New Coastal Policy Statement released

Date: 28 October 2010
Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation

A new national policy statement will give councils clearer direction on protecting and managing New Zealand’s coastal environment, including our top surf breaks, says Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson.

“The Government made a commitment to deliver more national guidance on implementation of the Resource Management Act,” Ms Wilkinson says.

“The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) 2010 that I’m recommending does that.”

The NZCPS sets out policies on coastal issues including protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes, planning for subdivision, use, and development, protection of biodiversity and water quality, and management of coastal hazard risks.

full article here

What are the nationally significant surf breaks and how were they chosen?

This policy attracted significant interest and the list was developed by the Board of Inquiry after taking submissions from national surfing organisations and individual surfers, as well as related environmental evidence. The surf breaks listed come from seven regions:

• Otago: The Spit, Karitane, Whareakeake (Murdering Bay), Papatowai;
• Kaikoura: Mangamaunu, Meatworks;
• Taranaki: Stent Road breaks, Waiwhakaiho;
• Gisborne: Makorori Point, Wainui breaks, The Island;
• Raglan: Manu Bay, Whale Bay, Indicators;
• Coromandel: Whangamata Bar;
• Northland: Peaks (Shipwreck Bay, Super tubes, Mukie 1&2).

Top marks to all the Surfing groups, individuals, clubs & orgs in NZ, especially the efforts of Surfbreak Protection Society getting this policy in the NZCPS - protecting some of New Zealands top surf breaks.

Labour Weekend Garden

Above, a Protea in our front garden.

Launching into another growing season, me and Jay are hoping to be as self producing as possible with fruit and vegetables this year. Pic Above is the garden at the beginning of the month, with soil turned over ready for planting out. Since then we have pricked out a pile of sprouted seeds into the furrows. New Trellis is up ready for the newly planted green beans, and the peas are in too,

Fruit trees are doing well, (above) and the berries are establishing themselves along the 3 tier espalier along the fence line.

We now have three strawberry Patches, and a good grove of Rhubarb plants. I think we have lost most of our asparagus plants which have been shooting for a few years, only two have sprouted so far.In the background of this photo (above) you can see I picked up some old low profile tyres at Mag and Turbo a few weeks ago, and Jay planted some spuds in them. Looking to get another 3 or 4 stacks going, two with Yams.

Readers Post - Yellow Eyed Penguin

My name is Keith and I have just moved to the Brighton area with my wife Alice. Im a pretty keen (yet spectacularly poor) surfer and have followed and enjoyed your blog with interest for sometime.

I was out for a run this evening and came across a yellow eyed penguin just south of Brighton. We have moved up here from Kaka Point so im used to seeing them and it was obvious this one wasnt well. With darkness approaching we decided to catch it (after getting the ok from DOC).

DOC ranger then came and collected it from our house. Fingers crossed it will do well.

Just thought you might be interested to hear our wee story.

Keith and Alice

Nationals to be Held In Dunedin Jan 2011

Article on the Otago Daily Times Website here

Surfscapes - Reviews - a success?

The exhibition was due to end today,

but has been extended until the 6th of November 2010

Exhibition Review
ODT Thursday 30th September 2010 - Arts Section

"Surfscapes" (Green Island Gallery)

Green Island Gallery's "Surfscapes" consists of work by eight local surfers who are also artists.

Several of the names are familiar, most notably Steev Peyroux and Ollie Crooks, but the work by the remaining artists is also worthy of note.

James Kerr's work is impressive, with its boldly impressionistic colours.

The sea seems to ripple in the mix of pinks and cyans which he weaves from his brush, as do the waves in two equally attractive bright works by Ollie Crooks.

More realistic are the warm vibrant tones of Nic Reeves' paintings, which depict stylised South Pacific seafronts, with foam breaking against symbol-heavy Polynesian coasts.

Darren Tautari's work is attractive, understated, and realistic.

He nicely depicts his recognisable street and beach scenes, often by picking a feature, most obviously in the simple, effective Gulls.

