The 126-page glassy magazine offers a collection of essays, stories, poems and art by women about what water means to women.
Contributors come from all around the world, with Burke drawing on her local network as well as friends and family based in Canada, where her mother Val was born, and in the United States, where Burke studies applied health, science and business at Portland State University.
"I am a woman who loves water. I interact with it by surfing, swimming, diving and general frolicking," she said.
Burke developed a love for writing and art as a young pupil at Holy Family School.
She credited her success at school writing competitions for helping her to identify her passion for the written word early.
A keen athlete, Burke has competed successfully in track and field in New Zealand, Australia and in the US.
She now coaches at Peak Endurance in Wānaka.
Speaking at the launch of Hydra on Sunday, Burke said she began a quest two years ago to answer the question, what does water mean to women?
She was the lead writer on the project, with Washington’s Hannah Gleason the lead artist and California’s Jocelyn Reynier the lead designer.
Other contributors in the magazine included Burke’s artist sister Ruby, Wānaka triathlete and artist Maeve Williams, and Brazilian immigrant Katleen Sanches.
