1 Nov

Tane parks his Toyota Corolla on the beach and leans his seat back. The sun is just now crossing behind Mana Island. Without so much as a hint of a cloud, the rays stream through Tane's windshield. He rolls down the window, letting a breeze trouble the curls sticking out of his cap. The sea is calm, brushing only softly against the beach.

"It's hardly the same beach, eh?" He says to himself, referring to days before when 80km winds and 3-metre swells pounded the bay. He puts his hands behind his head and watches a man jog past. He smiles, happy that he didn't believe in exercise.

Jamie jogs past the cars on the beach and looks south across the water. On clear evenings like this he can clearly see the south island. He thinks about his mother and father living down in Invercargill with his two brothers. If it weren't for them, he thought, he never would have made it this far.

Filled with a sudden burst of pride-spiked gratitude, he bursts into a sprint. The south's silhouette looks calmly on.