His work sits opposite two excellent large pieces by Steev Peyroux depicting folded blankets of hillside lapped by coastal waters or sitting nervously under sullen skies.

Street art, unsurprisingly, makes its influence known, most obviously in a series of works by Nathan Shaw, but also in the cartoon-like surfer image of Nathan Lungley.

The exhibition is completed by a series of miniature hand-float boards, shaped and decorated in fine humour by Jayin Tzu.

Saving Waves: Coastal planning and surf breaks

26th October 2010 at 6pm
Venue: Design Lecture Theatre, NICAI Conference Centre, 22 Symonds St, Auckland.
A lecture by Paul Shanks and Matt Skellern
Paul Shanks won the Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon in 2006, for community leadership in Whangamata. Since then, Paul has taken a lead in saving New Zealand’s greatest surfing asset, its waves. From an international perspective, New Zealand is innovating in the ways it proposes to protect its world class surf breaks. Surfer and planner Matt Skellern contributes toward surf break protection alongside other surfers with backgrounds in planning, coastal science, oceanography, social science, law, economics along with perspectives from the surfing community and surfing industry.
Globally, surfers have been protesting the extinction of quality surf breaks for years. However, in December 2008, surf break protection was formalised through the World Heritage Surf Break movement based on the UNESCO model of World Heritage Sites. Following a similar trend, New Zealanders adopted the legal process to protect the world class surf breaks in Aotearoa.
Paul and Matt’s presentation aims to raise awareness of surf break protection at home and abroad, identifying potential issues for future ocean planning.

This Saving Waves lecture is kindly supported by the New Zealand Planning Institute and New Zealand Coastal Society.

Loopy Skidi

Quiet weekends, and little entertainment lately, our new guinea pig Skidi is providing the entertainment. We also remodelled their cage to include a pipe from the top floor off the verandah. Now Skidi does his mad running loops from the top floor down the tube to the back of the bottom floor, and back up the tube over and over and over. Laughter is the best remedy.

Happy Birthday Shane

Today is my sons' 24th birthday.
Happy Birthday Shane, was great to spend the afternoon with you.
Above: Shane shooting off a few while I was baiting up the hook.
Below, A few of Shane's surf shots.

Below again: Downsouth and Jay paddling out. In the foreground the fishing hollow.

Above left; Shane took a photo of my first fish I caught. By the end of the session, after some filming from the rocks too, I had caught three fish using my super secret bait method. I was so stoked its been about 25 years since I last rock fished at Brighton.
After downsouth left to drive back to ChCh, Jay stayed out and surfed with Beano, and I went home with Shane. Above right: the three fish in the laundry sink at home.
Later in the afternoon Jay prepared the fish and we wrapped in foil with butter and tarragon and bbq'd them. I made a spinach (from the garden) garlic and tomato treat to accompany it (Pic Below)

Above, the vista sitting outside eating the catch, looking out over the spring garden.
PS.. my mother saw this post and sent me a photo she took of me having just returned from one of my fishing trips in 1980 ( I was ten or 11). I had also just taken a photo of the fish with my own camera ( you can see it on the window ledge next to me).. so in 30 years nothing has changed! thanks for the pic mum.

Stolen Surfboard - Brighton Beach

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Local surfer Neds' daughter's surfboard went missing from the car park at the brighton (Dunedin) surf club today. He was surfing and she was playing on the beach with her mum and sister.

Ned would would like to think it wasn't stolen but it looks that way. He handmade the board mad for her, so it's kind of special to both of them. It's quite distinctive.

If you know of anything, hear anything, or even see it around,

please contact me via this blog

20th Cape Classic 2010

The 20th Cape Classic
23rd - 24th October 2010

20 years of the Cape Classic with $7500 cash and more sponsors product up for grabs.
King Kapisi and the nomad for the after party and T Bay with a nice a-frame bank forming we are set to go.
Get down, over or up to Westport for the Best Classic yet.

