The book is the first of a planned pair covering the country’s beaches, with the first volume, covering the North Island, having been two years in the making with the help of other Raglan people. Mr Rainger said he had just received a container full of 10,000 copies of his book. Copies can be purchased from the publisher’s website for $49.99. It is due to hit shelves in bookstores in October.
Clean Media is the publisher of The New Zealand Good Beach Guide and is owned and managed by Tim Rainger, its founder. Tim grew up swimming, fishing, sailing and surfing around the NZ coast. He trained as a commercial photographer and began his professional career as a freelancer working in NZ, Australia and Italy before moving to London.
Mr Rainger had recently returned from a spell overseas and settled at Mount Maunganui because of the coastal environment. Now, with the Rena disaster in full swing he is watching a black tide of oil smother the sands he loves so much. The irony of having his guide on where to swim, stay, fish and surf released as the country’s worst maritime environmental disaster was unfolding in the Bay of Plenty was not lost on Mr Rainger.