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Airfares to New Zealand have plummeted since Richard Branson came to the Aussie travelers rescue. Single handedly he has breathed life back into tourism here in Australia and with the launch of Pacific Blue we can now also afford to visit our very friendly neighbours in New Zealand.
There was a time, not so long ago when a family considering traveling to New Zealand would be up for over $800 a head in airfares. Now with special airfares can be purchased for as low as $240 return! This means a family of four can now take a holiday in the Land of the Long White Cloud for not much more than it cost for just one person to travel back in the bad old days when QANTAS/ANSET ruled the roost.
With these cheaper fares available we decided earlier in 2004 to visit the popular New Zealand region of Rotorua and Taupo in the North Island.
The Taupo Experience:
The Taupo Region has many lakes and waterways, which are used by boaties and fishermen. Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake, which in turn flows into the Waikato the countries largest river.
The northern extent of this region runs to the Bay of Plenty, a region that has provided world records in kingfish catches and the launch pad of many a great open water fishing adventure.
The regions main industries are tourism, agriculture and forestry. It is indeed a holiday makers playground with thermal attractions, Maori crafts and culture along with arguably the worlds best trout fishing streams and lakes.
Besides my wife Alex, son William and myself, my dear mum also traveled with us. That might not anything special till you consider her young age of 87 and the fact she'd stuck her hand up for the fishing trips on Lake Taupo and Bay of Plenty. It's a mighty impressive effort.
Our itinerary consisted of a day at Waitomo exploring caves, four days at Lake Taupo fishing the lakes and rivers plus some sightseeing, and two day fishing the Bay of Plenty. A day's travel to and from the airport was also allowed for.
Waitomo is famous for its Glow Worm Caves. You can choose from an array of option from a leisurely one and a half hour cave tour (mum's choice) through to a two-day adventure of abseiling, black water rafting and rock climbing your way through a maze of caves.
Waitomo is definitely worth a visit and got the thumbs up from our little group. At one point, while suspended over 100 metres above a cave entrance on the thinnest of ropes I wasn't too happy. However, having safely survived that heart-stopper experience I'm happy to recommend it to others.
The caves are just a gentle one and a half-hour drive from the township of Lake Taupo, or a very pleasant five-hour drive from Wellington.
There is heaps of accommodation in the Waitomo region. We stayed at the Waitomo Caves Hotel based right in the center of all the action. At $130 per night it was probably a little over priced for what it offered, however it was none-the-less comfortable.
Beautiful Lake Land:
The Lake Taupo region is breath taking in its beauty. In the south, snow clad mountains can be clearly seen while the lakes and surrounding streams just beckon you to lure for the very large trout the area is famous for.
Prior to our arrival we had contacted a local couple Bruce and Angela Christoffersen regards accommodation and fishing the lake. Angela and Bruce run a Bed & Breakfast facility linked with their fishing charter business Windsor Fishing Charters.
They were an absolute godsend in that Angela helped prepare a complete itinerary for us prior to our arrival. She quickly cut through the boundless list of attractions and sights to see, preparing a short list of must to do during our short visit.
Their Bed and Breakfast facilities where extremely pleasant with two very well appointed rooms, one double and two single beds, serviced with a luxury private bathroom. Angela and Bruce are the perfect hosts, obviously enjoying the company of their visitors.
Day one Angela had set aside for us to explore the region. In the morning, after an enjoyable breakfast we took a leisurely river Cruise to the Huka Falls. Dave the tour operator has a broad knowledge of New Zealand's abundant vegetation and the regions historical development. The cruise takes just over an hour and is very relaxing and informative.
From there we visited the local thermal park where a half hour stroll takes you past active thermal pools bubbling mud. Unlike the Rotorua region, Lake Taupo doesn't suffer from that sulphur smell that haunts Rotorua. None-the-less thermal mud pools and steamy gasses can be seen everywhere escaping into the air. Everywhere you look you are reminded how the lake and landscape was formed and that that process was still in its active stage.
After a quick trip to the local prawn (Yabbie) farm for lunch, the girls opted for an afternoon inspecting the many touristy NZ product outlet centers. It amazed me to see New Zealanders claiming wool to be one of their bigger attributes. The poor soles have never been able to match the finer merino wool qualities grown here in Australia and their coarser wools are better suited to carpets than cardigans! Yet Aussies are over there paying fortunes for woolen jumpers in NZ!
Trout Delights:
I headed more in the direction of tackle stores and fishing outlets. I quickly discovered how well the NZ government supports the recreational trout fishing industry.
Obviously the NZ government have recognized the benefits a healthy trout fishing tourist industry in NZ. To that end they have completely banned the commercial sale of trout throughout the country, and that includes home grown or imported varieties.
That's right, you cannot order trout at any restaurant, or food outlet in NZ!
