It doesn't take long for us to set up nowadays and it wasn't long and we were getting to know our neighbours. As it turned out they were a very social bunch and some of them had been there a fair while. John in the site next to us had been there for 3 months. He was a very interesting character. In his early 80s, he had been coming to Fantail Bay in the summer months for years. He had taken on the job of cleaning the facilities every morning and was always at the big Puriri tree by 5pm for happy hour. He had also written 2 books which he gave to us to read while we were there. One was about his farming life with his late wife and the other about an overland trip through Africa they did together when he was 58. Some of the hardships they endured made for very interesting reading.
Happy hour in this camp had taken on a new meaning. Everyone gathered under the big Puriri tree by 5pm, [sometimes 4 pm] for drinks and eats. One lady Anna made a different variety of fritter every night for tasting. We had oyster, tuatua, kina, sardine and water cress, and mussel. The kina ones were my favourite. Then one night a wild roast pork was cooked and everyone contributed with veggies and sauces and gravy. It was a great feast enjoyed by us all with very entertaining company.
Some of the campers had only intended to stay for a couple of days but got on so well with everyone and enjoyed happy hour so much they ended up staying a week.
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| Happy hour under the puriri tree. |
It was still a bit windy but early morning there was quite a settled period so I managed to get in the water and spear a few butterfish. A lot of the campers had never eaten butterfish so I cooked up a taste for everyone and presented it at happy hour to good reviews. A few of the blokes went out in their small boats and kayaks for a fish with mixed success.
Jocelyn and I took the bikes for a couple of good rides back along the coast. It is a very pretty ride as you are peddling along right by the sea.
The time had come to head back to Whitianga as I was meeting Ken, Mick, and Lance to fish the game fishing Nationals for a week on board Papillon. Jocelyn was heading to Auckland to stay with sister Joan for a week and they had planned a number of activities to enjoy. On the Friday evening the crew all arrived at the boat with mountains of essential gear to load. Jocelyn and I had done a big grocery shop that afternoon and had already loaded fridges and cupboards to bursting point. By the time everything was onboard it was getting late into the evening and starting to get dark. The engines were fired up and the lines cast off and with a last goodbye to Jocelyn, Papillons bow moved out into the current of the channel. The plan was to go straight out to the Mercs. and anchor up for the night, then we would have a good early start in the morning to head north.
We arrived in homestead bay at the Mercs about 10.30pm, after following the GPS and keeping an eye on the radar for traffic or obstructions. It can be quite unnerving travelling at night on a boat just following your instruments but the more you do it the more relaxed you will become. Ken has a fair bit of experience on bigger boats now but you never stop learning.
After getting the anchor set it was time to get a feed going and to have a beer. In the mean time we got the big spotlight going at the back of the boat and caught the piper coming into the light. After a while I noticed a couple of squid coming in so I attached a squid jig to my line and ended up landing about 8 of these tasty morsels. The anticipation emanating from all of us at the start of an adventure like this was very noticable. Tomorrow we would head out wide behind the Mercs then point the boat north. We had a big area to cover over the next few days to end up north of the Bay of Islands.
By mid day on Saturday we were a long way off shore trolling lures. Game fishing is a bit of a waiting game but nowadays we can improve our chances a lot by doing a number of different things. First up is marking areas where we have had success in the past. Often fish will be in those same areas year after year. You can also get surface temperature charts through the internet that will indicate where pelagic fish are likely to be. The warmer the water the higher the likelihood of finding fish. Also the old tried and true method of keeping your eyes open and looking for signs, be it birds working baitfish, free jumping marlin, or even something unusual floating on the surface of the ocean, like large clumps of weed or floating logs, as often fish will be under these objects.
By mid afternoon we were out behind great Barrier, still heading north. Mick had spotted a free jumping marlin but after working the area we had seen nothing else. About an hour later there was a huge splash about 10 metres off the port side and we were treated to the sight of a huge manta ray broaching another three times. It was leaping right out of the water and landing on it's back with a mighty splash. Game fishing can be boring but you do get to see some amazing things that you otherwise wouldn't get to see. I was with Ken a few years back out behind the Mercs. when we were lucky enough to see a huge leatherback turtle cross in front of the bow and power away off to the side of the boat. This was no ordinary fish pond specimen. It looked to be about the size of a mini car and it was swimming at an incredible speed. It had a large bow wave coming from the front of it's large shell and as it went passed it lifted it's football sized head and had a good look at us as it went past. No one on board had ever seen anything like that before and it really made our day.
It was starting to get late in the day so our plan was to head into Fitzroy harbour on Great Barrier for the night. We were well on the way in and we had all given up the idea of hooking anything significant for the day. I had gone into the galley and was whipping up some crackers and cheese nibbles and we had all stopped bothering to watch the lures. Nek minute, a reel started screaming and I dropped everything and ran out into the cockpit. The reel went quiet and I was thinking what the hells going on here when the shotgun lure right out the back was grabbed and that reel started to lose line at a great rate of knots.
Looking up I was surprised to see a marlin tail walking out the back and heading off into the distance. Mick and I had set up all the harnesses to fit either him or Lance as we had decided one of them could take the first fish. I had started to get the other lures in when Lance came down and I told him to grab the rod but he told me it was my turn on the rod. Mick was on the helm so he was busy. This wasn't what we had planned but anyway I ended up on the rod. By the time the rest of the gear was in I had settled into the chair and had plenty of weight on.
