Today marks the start of our 15th year of publishing Box of Light! This is our 735th edition of your weekly dose of stoke. Way back when we started, we had a goal to show the people of Dunedin our coastline, help them fall in love with it, its flora and fauna, and, ultimately, encourage them to protect and look after it.
Surfers are always so lucky to be able to spend so much time in this environment, but through Box of Light's weekly reports, we were able to share those views and experiences with a much wider group of people. Today, we reach more than 7500 people with our weekly report and more than 11,000 through social media.
We couldn't have done any of that without the support of various partners and advertisers who have supported us through the years. Our first edition, which hit around 2500 inboxes way back on September 20, 2011, was supported by DunedinNZ and the team at Hydro Surf. I'll always be grateful for that support in our early days, which also included Strictly Coffee, The Esplanade Restaurant, Hotel St Clair, Dive Otago, Watercooled Sports and Skinnies sunscreen.
Today, we are supported by a heap of advertisers and partners, with Emerson's Brewery being behind us the longest. We couldn't do any of this without them ... or have even survived to make it to our 15th year.
As you might imagine, it's a lot of work each week. I initially thought getting to 10 years would be an achievement. Then that milestone flew by, and I may have even completely missed it.
In that time, we have added some of the best adventures of my life to exotic destinations such as Fiji, Samoa, Bali, the Sub-Antarctic Islands, the Mentawai Islands and the Telo Islands.
I've also produced six books and have my limited edition fine art prints hanging in galleries and private art collections throughout the world.
Now, I'm determined to celebrate 20 years in style – possibly even with a new book that tells the story of our beach culture over that time. That work begins today with a refreshed set of goals for what I deliver each week, exploring new and old collaborations to make it even better. I'm quite excited about these next five years. Thanks for sharing this journey with me.
All the photos from this week's edition come from that very first year of Box of Light.
See you at the beach, Derek
PS One of the first big additions for 2025 and into our 20th year run is the expansion of our Indonesian surf trips, photo expeditions and photography workshops. Our first photography workshop takes place next month, and we still have a few spaces available. This one will take us deep into the Catlins for some forest, beach and waterfall exploration while staying at a beautiful property where we will eat and edit together. If you, or a friend, is keen to join us on this workshop, please get in touch.
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