In the Lake Taupo region at least, you cannot use treble hooks (single hooks only) or even fish for trout with dead bait! All the rivers that feed into the Lake itself are fly fishing streams only. The legal minimum length for trout is 45cms. When you consider that this magazine you are reading is 42cm wide you get some idea of just how big these trout are.
One rod per licensed fisherman is the limit and a license costs about $5 for a day or $30 for the year.
Watch The Weather:
Our first day on the water trolling for trout was in fact a little disappointing. NZ weather varies erratically day from day and our first days fishing saw strong westerlies and heavy cloud cover.
We spent the morning trolling with downriggers at a depth of between 70 and 100 feet. Bruce and Angela operate a Whittley Cruisemaster, which provides an extremely comfortable fishing base in all weather. Two electric downriggers are used each supporting two rods with a lateral space of 15 metres between each line.
Bruce places I metre of Dacron between main line and trace as he finds Dacron works better in the release clips. He then uses 6 metres of trace to a swivel. From there a further 1.5 metres of trace to the lure. The system works extremely well.
Virtually all the charter operators seemed to use what I'd term intermediate gear when trolling for trout. Their first objective is to get trout for their clients and they therefore go for 4-6kg outfits. This tends to make the fight rather disappointing and you can end up wondering what all the fuss is about fishing for these beautiful monsters.
If you get over there I urge you to either get an operator who's willing to provide lighter tackle, or get hold of a self hire boat and go have some fun.
These trout truly can make a days fishing on the lake a memorable experience as well as taste fantastic fresh, or smoked by the many butchers in Taupo that will happily smoke your catch for you to Australian import specifications. The cost of that is about $5 per fish.
Fly Fishing Fun:
Day two saw William and I heading of for the Waitahanui River, a tributary to Lake Taupo just a 10 to 15 minute drive south of the township. We were with Adam Wallis from Go Fish NZ. Adam is an experience fly fishing guide for the region and he was about to introduce both William and I to one of the most exciting days fishing we've experienced in sometime.
William had never fly fished before and I'm certainly no experienced operator. Within just 15 minutes Adam had William in the water roll casting and pitching very well. Within 20 minutes he had him hooked up to his first trout on fly, a nice 2kg which in the fast running deep water, gave William an introduction to fly fishing that will have him hooked to the sport for life.
All the adjectives, words or superlatives I can muster would struggle to convey the adrenaline rush and sheer exhilaration we experienced while pitting or skills against these fantastic fish.
Over a five-hour period we caught some eight to nine trout, the smallest being 1.5kg, running up to around 2.5kg. The technique we used was one of New Zealand's favorite, Nymph fishing with a Glow-Bug on a 6in or 7in leader beneath the Nymph.
Adam consistently changed the main leaders length as we moved between holes, however the average length of leader from the fly-line was about 12ft. A brightly coloured indicator was attached to the end of the fly-line itself. Its purpose solely to indicate when the Nymph or Glow-Bug had been taken by a trout.
The Glow-Bug simply resembles trout roe to the hungry trout and if that doesn't take its fancy he's sure to try the Nymph, which also acts as weight, getting the Glow-Bug down to the bottom of the river. The aim is to pitch you fly into the head of the deep running rapids and allow it to naturally make its way down the main body of current.
You need to be persistent getting the Nymph/Glow-Bug to pass with inches of the trout hopefully lying in wait. Once it takes the fly a fast strike will see a battle of both speed and cunning as these large trout know their terrain well and will use the natural strong water currents to all the advantage they can muster. We were lucky enough to have taken some pretty good fly rods with us however, Adam can provide all gear and all he has is of quality. Both William and I where using 6wt G-Loomis rods. I used the 4-piece StreamDance GLX and William the 2-piece Rainbrook.
A 4 or 5 lb trout on a 6wt G-Loomis rod is something every angler should have the opportunity to experience. The StreamDance is the premier of fly rods while the 2-piece Rainbrook, one of the G-Loomis cheaper fly rods, performed admirable. It's a bit punchier than the GLX due to a multi-taper tip making casting a touch easier for the novice yet taking little away from the feel of the fight. The StreamDance retails for approximately $1250 while you can pick up the Rainbrook with reel for around $200!
In these NZ streams you tend to be roll-casting or pitching more than the more traditional casting method. To that end a doubled tapered line could possibly be more suited to the job than a weight forward line.
Anyone heading over to NZ really must give the fly-fishing a go. It's what NZ trout fishing is all about. You won't go wrong getting an experienced fishing guide to go with you, in fact it's essential for even the most experienced Australian fly-fisherman. NZ has its own peculiarities that should be mastered first. Adam's ability to pass on his knowledge and skills (communication) is remarkable and he can happily handle up to three people at any one time. I'm not sure of age limits but feel Adam would be quite comfortable with children 12 years an older.
NZ fisheries provide excellent data and information on trout and I have enclosed some of that info for your perusal. Adam informs me that fishing the rivers around Lake Taupo is good all year round. His best full day was 42 trout for the one client!
