Max revisits some favourite rivers across New Zealand’s North Island.

It took me about half a second to reply to Peter when he suggested we do a trip to the North Island of New Zealand.

I have fished there many times over the years. I was keen to return, and arm wrestle with a few of those amazing rainbows and browns. And what an arm wrestle it turned out to be!

Getting there and getting around

Direct flights from pretty much anywhere in Australia to Auckland airport are relatively easy and inexpensive. While I prefer to fly Air New Zealand, it pays to shop around. We chose to fly early, arriving at Auckland airport around midday, giving us time to shop and take our time to get to our destination. Expect customs to check your fishing gear on arrival, but if you are nice and explain that all is clean, dry and sourced commercially, they sometimes just let you through.

Since the Covid era, car hire has become expensive in New Zealand, but reasonable deals can be obtained from companies like www.economybookings.com, which are able to source the best prices across a broad range of car hire companies.

Once we picked up our car, we exited the airport, and bee-lined it to the local supermarket to stock up on groceries and drinks.

I always try to make food a highlight of my trips. I aim to keep it simple and hopefully delicious. My reasoning is, if the fishing goes pear-shaped, the food becomes an excellent consolation prize. I plan my meals ahead, so shopping is easy: I basically buy the exact ingredients for the meals I’m cooking. Doing it this way is faster, more precise and avoids wastage.

Once we finished our shopping, we embarked on the long but picturesque drive east and along the Bay of Plenty to Opotiki, the gateway to the Waioeka River and streams.

The Quarters, Wairata

Anne, the manager of our accommodation at The Quarters, was kind enough to call me the day before we were due to arrive to let us know that they had received a lot of rain over the preceding days, and the Waioeka River itself was very high and dirty.

I have fished this river on many occasions over the years and to be honest, I don’t mind fishing it when it is a bit coloured. I know that our preference is to polaroid fish. However, if you can work out where the trout are stationed, and sometimes almost schooled up, the fishing can be exceptional.

We arrived at the quintessential flyfishing shack! Raw wooden floors, exposed brick walls, fireplace, fully-equipped kitchen and comfy furniture. The history in this place is palpable. The memorabilia in the form of notes and stickers on the walls is revealing of past guests. The diary/guest book entries offer great stories, adventures and valuable insights, so cosy up in front of the fire and have a read.

The Fishing

Next morning we woke to glorious valley views of iridescent green pastures and dramatic mountain peaks on the horizon. After a few espressos and breakfast, we drove the short distance to the river. It was flowing fast, and visibility was low to non-existent.

There were quite a few anglers on the river, from an Auckland flyfishing club, and they weren’t doing very well. Not surprising considering the conditions. We decided not to join them….and moved to a tributary nearby.

The Opato is a gorgeous freestone stream flowing adjacent to the main highway (SH2) and conveniently merging with the Waioeka, literally just down the road from The Quarters. It was, as I suspected from past trips after rain, crystal clear but flowing very fast. Wading was all but impossible. We drove along and found an entry point leading to a nice bit of water: a shallow but barely-negotiable run that quickly dropped off into a deep, long snaky pool, hugging a moss-covered cliff. An impressive bit of water with good depth, and a bubble-line that gave away where the trout might be sitting. Mercifully, the flow along the cliff was somewhat buffered and flowing at a more reasonable pace.

The best approach here was to drift two heavy nymphs under an indicator. It took a few goes to get the depth right (around 8 feet), then the indicator dipped, and Peter was on. The trout reacted ferociously; his 6 weight rod bent to the limit. Every attempt to bring the feisty rainbow in resulted in another run. Peter eventually got the trout close enough to net. We were surprised it only weighed in at 3 pounds. This fish had a lot of fight for a three pounder!

We soon realised these trout were fresh, fuelled and fit. After all, their heritage dates back to California’s Russian River steelheads, and this is how they behaved.

We didn’t need to move far, with the trout concentrated in this patch of water. I am sure they found the slightly more comfortable flows as accommodating as we did.

