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The following by Gordon McFarland

SUNSHINE FLY CASTING CLUB inc

The 3^rd By Annual New Zealand Trip Sat 29^th March, Sat 12 April 2003

Twenty Big Boys All Paid up $1600.00 each. Passports in order .Fly Fishing Gear and rods All Packed, Waders Washed, Wet Weather Gear, And a few Clothes All packed in One Bag. Next 20 of us at Melbourne Airport AT 6AM Saturday 29^th March. all pretty toey.

On the flight to Auckland Air New Zealand. Screened a movie Called Whale Rider. By the time we arrived we were all relaxed. We all traveled through customs and met up.

As we had booked as groups of 4. Each group now picked up a station wagon. At this time each group were given $500.00 to pay Petrol and Food for the first week.

Off we all drove to Rotorua . First week All Seasons Holiday Park Hannahs Bay. Each groups in one of five self contained units. By the time we arrived it was about 9 PM our group went to Pack & save shopped for the week, unpacked and slept.

Day 1 Sunday.

Our Group. Royce. Harold. Cameron. Gordon.

Our first thing to do?. Go to O,Keefe Fishing Tackle Shop . Get all the information about how things have changed since our last visit. Also you must buy a sports fishing licence to cover Rotorua District for one week $33.00.Armed with Eastern region information and relieved of some of our $$$ to obtain the right Fly’s and other gear not needed we go off to fish.

Ngongotaha Stream Mouth - the water level was up about 600mm higher than our last trip, it is also dirty brown in colour and Running fast. Ngongotaha stream is the largest tributary to Lake Rotorua (not as big as our Bass River) only Fly-Fishing is permitted throughout its length.

Back at the Mouth, my rig floating line 9foot leader 6kg tippet two fly’s 1 a weighted nymph 1 small nymph about 500mm apart, lots of snags and a couple of hits later I move out to the lake. By this time about 12 other people have arrived and are moving out into the water following the currant line from Ngongotaha Stream. (better to get set in a spot before it is dark) At this time I change to a Gray Ghost and later to a smelt Finally settle on a baby doll after dark every 5 mins or so recharge it with my torch.

Day 1 only 2 small Fish (not in the hunt.)

Day 2 Monday

Try another Fishing Tackle shop Hammles great shop good information relived of more $$$ and off to Lake Rerewhakaaitu yesWe find fish rising. Harold and Cameron who indencly had more than one bag?, came up with two float tubes which enabled them to get right amongst the fish of 7-9lb about 7 fish for the day Royce and my self (with one bag each) fished from the bank we walked a few klm around the lake and had good fishing using smalt. What a great backdrop? Mount Tarawera. In 1886 silica terraces at lake Rotamahnna the eight wonder of the world destroyed by New Zealand,s largest volcanic eruption in living memory. Tarawera has erupted five times.( is now sleeping).

Day 3 Tuesday

Not one to get hocked by another tackle shop 3 days in a row we called in at one of the New Zealand Fish & Game eastern region Offices. Information overload and free no cost. Maps marked with fishing spots, time of year to best fish, how to gain access, Size of fish, best time to fish, And time it will take to travel. Full colour maps all the information you would ever want. Free??well Not really we payed $5.00 per day Fishing Licence. But we will all catch fish around 7lb in fact 171 trout were caught in 6 days To day we travel to Murupara and on to Lake Aniwhenua also the Mangemako Stream, some of the others have gone to the Flaxy Lake Penstocks. We returned Lake Rotorua to fish into the night at Nogongotaha (no Fishing in N Z after midnight till dawn)

Day 4 Wednesday

Well you can not go to NZ without fishing the salt water and this time we have taken our own game rods and reels at 5am up and off To Tauranga a fishing and timber port in the Bay of plenty about 80 km. from Rotorua we arrive all 5 of us Royce. Harold. Gordon. Chris. And Ken. On to the charter boat with about 30 other people and take up our position we have squid and a stripper tuna as bait.

We head out northeast towards White Island into a bit of a sea our first stop lines down and in minutes seven kinds of fish are coming on board Snapper, morwong, kingfish, Swipe, John Dory, by the time we move off to another spot Ken and Royce are Green and it is over for them . Harold, Chris, and myself, fish on and fill our buckets, On the way back we fillet all our fish. We have had a great day bait Fishing..

Day 5 Thursday

All our crew go back to Lake Rerewhakaaitu and we fish all day from another part of the lake we all find the fishing good.

Day 6 Friday

Today we travel to the Whirinali River part of the Rangitaika River Fishery reach a place called Te Whaiti move on to River Road Minginui. Royce. And Gordon starts fishing at the Mangamate Camping Ground moving up stream. This is a clean water river; good Pools up to 15meters wide by 50 meters long and full of trout, good easy fishing, fast moving water between pools. Royce and myself catch fish. Harold and Cameron went up stream to Whirinaki Track and on there return on dusk reported good fishing also we Will fish it again ……. Good bye Rotorua and EasternRegion../.(On to Taupo Next Week)