Environment: coastal issues, protection, a better way

Book Review: Salt By Terry Fitzgibbon

Mark "Curly" ThomasNov 7, 2023November 7, 20230

“More and more I find myself talking to the sea,” admits poet Terry Fitzgibbon, whose latest work, Salt, Coastal Connections is a 160-page love letter to the sea. Mark “Curly” Thomas gets his hands on a preview copy of this impressive body of work. As surfers, we are drawn to...

Special Report: What The New Marine Reserves Mean For You, Fishing … And Sharks

Derek MorrisonOct 26, 2023April 9, 20240

New marine reserves raise a raft of questions for southern surfers as 10-year process finally bears fruit. We ask the experts how they even work, what implications there will be for surfing and fishing, and whether we should expect an increase in sharks over time. In early October this year,...

Marine Reserves And Types Explained

Derek MorrisonOct 25, 2023October 26, 20230

Following the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) announcement of six new marine reserves to be established along the southeastern coast of the South Island we delve into what they are and what they will mean for our coastline. Some of the early confusion with the unveiling stemmed from the addition of...

No Marine Reserve For The Catlins

Derek MorrisonOct 25, 2023October 26, 20230

When the Department of Conservation (DOC) announced six new marine reserves to be the first established along the southeastern coast of the South Island in October, there was one glaring omission: The Catlins. While the six new marine reserves, dotted from Oamaru to just north of Bull Creek, aim to...

The Bittersweet Arrival Of A Cyclone Swell

Derek MorrisonFeb 23, 20230

From a dark cloud of calamity emerges a swell like no other. This is the story of Cyclone Gabrielle … It’s a bittersweet tale for the surf community. While Cyclone Gabrielle tore communities apart throughout the North Island, days later its swell brought communities together. The ominous sight of Cyclone...

Watch: Cyclone Gabrielle Sweeps Into Canterbury

Derek MorrisonFeb 22, 2023February 22, 20230

Nineteen-year-old Chilean filmmaker Fernando Jara brings us this cinematic insight into the arrival of the Cyclone Gabrielle swell as it rolled into Christchurch and eventually found favour on the banks of Taylor’s Mistake. Fernando is a budding cinematographer who arrived in New Zealand when he was 15 to join his...

In Search Of The South

Jordan SparrowJan 4, 2023March 16, 20230

The Sub-Antarctic islands are a strange and mysterious place. A place where sea lions roam the mountain peaks, where penguins waddle through the remains of failed settlements, and where megaherb fields give you the feeling of being in the middle of a Dr. Seuss world. If you have ever felt...

Taranaki Rāhui Supported By Government As Kaimoana Stocks Under Threat

Craig AshworthDec 21, 2022December 21, 20220

The Government has banned collection of kaimoana from 70km of the Taranaki coast, giving legal backing to a rāhui that hapū placed on the area in January 2022. The two-year legal ban began on Friday, December 16, just before the summer holidays, when hapū of Taranaki iwi feared a fresh...

Girl In The Wind

Derek MorrisonDec 9, 2022July 25, 20240

Lucy Te Moananui is a special kind of adventurer. She stumbled across sailing while at school and pursued her passion, adding in scuba diving and eventually surfing when she arrived in New Zealand 16 years ago. In April 2023, the 39-year-old will line up on the start line of the...

Spinning Yarns with Sian: Derek Morrison

Derek MorrisonNov 29, 2022November 29, 20220

The Sea Society’s Sian Mair sits down with sea lion advocate and New Zealand Surf Journal founder, Derek Morrison, to discuss all things ocean inspired. From growing up in a rural location about as far from the sea as you could get to becoming inspired by the ocean. Sian explores,...