New business ventures are trying to jump-start the economy of New Brighton, the Christchurch beachside suburb that locals say is on the cusp of greatness – if it can just maintain some momentum post-Covid. Green Bear Coffee runs on a simple concept: good coffee, community and sustainability. But what isn’t simple is opening a week … Read more
By now, everybody should know about staying in their bubble and leaving the house only for essential services and exercise, provided social distancing rules are followed. Does this mean people can still take the boat out, or go surfing? “Staying at home will save lives,” said Jacinda Ardern in a question and answer session she … Read more
Don Rowe on the unsettling boom in his hometown. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine. Raglan is changing. You can see it in the streets, where luxury cars slot side by side like so many dominoes. It’s audible in the endless buzz of bikes, jet skis and drones. And it’s palpable, if you’re … Read more
The Monday Extract: Peter Malcouronne’s superb new book on Great Barrier Island features an extraordinary interview with Jade Webster – labourer, surfer, survivor. This book extract contains discussion of abuse that may be distressing to some readers. Usually you’ll find her on the digger. Inside the cab, left joystick working the swing, right the bucket … Read more
Surfing is having its own #MeToo moment and the reckoning is long past due, surfer Trevor McKewen explains. In a galaxy a long, long time ago, I started surfing and there were no women. Actually, it wasn’t a galaxy. It was Main Beach on the Gold Coast in the mid-1970s as a recently transplanted Kiwi … Read more
There are no guarantees on the Pro Surfing Tour as New Zealand’s Ricardo Christie found out in his debut WSL season. Heading into the final event of the year, Christie will surf for his tour survival and, as Ben Stanley discovers, he could do with a little luck. Sleazy, funky and doused in a brash … Read more