Derek Morrison

Unruly Caverns: Chasing Slabs In The Deepest South

Derek MorrisonOct 15, 2018March 1, 20190

A late-season swell offers one last roll of the dice for New Zealand’s big-wave riders and the stakes are high. As the winds swing through the ideal bearing the focus falls on a reef on a remote corner of coastline. Four teams of surfers get the session of a lifetime....

Vege Power: How One Surfer Owned His Wave-Miles Guilt

Derek MorrisonOct 15, 2018October 15, 20180

It’s 10:30am on a Tuesday and Matt Jenks is pulling up outside Japanese restaurant Jitsu in lower Stuart Street, Dunedin, parking his bike and heading inside with a 20-litre container to drain the kitchen of its used vegetable oil. It’s a 10-minute side-trip on his way to work at Dunedin...

After The Quake: Hope Springs In Kaikoura

Derek MorrisonOct 12, 20180

In a sheltered bay off the end of the Kaikoura Peninsula columns of bubbles spill out of the sea floor like shimmering mercury and make their way to the surface. It’s a dazzling display, like a scene that belongs in Wonderland. This is Hope Springs, aptly named, and just one...

Chasing Storms With Doug Young and Ross Clarke-Jones

Derek MorrisonOct 10, 2018October 10, 20180

Bobbing around on a jet ski near a reef off the southernmost tip of New Zealand’s South Island it dawned on me that I had been drawn here like a moth to a flame. Each passing set of waves grew in size and intensity and started to look more like...

Finding Gonad Man Living Large On Norfolk Island

Derek MorrisonOct 10, 2018October 10, 20180

What is it about island living that sets a pace of life that is two parts relaxation, two parts lifestyle and one part work? Norfolk Island is a little rock in the South Pacific with exactly these values. It impressed us with its character, abundance of waves and an actual...

The Life Of Kaya

Derek MorrisonOct 3, 2018July 25, 20240

There is no question that the Gold Coast of Australia has become the hotbed of surf talent in the Southern Hemisphere. It has such a concentration of talent that when one of its fabled sandy points break, no waves go unridden and the menu is barrels, airs and fully buried...

Watch: Nias Goes Wild During The Mega Swell Of The Century

Derek MorrisonSep 28, 2018March 1, 20190

Here’s a great insight into the Mega Swell that hit Indonesia in late July 2018 and turned Nias from an idyllic paradise into a frightening wave of consequence. Grab a coffee, turn the quality to HD, hit full screen and enjoy.

Surf Photographer Cory Scott Buys New Zealand Surfing Magazine

Derek MorrisonSep 28, 2018February 8, 20190

One of the greats of New Zealand surf photography, Cory Scott, has taken ownership of New Zealand Surfing Magazine after 10 years as an employee with the magazine. The title has been produced consistently since 1985. Cory bought the title in June this year from Pacific Media’s Steve Dickinson. Cory...

Almost 50 Years Behind The Lens, But Warren Hawke Isn’t Slowing Down

Derek MorrisonSep 28, 2018November 13, 20180

Back in 1966 a 13-year-old Christchurch boy stared out to sea and decided that surfing was going to become a part of his life. Photography soon consumed a young Warren Hawke and nearly 50 years later he is one of New Zealand’s best surf photographers and still chasing swells from...

Fiji Launchpad 2017: Four Rising Stars Versus Cloudbreak

Derek MorrisonSep 27, 2018February 8, 20190

Friday is our last day in Fiji. It is a day of mixed emotions. Firstly, it is sad to leave the friends we’ve made but nice to know we’ll soon return to our families and friends. Our boatman Felipé has a tear in his eye as he hugs each of...