This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.
Approximate location · 46.370° S, 167.900° E
FIELD GUIDE
The story
Colac Bay's surfer is being rebuilt, and the process has been unusually public about why.
The original oversized surfer riding a wave stood on the Southland coast for more than twenty-five years and deteriorated past saving. In May 2026 Southland District Council confirmed the sculpture would be replaced with a new one faithful to the same design, and in June 2026 the contract was formally awarded to the Southland artist Danny Owen, who works as Deow.
The reasoning given was about identity rather than tourism numbers. Surfing at Colac Bay is described as unique within Southland – generations of locals and visitors have learned to surf there, watched storms roll in across Foveaux Strait and experienced the raw beauty of the coastline – and the sculpture is intended to celebrate that. This is a cold, exposed, southern break facing Stewart Island, and the people who surf it are a particular kind of committed.
The selection was as much about the proposal as the price. One committee member noted that the artist had wrapped his proposal around a story of the community and a real drive to create something special, and predicted the statue would remain a treasured part of the place for decades because it would be built with love.
The work is a partnership between the Colac Bay and Districts Progress League and the council, with engineering support, and the record shows a small community committee driving the whole thing.
Until the replacement is installed, there is nothing to see. The catalogue holds this record as under restoration for that reason.
Photograph
This is a photograph, shown separately from the illustration artwork.
Colac Bay's oversized surfer riding a wave has been a coastal landmark for more than 25 years. The original sculpture deteriorated and is currently being replaced with a new sculpture faithful to the same surfer-and-wave design.
ACCESS
Replacement project is active. Southland District Council awarded the new-surfer contract in May–June 2026 and expects fabrication to take about eight months. Do not plan a visit specifically for the replacement until installation is confirmed.
