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Surf Shacks Vol 2 by Matt Titone (Gestalten, $85)

As all New Zealanders are aware, the good old two degrees of separation thing means that wherever we go, there we are — and this book is no different.

Surf Shacks Vol 2 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor in profiling homes belonging to colourful characters in the international surf community, the first of which is owned by Kiwi Kara Johnson. Kara’s a former model who now runs her own fashion label, and her husband Jeff’s a photographer, director, author, brand ambassador, outdoor adventurer — and surfer, obviously. They live in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest overlooking California’s Santa Barbara coast in the 1970s A-frame pictured here, which they renovated for themselves and their daughter, Adler. Further into the book, you’ll meet wave riders shacked up in rad pads all over mainland US, and in Hawaii, the Bahamas, Canada, Japan, Sri Lanka and Australia. You’ll be full of envy for their quirky dwellings and laid-back lifestyles, but Matt didn’t collect these stories to make you jealous — he mostly wanted you to be inspired. It worked on him — he was so motivated by the homes and owners he encountered while working on this series that he collaborated with his wife and brother to turn a dingy garage into their own cool surfie cabin, a project he provides a detailed breakdown of on the final pages of this cool complication.