What a time to be alive. The sun is strong, and the waters are glassy. The birds are chirping, and the cicadas are belting out power ballads. The outdoors are calling your name!

“Summer is what summer is, only because there is winter.”

While I leave you to cogitate on that gem of wisdom, let me remind you that your previous self (that pasty, slightly chubby, winterised version) made all sorts of plans and promises in the depths of winter’s darkness – hopes and dreams for the future; ambitions for those long, bright summer days when anything is possible. Well, that time is now and this issue of Rheem Offsite is here to remind you that there’s a whole world out there, where your calendar and to-do list don’t mean shit and reality is better than even your wildest Netflix-soaked winter dreams could conjure up.

We’re kicking off this issue with a brand-new photography segment – Frames – the purpose of which is to showcase some of the hottest photography talent in Aotearoa while transporting you, mind-bodyand-soul, to the far corners of the Motu. Our team has meticulously curated each photo with maximum gratification for your face windows in mind.

Next up in the line-up is a salty how-to article from the illustrious and ubiquitous editor of New Zealand Fishing News, Nick Jones, that’ll take you from zero to 100 (fish) in no time.

For the ColorCote Tradie Profile, Nick Jones (told you he was ubiquitous) sits down with two brothers – Aaron and Sam Wood – to hear their inspiring story about how they’ve built their lives around their two passions: commercial cray-fishing and building.

Gastronomist and BBQ pundit Simon Walden (@thetradiebbq) again revs up our tastebuds and imaginations with a ridiculously delicious venison and mushroom meatball stroganoff recipe that’ll get your BBQ season started in style. Lastly, South Island frother Johnny Ross takes us on a multiday pilgrimage over the mountains from Wanaka to the West Coast – aplace oozing with wilderness and mystique. Welcome to Offsite #34!

– Jason Harman