This was the first time I had tackled a marlin from a game chair. Usually we were in a stand up harness. I found the chair very comfortable although Mick had Papillon in reverse backing up fast on the fish so I had a fair bit of water pouring in the back and sometimes crashing over my head. It wasn't long and I had the fish to the back of the boat and Ken grabbed the leader. I backed off the drag and set the rod in the holder.
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| Awesome striped marlin. |
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| coming to the boat. A real thrill. |
By this time Lance had taken a video and now had the fish by the bill and the hook out. I got out on the marlin board and took over from Lance and we got a few photos. We held the marlin along side the boat while moving forward so the water could pass through it's gills and revive it while it rested, then after a few more photos I released the bill and it swum away unharmed. I found again what a great thrill and almost an honour it is to catch or even see one of these beautiful fish.
High fives all round and speculation on our achievement. It was a striped marlin we estimated in the vicinity of 120 kgs. It had taken about 25 minutes to get it to the back of the boat. What a great start to our trip. And time would show that it was lucky I ended up on the rod when I did as my fortunes were to change in the near future.
It was a happy crew that anchored in Port Fitzroy that evening and a few rums were consumed in celebration.
Next morning the boat was pointed north again and it was a long but uneventful day working our way to the Cavalli Islands north of the Bay Of Islands. By the time we rounded the northern end of the Cavallis it was into the evening. We stopped and caught a few snapper for dinner then went into a sheltered bay to anchor for the night. The wind had risen and the forecast wasn't great for the next couple of days. We had a good feed of Kens pan fried snapper and spuds with a few drinks to wash it down, but everyone was pretty tired after a long day on the water and we hit the sack pretty early.
The next morning the weather wasn't great so the decision was made to have an easy day with a bit of spearfishing and some snapper fishing. Lance is a bit of a legend as a spear fisherman. He has proved he has what it takes to take on some very impressive pelagics with a large sailfish and a 40kg dogtooth tuna to his name. Today he was to have a look for a kingi and at one spot Ken dropped him on a seamount and within a few minutes we spotted him struggling with a very feisty kingfish wrapped in his arms. After backing the boat up to him I helped him haul it on board.
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| Lance's nice kingfish. |
After this we decided to see if we could find some handy crayfish. Ken dropped us handy to a reef and Lance went one way and I went the other. It was a very beautiful place to dive but unfortunately neither of us found any sign of crays, so the decision was made to head for Whangaroa Harbour and refuel and top up the water tanks.
After my dive I was feeling a bit chilled so while fuelling the boat I went down to the galley and made some sandwiches for the crew for lunch, although by then it was mid afternoon. After fuelling we went around to a bay in the harbour where there is a water tap on a buoy where visiting boats can top up their water tanks. There is an honesty box there for a $5.00 donation for this service. While getting this set up I was really starting to get the shakes so I took myself off to a bunk for a bit of a lie down. The boys finished with the water and anchored up for the night. I was hoping I didn't have anything serious wrong with me but through the afternoon I seemed to be deteriorating a bit. I was trying to stay out of the guys way but with Lance being a doctor he was showing a bit of concern.
I had been looking forward to this trip for so long and felt we had only just got started so when Ken said they thought I should get checked at the hospital I wasn't very receptive to the idea. I probably should have done as they said but leaving the boat was going to be a last resort for me. But unfortunately by 10.30pm the time had come when I had to agree with them and they up anchored and called the ambulance to meet them at Whangaroa wharf.
Sorry guys for making it such a late night for you but I was not a happy camper having to leave the boat so early in the trip. By the time the ambulance reached Bay Of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa I was shaking uncontrollably and obviously had another case of cellulitis, this time showing up on my left arm. So I spent the next 5 days looking at a hospital wall while the boys went back out fishing and ended up catching another 3 marlin. I also ruined Jocelyns time with Joan in Auckland as she came up to keep an eye on me and make sure I was ok. Ken and the boys stayed in touch by phone and kept me informed with where they were and how the fishing was going.
While in hospital I received a call from Dave and Donna Logan who were camping at Puriri Bay which is one of our very favourite spots. Along with the call came some impressive photos of 6 and 8kg snapper caught from their kayaks. So after getting the ok to leave the hospital We got straight on the road back to Whitianga. We arrived about 6.30pm after a 7 hour drive and got the washing done and the rig all set for travel, then at 4.30 am we were back on the road heading back up to Puriri Bay. The traffic was light so we made good time and arrived around 11.30 am and set up on a site right by the water.
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| Must be happy hour again at Puriri. |
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| Lovely Whangamumu bay.A good walk to the old whaling station. |
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| Jocelyn and Donna by the old boiler at Whangamumu. |
The weather was lovely and Dave and Donna welcomed us enthusiastically with stories of large fish and seafood meals every night. This place is an amazing piece of NZ paradise, with a lovely sheltered bay and good fishing right on your doorstep. The next few days we enjoyed immensely with great company from Dave and Donna and fishing , swimming and snorkelling every day. All the campers got on well around us and most of them had small blow up boats or tinnies to go out and get a feed of fish.
Unfortunately the time came for Dave and Donna to head back to Omokoroa and get set for going back to work. We were sad to see them go but I think we will all be back here at a future time to meet up and repeat our great time at Puriri Bay.
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Jocelyn and I stayed a few more days then decided to head to Whangarei and empty the tanks and stock up with groceries.
After this we moved to Otemure Bay and battened down the hatches for 5 or 6 days of stormy weather. Hopefully Jocelyn will still talk to me after Iv'e been shut in the rig for 5 days.
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| A couple of good Puriri Bay fish. |
