/environment/coast-care/coast-feedback