DOWN TO THE LAST DROP

When I was 15, I came to New Zealand. I grew up in England and I clearly remember when I was about 12 seeing the sea for the first time. It was a seething mass of grey and white that went as far as I could see and was edged by an equally miserable grey wind-swept unwelcoming beach. Not the sort of sight romances are made of but a few years later my family moved to New Zealand and I can equally clearly remember driving over the Brynderwyns and thinking ‘where the hell are we?’ The grass was burned yellow and the blue of the sea was like something out of a holiday brochure. We moved to Raukaka and I lived 22ft from the hightide mark and from that day to this, water, salty or fresh, runs strongly through my veins. There is not a day that goes by that I do not see the sea, it may be in the glare of a sunrise or the chill of a sunset, wind, rain, storm, calm, it is the backdrop of everything that is valuable to me. Dive it, surf it, kayak it, paddleboard it, windsurf on it, wakeboard on it, sail on it, fish in it, swim in it - at some stage of life or another it has been my playground and my escape. I recall when once I had been out of the country for months in a stressful land-locked environment, on my eventual arrival home on a night in winter, I dropped my bags and walked down to the beach and flopped in the ocean like some stranded whale seeking that water of salvation. What is it? Why is it that we are so drawn to the sea? Is it because at one stage we were those little lung fish that flopped out of the ocean and decided to become humans? Is that when the dolphins said ‘yea/nah we are staying here with the fish and warm water and the surf you can see how things go on dry land? Is it that primeval DNA link to the past that links us back to the ocean. Water for so many of us it is an integral part of our lives; for relaxation, escape, fun and experience, from looking at it to being in or on it, we still find it captivating. In this ‘water’ issue of Adventure we have drawn together some amazing people from those diving with sharks to those at the cutting edge of foiling, from those riding the world’s biggest waves to kayaking the world highest lake. We hope that you will enjoy these water tales even if it is a sport you do not do, but we hope it will motivate you to try something new this summer! As the days get hotter and longer, summer and Christmas looms, from the staff and everyone here at Adventure, we wish you all a happy Xmas and an adventurous New Year! Steve Dickinson - Editor