I’ve always loved water. When I was a kid, I’d spend most summer days swimming in the nearby lake or paddling in the creek in my inflatable rowboat. I would spend hours on end enjoying the water, whether I was on it or in it. I loved it. I enjoyed these adventurous water voyages, until it was time to go home, only to be repeated the next day if I could. Even though I’ve never been a good swimmer, I was a water rat, plain and simple.

That connection with water never truly went away, nor would I want it to. One might say it’s even sort of hereditary: my granddad joined the royal navy in his younger years and he travelled around the world. I have a few photos from his navy days and I’m grateful to have caught a small glimpse of what he would have seen all those years ago. I feel that in some way our love for water, our love for the wide open sea, is something that connects us posthumously.

It’s difficult to put into words the feeling I get when I’m on a boat or in a kayak. You have everything you need right there and you can go anywhere. When I’m near or in the water, I feel adventurous, open, like anything is possible. When I’m in the water, I feel I can relax. When I’m walking on a beach, the sound of waves coming to shore is soothing and beautiful to me. When I’m on the water or near it, I feel free.

Enjoying a paddle in the Kenepuru Sound, New Zealand

The beautiful ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton, New Zealand

Enjoying a sailing trip in the Kenepuru Sound, New Zealand

The waters and beach of Oban, Stewart Island, New Zealand

A sailboat in the Nelson Harbour, New Zealand

Water is my favorite place. What is yours?