For those that know me or have spent any time discussing trout fishing with me, my enthusiasm for the New Zealand experience is obvious. When Ken Morrish and I started Fly Water Travel in 1999, the first big decision we collectively made was who would take New Zealand, and who would take BC, and to a large degree we both got what we wanted most, but Ken secretly feels a bit left out, and for good reason. I love all forms of trout fishing but when I get to combine hiking, hunting/spotting fish, and a bit of the extra pressure that sight fishing to larger than average fish entails, I enter my happy place. Throw a chopper into the mix, and I really couldn’t be any happier.
Last fall I was able to spend the better part of November with my favorite traveling companion (my wife, Heather) as well as one of our closest traveling partners. We visited three of our favorite lodges, Poronui, Owen River Lodge, and Cedar Lodge. We also spent time with a former lodge owner that we have been friends with for many years and did what is called the “Grand Traverse”, which is two of the country’s most scenic multi-day treks (the Milford and Routeburn) back-to-back with Ultimate Hikes.
The only bad part about the trip was even with that much time in the country I was not able to see our other favorite lodge, Tongariro Lodge, or spend time with our network of independent guides. There’s certainly next time!
Over the coming months I will write about each part of the trip, but this portion is dedicated to our first stop of the trip, Poronui on the North Island.