Whilst the fish were there to be hooked, landing them was another story. The bigger ones were harder to subdue. Helped by the strong current, they bolted downstream in a silvery pink flash, often never to be seen again. Unfortunately, chasing them was simply not an option.

We bullied several great rainbows in, but lost just as many. This was so much fun. We were almost a bit smug at having found fishable water and having worked out the optimum technique for the conditions. Well, smug to a degree. Our smiles were quickly wiped off our faces as Peter connected to a big jumping jack brown that could have tipped the scales at 8lb. This fish showed total contempt for Peter’s efforts to control him.

The sun disappeared from the horizon and the temperature plunged. The open fire was comforting and created a great backdrop to a few cold beers, my prawn pasta and reliving the excitement of the day.

Weight, depth and gentle nips

The next morning, the main river cleared somewhat and offered improved fishing. We fished at the mouth of a substantial anabranch. The water flowing through the anabranch was slightly clearer than the main river. It created a defined blue/green slick where it flowed in. The far bank also revealed a lovely riffle, next to where the current had carved out 20 metres or so of deep gutter. We had a ball catching several smaller ‘bows, until we basically exhausted the fishable water and trout supply.

We moved back to the Opato, and this time fished just up from the confluence of the Waioeka. This section of the stream was barely accessible and getting the nymphs down was a challenge. Out came gargantuan nymphs like a Simon’s Ugly and heavily weighted Hare & Coppers with trailing size 12-14 tungstens.

Again, getting the depth right was important. At first, we didn’t quite succeed – until I lifted on a barely noticeable twitch of my indicator and was immediately on. The takes were so soft and subtle, we could easily have let each drift go by unchallenged. Once we worked it out though, the fishing turned out to be great yet again.

We finished off the day spending dusk on one of my favourite runs on the Waioeka. The river was now clearing fast. Despite the fading light, we could see a few lurking ‘bows in a shallower run, which kindly obliged and gifted us an exciting farewell to this wonderful area.

What great fishing! And contrary to what you would normally expect, in these conditions, no long walks required at all. Most trout came from just a handful of runs.

We returned to our lodgings for drinks and dinner, a simple but delicious roast chicken.

With grins from ear to ear, we discussed the possibilities for the second leg of our trip.

Taupo/Turangi – but not what you would expect

The next day was basically spent travelling to Lake Taupo and to our Airbnb in Turangi. There are lots of accommodation options in this region. It really is simple and just a matter of choosing how many bedrooms you need and at what price point. Airbnb and Stayz are excellent booking platforms.

We topped up our groceries and drinks, and enjoyed a chill day. Taupo and Turangi have a myriad of cafes, restaurants and shops. This region is quite stunning. Iconic rivers and the vast expanses of Lake Taupo. However, we were not here to fish the rivers at our doorstep. We had a slightly different agenda.

Central North Island – the Whakapapa River

Breakfast, coffee and we were on our way. We drove for an hour or so; destination: the Whakapapa River. I have fished this river several times before but always very late in the season. My recollections were of a difficult river to negotiate at times, but well worth the effort. The fishing can be very good, and the trout here grow to exceptional sizes. Peter had fished here almost exactly a year earlier for some exciting fishing.

What was interesting is that for him last year, the conditions were quite different. Warm days, slower flows and trout intent on smashing big dries off the surface. In contrast, this trip we encountered bright but cool days, and a river flowing hard, fast and almost impossible to cross. My wading staff certainly got a workout. (I can’t emphasise enough how important a wading staff is, particularly when fishing New Zealand.)

We walked downstream and carefully picked a path across a shallow section of a run, somehow making it across without going for a swim. We immediately picked up some smaller ‘bows in the 2lb range. I was surprised at the smaller fish, yet pleased at the same time for the health of this incredible ecosystem.

We walked up to a deeper run – dream water despite the fast flows. We edged our way toward the obvious drop-off, spooking a few smaller fish. The drop-off and deeper water went on and on for perhaps 70 metres of idyllic water.

