01/07/2026
In our July edition (now out at your local booksellers) Tom Fraser wrote about how volunteers from the Canterbury Branch of Jet Boating New Zealand have made it their mission to bring back to life two small huts hidden along the banks of the Waimakariri River. He then went on to donate his earnings to help the rebuild effort.
It's a story about history, hard work, and the kind of people who quietly keep this country's back country accessible for the rest of us. The huts have sheltered trampers, hunters and river users for decades, and without volunteers like these, that history would simply disappear. Tom's decision to hand back his own earnings speaks to something bigger than the article itself, a genuine investment in the place and the people he was writing about. Our thanks to Tom, and to everyone at Jet Boating New Zealand's Canterbury Branch, for the work going into this restoration. Pick up the July issue to read the full story.
The July issue of Boating New Zealand is on shelves now! π£β΅
This month's cover star is the brand-new Rayglass 2400, the spiritual successor to the hugely popular Legend 2350, and John Eichelsheim puts it through its paces in a full test. It's a big deal β three new models in three years from one of New Zealand's most respected GRP boat builders. We've also got a deep dive into the Beale 33 Silver Eye, a tired but sound New Zealand-built keeler that yacht broker Steve Raea has transformed into something special, and Norman Holtzhausen gets behind the wheel of the Smuggler Strata 800 Elite Amphibious, one of the most capable go-anywhere RIBs on the market.
On the features side, there's a brilliant story about volunteers from the Canterbury Branch of Jet Boating New Zealand taking on a mission to restore two historic huts hidden deep in the Waimakariri River gorge. Lawrence SchΓ€ffler profiles Auckland's Allan Tongs Boatbuilders, whose bold decision eight years ago to stake everything on a single design, the 13.5m Elite AT43, is paying off handsomely. Alex Stone drops anchor overnight at Leigh and discovers the soft-bait fishing is better than anyone expected. And Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders celebrates a milestone with the launch of their 75th custom build, the Catalyst 50 Django Shade.
There's more too: a circumnavigator's refit story from Italy, a voyage along Canada's historic Rideau Canal, the second instalment of our marine charts history series, and all the regular news, brokerage, and gear coverage you'd expect.
Winter is no excuse to stay off the water β as our editor notes this month, a calm July day on the Hauraki Gulf with a feed of fresh snapper at the end of it is hard to beat. Pick up your copy at your local bookseller now, or head to boatingnz.co.nz to subscribe.
