Visiting New Zealand

Written by Reid Quinlin
Photos by Dane Hawker

Tips for Spearo's thinking of visiting New Zealand
Print out a copy of this mapof the northern north island, or find a bigger one from somewhere.

Most people come to NZ to shoot kingfish, and most bring their partners or families, so my comments are for someone with that in mind.

Where are the Big Kingfish?
Our most common pelagic fish is the Kingfish (Yellowtail). They are found all over the North Island, but the really big ones (100 lb) are found around the offshore islands, which just happen to have the clearest water and are nicest to dive. 100 lb fish have been taken at Volkner Rocks (just off White Island, a 1 hour boat trip from Whakatane, which is about 4 hours southeast of Auckland) in the Bay of Plenty, Great Barrier island (2 hours by ferry from Auckland), Cape Karikari (4 hours drive north of Auckland), the Mokohinau Islands (just north of Great Barrier Island) and most of all the Three Kings where a fisherman recently caught one over 130 lb. The The Three Kings islands are about 60 mils west of Cape Reinga, at the top of the North Island.

Smaller kingfish (20 - 60 lb) can be found around many rocky points and islands in a bit of current, pretty much anywhere in the north. We sometimes shoot them off shore dives at Ti Point or Leigh Harbour, about 1 hours' drive north of Auckland.

Where do we spearfish the most?
The islands where we dive (refer my map) include the Aldermans, the Mercury Islands, the Hen & Chicks, Little Barrier, the Bay of Islands, and the Cavalli Islands. There are often kingies seen and speared there. Your chance of getting one on a single day is probably 20/80 or 80/20 depending how good you are or where you go.

What else can I hunt?
Aside from deer (central north island and sout hisland) and wild pigs in the forests (everywhere), we also collect paua (abalone), crayfish, and sand scallops. Other fish we spearfish we spear for their excellent eating include snapper (very hard to spear, grow up to 15 kg/33 lb), tarakihi, john dory, golden snapper, trevally, butterfish, etc. Most serious locfal spearo's mainly hunt big snapper because of the challenge it offers.

Tourist Destinations
If you are bringing family, you may wish to do some touristy things. Many tourists go to Rotorua (hot mud pools etc, which is OK if you are into it, but not that exciting and there is no diving there). The South Island is beautiful (high mountains, hiking in summer,and skiing in winter near Queenstown) but crap for diving. Auckland is a nice city, Wellington is just plain windy. In the south island, Christchurch and Dunedin are just cold, Queenstown is nice for skiing and hiking and sightseeing, bungee jumping, white water rafting, jet boating, etc (a bit like Banff in the Canadian Rockies, only with a big lake).

Where not to go for the diving
The West Coast of the north island is usually rough as guts and mostly has very dirty water near the coast, but plenty of big kingfish if you can find a place calm enough to dive with some rocks, water clear enough to see them, and if you are not afraid of the odd curious bronze whaler shark. We have very few sharks here, actually, just the odd inquisitive bronzie. We normally dive the northern part of the east coast.

Arriving in Auckland, and getting out for a dive
Your plane will most likely arrive in Auckland. If the Bluefins are going out and the weather is right, we may be able to take you for a dive in the weekend. Or, we can try and get you out on someone else's boat or a charter trip to some good spots (even the scuba boats will let spearo's come out, if that's the only way to get you out).

Wild Blue, our local spearfishing shop, is very good. They organise club trips too, and either they or we (our club is the bluefins) may have a trip that suits your timing. So, I don't think we'll have any trouble getting you out for a dive, but if the weather is crap and you can't hang around, then you may need to reschedule stuff or drive to somewhere that is diveable at the time. Other charter options that may accommodate one person or a group include Goat Island Dive, and Dive Centre.

Some ideas for spearfishing and travelling around
Other visitors have had great trips down to Whakatane diving at White Island, or take a charter from Waihau Bay or East Cape, Whakatane of the Three Kings (book a trip as an individual through Wild Blue), or to the Bay of Islands, where you can hire a small boat from the main wharf, or even a yacht for the family! We get up there often as it's only 2 hours 45 mins drive from Auckland we may be able to take you out if we plan it right.

There is a 5.5m runabout (surveyed for 4 people) available to rent at Mangawhai Heads (about 1.5 hours drive from Auckland) Bookings available from the bait/fish shop at Mangawhai Heads. Accommodation for 5-6 people is available at Wood Street at Mangawai Heads. Cost $300 per day + running costs, insurance bond payable. Phone Andrew Leys 09 374 4901 027 4477 863 or email LEYSA@anz.com This sounds like a well appointed boat the aluminium hull is a Surtees, a good looking and strong local design. From Mangawhai, you can go to the Hen & Chicks easily. Watch for strong easterliy swells that may make the bar at the harbour entrance too rough, but the charter is refundable if the weather is too rough.

We often recommend the Bay of Islands for tourists as they can do nice outdoors stuff - boat trips, sandy beaches, diving, trip to Cape Reinga sight seeing, whale and dolphin watching, lovely beaches further north, small towns, friendly people better weather, etc.

Some divers have chartrered one of the launches from the Bay of Islands or Whangaroa and gone to the Three Kings to spear big kingfish. This costs more, but the chances of success are high. Watch the weather, it is a wild place up at the Kings! Charter boats are busy game fishing year round from the Bay of Islands for broadbill swordfish, and in summer time, some of the best marlin fishing in the world is done from the Bay of Islands, Tutukaka, or Whangaroa..

A campervan is a popular idea for families, as you can cruise to a deserted beach somewhere like Matai Bay (Cape Karikari) and do what you want at your own pace. Or, hire a car and the motels and campsites are cheap.

Marine Reserves - experience the best diving in the world!
Anyone into u/w photography or just wanting to see what life can be like if we giove teh oceans a chance should definitely spend some time at one of our amazing marine reserves. Near Auckland, Goat Island marine reserve is a must see! Vis usually 3 - 15 metres depending on wind being on- or off-shore and time of year. It's usually 8m or more, and is one of the clearer shore dives. A great place to see huge snapper, crayfish, and lots of other reef fish. Getting there: drive just over one hour north of Auckland, just past the coastal settlement of Leigh. Gear can be hired at the shop just past Leigh, or sometimes at the reserve area in summer. There are no other costs. DO NOT feed the fish (unnnecessary anyway - you WILL see big snapper regardless) - you are not allowed to harm or remove ANY marine life from the reserve.

The Poor Knights consistently get ranked as one of the top dive destination in the world. Usually clear blue water (10 - 30 metres vis). Getting there: drive to Tutukaka. The Poor Knights is an entire island group situated off the northland coast. Snapper numbers are 13 times higher than the non-reserve areas - believe it! Kingfish are common, as are many other species that are fished down around the coast. Get there on Dive Tutukaka. They look after freedivers too!