First cast and Peter was on. Not to a New Zealand tiddler, but a much larger fish. This is more like it, I thought. Unfortunately, the fish bolted downstream and, in a flash, it was gone. We spent the next hour or so taking turns, landing some trout, but mostly getting smoked. As with earlier in the week, the fast current was an easy escape route for these big fish.

Frustrated, I snipped off my flies, reached for my tippet spools and decided to go heavy. 2x to the first fly and 3x to second. You want to play dirty? Well, see how you handle this!

The trout continued to be a handful. The inability to safely chase them downstream required a rethink to our approach. You really could not give a hooked fish an inch. The moment you took a step downstream or allowed any slight loss of control of the flyline, the trout would sense that subtle release of tension and steamroll you.

While the heavier tippet made a difference, that alone was not quite enough. As soon as a fish was hooked, you had to maintain total control and not allow it to turn and face downstream. You basically had to bully the fish into swimming into the current. Applying lots of side pressure was essential. What an arm wrestle this turned out to be. We tested our rods, knots and our skills to the maximum, and ultimately succeeded.

We drove back to our house. Tonight, dinner would be lamb chops and crispy baked potatoes. Good food, and good sustenance refuelling our tired arms and legs. What a day!

The next morning, we debated where we should fish. I had mapped out a few options around some nearby rivers and streams where I’d had good fishing in the past.

Eventually, we decided on a long drive to the Whirinaki River. I love the forested section of this stream. It feels about as backcountry you can get, despite the fact that an excellent walking track runs right alongside it for kilometres.

We were blown away by the beauty of this place and the solitude, but despite the great access track, the river on this day defeated us. It’s one thing fishing fast-flowing rivers when there is lots of safe bank access, but quite another when you are walled in on each side with forest.

We dropped down the valley into easier water and enjoyed some challenging but good fishing before heading home to another easy delicious meal.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, perhaps a bit warmer. We discussed options. I was keen to head down to the Hawkes Bay area and the mighty Mohaka River and tributaries. However, I wasn’t sure what the conditions would be like. Had the fishing recovered after the recent devastating floods we’d heard about?

The allure of returning to the Whakapapa was too strong. We fished at a public access point. I was surprised that no-one else was there. In fact, aside from the guys we came across on the first day on the Waioeka, we did not see another fisho all week.

Better prepared and well-rested, we spent our last day catching many great rainbows and a sprinkling of brown trout. Again, we didn’t have to walk far. It was just a matter of finding a few substantial runs and working the water thoroughly. The trout numbers, size and quality were quite exceptional and by mid-afternoon we were more than satisfied.

Back home for an early dinner, cold beers, lemon chicken schnitzel and a green salad

What a fantastic trip! You would think one had died and gone to heaven. Certainly, some heart stopping moments, challenging conditions, big fish, some losses, yet many triumphs.

November is a great time of the year to fish in New Zealand. The trout seem well fed and perhaps a smidge less wary. The weather can at times work against you, but this is New Zealand, and anything can happen no matter what time of the year it is.

We were lucky in some ways that the rain kept away all week, but even so, the river conditions were challenging. High flows and strong currents prevailed. Fortunately, we were able adapt and make the most of it.

FLYSTREAM FACTS – NORTH ISLAND EARLY SEASON ESSENTIALS

• Fast action 6 weight 9’-9’6” rods are a must.
• A good selection of nymphs with an emphasis on weight. Size 8 to size 16, with beads the heavier the better. Trout are not that fussy here – they are big, and they have to eat, so don’t stress too much about entomology.
• A selection of dry flies can prove handy, with an emphasis on dun patterns and Blowflies, BUT also bring some size 8-10 dries: big Stimulators, Wullfs and PMXs.
• Fluorocarbon tippet from 5x to 2x. ‘Base’ leaders need to be 3x or 2x.
• A wading staff.
• Sturdy wading boots with cleats/studs.

Finally, never underestimate the weather. Always have warm clothing and a rain jacket with you.