What defi nes a place like Tītahi Bay? The rolling waves, the turning tide, the crescent-cleft coast? It is the people. It is the stories handed down through generations. It is this rugged beauty that links us to each other. These are not your usual beach poems. An African refugee staggers from the ocean; Van Gogh is painting boatsheds; a violinist plays in a dinghy to an audience of gulls. Roll & Break is a collection full of surprises, and a celebration of the beaches at the heart of our Aotearoa life.