More Time on Taupo:
Day three saw us back on the Lake with Angela and Bruce. This day was much kinder to us both weather wise and for fish. We landed half a dozen in the half day charter, the best being just over 4lb. It really is the most relaxing form of fishing you can do. The Whittley makes life so easy with plenty of eats and coffee between catches. Even mum landed herself a good trout.
If you do happen get the opportunity to get to Lake Taupo I strongly suggest you book at least two separate half days fishing the lake. Weather will play an important role in the success of your outing and that weather can change dramatically from day to day.
By booking at least two outings on separate days you are in fact spreading the risk factor. Fly-fishing up the rivers, although best in good weather, is possible in windier conditions due to the natural protection provided by the hills and vegetation.
Spinning is permitted in the Waikato River, one of the only rivers in the region not restricted to just fly-fishing. The Lake flows into this river and it is full of some very large trout. William and I spent an afternoon flicking a lure into its waters without success, due mainly to our own disorganization. We targeted the most inhospitable region of the river without first seeking good local knowledge and spent most of the afternoon scaling cliff-faces and taking on the dreaded blackberry bushes!
Although we failed, the girls had a great afternoon exploring Rotorua, a leisurely one-hour drive north of Taupo. Rotorua is probably New Zealand best known (most popular) tourist destination. But hey, most of those tourist have never tried NZ trout fishing! If they had they wouldn't go past the Lake Taupo region.
Bay of Plenty:
The following day we headed north to the Bay of Plenty. We left Taupo reluctantly and could well have done with a couple of more days there. We sure as hell will be returning.
The Bay of Plenty has an awesome reputation for its big fish. Species such as marlin, yellowfin, albacore, mahi mahi and large kingfish are found here in numbers, mainly in the autumn months, Jan through to April. We none-the-less intended to spend a couple of days with Neil and Gaye Magnus aboard their 40' Flybridge Cruiser Mission.
This couple have spent a lifetime fishing the waters around New Zealand and back in 1999 decided to build their love for fishing into their life and commissioned Genesis Boat builders of NZ to build Mission.
This beautiful cruiser has state-of-the-art navigation equipment besides comfortable accommodation below. Among other attractions the double berth cabins and whole interior has soft golden leather upholstery.
The boat also features air-conditioning, hot and cold external freshwater showers plus a flybridge that can be enclosed, or left open in good weather. The gallery is beautifully equipped and Mission is the ideal boat to spend a few relaxing days.
Once aboard you feel the boat is your own as you fish, or take an overnight cruise to one of the offshore islands. Well, I should say was enjoyable because while we were onboard Neil and Gayes received a call from a resort in Fiji with an offer for 12 months charter! Understandably they've taken the deal and won't be back till 2006.
We spent two days aboard Mission exploring the region along with catching a few Snapper and Tarakihi. This latter fish is member of the Morwong family and quite delicious to eat.
If big fish are your desire, then as I mentioned earlier autumn is your best time to visit. Pacific Blue will continue to keep the bastards honest and that makes the Bay of Plenty a great fishing destination.
Although Mission will be in Fiji, there are a number of other fishing charter operators in and around this region that will compete for your attention. Shore accommodation is also plentiful as this is a major holiday destination of New Zealander. You'll also find a Best Times Species guide to the Bay of Plenty with this article.
Summary:
This region certainly provides the full array of touristy attractions. They've got range of activities from gentle sightseeing right through to the more 'Rambo type' activities such as white water rafting.
It's always pleasant to get home, however I really could have done with a few more days in the region. Another day fly-fishing with Adam along the Taupo Rivers would have really been great. Another leisurely outing on the Lake with Angela and Bruce, or fishing the Bay would have been really good.
The friendship extended to my family by all we met in NZ simply placed the icing on the trip. It's a trip all of us agree will have to be done again, and soon.
BAY OF PLENTY BEST TIMES SPECIES GUIDE
Snapper Sept <-------> May
Tarakihi Sept <-------> Nov
Bass Aug <-------> Nov
Kingfish Aug <-------> May
Albacore Sept <-------> April
Skipjack Tuna Nov <-------> April
Yellowfin Tuna Dec <-------> March
Striped Marlin Jan <-------> March
Blue Marlin Feb <-------> March
Mahi Mahi Feb <-------> March
Neil Magnus ... ... Mission Charters Ph +64 7 5490 055 Mobile +64 25 842700
Windsor Charters ......... Bruce & Angela ....... 64 7 3788738 windsor-charters@xtra.co.nz http://www.troutfishingtaupo.com
Bed & Breakfast ........... Bruce & Angela ..... 64 7 3788738 windsor-charters@xtra.co.nz http://www.troutfishingtaupo.com
Huka Falls River Cruises, Dave Kilmister , 64 7 3773454 dave.ang@paradise.net.nz
Adam and Sharon at Go Fish, 64 07 3789395 Mobile 027 6736261 or e-mail gofishtaupo@xtra.co.nz www.gofishtaupo.co.nz
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