Entry Form Here
Facebook page Here

St Clair in the Sun

What a stuinning day, after all the freezing weather and snow the last week. I sat on the Esplanade getting my 20 minutes of natural Vitamin D early this afternoon. Usually I'm always out in the sun, either taking photos, gardening or surfing but the last 10 months in exile, with nadda surf, no gardening and not many photo sessions my vit D levels dropped way low.. looking to boost them up naturally now, fingers crossed hopefully soon I can get back out on the water too. Being sick is a pain.

Below left: Not much sand at the base of the sea wall at the moment.
Below Right: A view along the esplanade towards the St Clair resort.

Surfscapes Exhibition

The opening night was a great success, thank you to all those who came.
The Exhibition will run until the 6th of November, another two weeks longer than planned.

The Gallery Opening Hours are
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Surfscapes - the Art of Otago Surfers

When	Exhibition Opening 7pm Friday 17th September running for 4 weeks till the 14th of October 2010
Location	The Green Island Gallery, Cnr Main South Road & Church Street, Green Island - 194 main South Road, Green Island (next door to the Night and Day Store)
	An exhibition of Surf Art from Otago Surfers will run for 4 weeks at the Green Island Gallery, Dunedin. Come and view a diverse range of art styles and mediums inspired by surfing and surf culture. Opening night is Friday the 17th of September at 7pm. Featuring artists: Steev Peyroux, Ollie Crooks, Nathan Shaw, Darren James Tautari, James Kerr, Jayin Tzu, Nic Reeves and Nathan Lungley. Check out the facebook event for more information and to register your attendance to the opening, so we can cater accurately. 10% of sales will be donated to the Surfbreak Protection Society. see you there!

Keep Dunedin Beautiful Litter Pick

St Clair & Kilda Beach Cleanup

Saturday 18th of September at 2.30pm - meet at the locked John Wilson Gates

Sunday 19th September at 10.30am - meet at the Shark Bell, St Clair

check out the facebook link and register your attendance
organised by Chloe & Tony Denley

he says:
"Dunedin people (or NZ wide if you want to organize a wee group for your local area) - I organized a group of us last year to have a litter pick down in St Kilda...... It wasn't the biggest turnout but we still managed to get over 5 big bags of rubbish!

Was hoping about going big and doing the whole stretch of St Clair/ Kilda on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of September.... Probably working in groups of 2 so one can collect the recyclable and the other general landfill waste.

Bags and gloves will be provided by the DCC and the bags will be collected from the normal litter collection the following week.

The Saturday I'll be working until 1pm hence a 2.30 start but those who may be only able to do the Saturday are welcome to start a group earlier and i will either join or continue on later.

The Sunday I will be starting at 10.30am.

For those of you not local to Dunedin maybe you know of schools or groups who would be interested in this week.. If so all information can be found on the website.. http://www.knzb.org.nz/"

Previous rubbish collection by Tony last year just one day at St Clair beach.

RIP - Clarke

Today Caitlins' beloved guinea Pig Clarke was put to sleep after a long and immensely loved life a few months short of his 6th birthday.
He was old, tired, blind and in pain from failing health. Full of character to the last minute it was an extremely hard decision, he has now been laid to rest at the bottom of the garden and we plan to buy a Rhododendron to plant above his resting site.

Above: Born on the 29th of November 2004.
His Father was my beloved Floyd, and is survived by his mother Ishana


Above: When Clarke was just a few months old he was already completely devoted to Caitlin. His favorite game was always to run and even jump big distances up onto her chest and snuggle under her chin. Berlow: Caitlin inside the boys' cage, Clarke used to love to run all over Caitlin like a mountain goat.

The video below is of Clarke and his half brother Fugly playing around with a pellet bowl. Only ever kept inside (and outside on nice summer and spring days) a two storied apartment with mirrored walls, fresh hay and blankets and teddy toys. Clarkes favourite one was the EXPOL Penguin, which he always cuddled up to at night.