Fishing

Fishing in New Zealand is a popular pastime, and fish fanatics will be thrilled with all the options. With more than 15000 km of coastline, there’s no dearth of fishing spots. If you’re up north, expect to catch snapper, kingfish and tarakihi. In the far south, you could catch a blue cod, trumpeter or grouper for your dinner. Snapper is the prized fish for most sea fishermen, and the ones found here usually weigh in excess of 10 kg. December to June is the big game fishing season, so head out on a charter—from Russell or Tutukaka in Northland, or Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty—and chase some seriously big fish (including marlin, billfish, yellowfin tuna and kingfish). New Zealand’s crystal clear rivers and lakes provide excellent freshwater fishing with rainbow and brown trout found in the rivers and lakes of both islands, and sea-run salmon exclusively in the South Island. Lake Taupo in particular, is world-renowned for trout fishing.