Bay of Islands

We have managed to get a very nice apartment down a quiet street in Paihia, it has 4 rooms, lounge, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, quite spacious for £28 per night. We are staying here for one week so we can relax a bit more and get some serious fishing done. It’s the snapper and kingfish season and there are plenty about; it’s just finding them now. I have asked the local fish and bait shop owner over in Russell, which is the township across the bay, he has pointed out some good spots to fish from rocks although I am waiting until the wind drops a bit before I get the car ferry over there. They use a method called straylining here which is a double leader with a free moving small ball weight and a size 7/0 or 8/0 hook. The preferred bait to use is a whole pilchard and you just cast the lot into a shallow inlet with fast flowing water. We shall see!!
In Paihia I went into a hardware store to get some crimps for fishing and it was one of those places that sell everything from fish hooks to toilet seats. There were two elderly chaps behind the counter and when I asked for some crimps, one of the guys ran off and came back with a pair of pliers, it took all of my composure not to laugh as the thought of the two Ronnie’s sketch flashed through my mind. After getting the right item I left the store before dissolving into fits of laughter.
Paihia is only a small quaint pretty town and is not at all busy. Plenty of good restaurants and shops selling fresh local food and a couple of nice beaches within walking distance. The first day we went on a hike from the Waitangi Treaty grounds to the Hururu Falls, a total of 10Km, although the bush track was going uphill and downhill all the time. The track went through native forest with huge ferns and crossed a boardwalk through mangroves, all the time we could hear and see lots of the native birds which we could not identify. I had to go into a shop in Paihia to look at the bird books as I’m too tight to buy one or maybe I can’t afford one. The falls at Hururu were not that spectacular but it was worth the hike just for the scenery and birds alone. By the time we got back to the Waitangi grounds, Sheila’s back legs had gone and she needed time to recover (about 24 hours!). We slept well that night.
Monday we went across to Russell, it’s just across the bay and a 10 minute ferry ride. It’s even quieter than Paihia, reminds me of a 1930s American town, just a main street with a couple of restaurants a pub and a gas station, a very relaxing day out.
Tuesday we had a drive over to Kerikeri and also took a scenic drive round a couple of bays just a bit further up north, again the scenery was unbelievable, plenty of good walks both beach and bush.
Wednesday we took the car ferry over to Russell to find the spot for fishing that the tackle shop owner told me about. It’s a lovely day but a bit blowy and the spot we found was sheltered so it was very pleasant. I am using pilchard for bait which makes your hands very smelly but also attracts the fish. The bait is getting snatched off the hook regularly so the fish are about and finally I reeled in a Snapper about 3Kg, Sheila taking photos to the strain of ‘Happy days are here again’. This was followed by a Kawahai of the same weight. It was an excellent day out with more to follow hopefully.
Sheila has managed to stay upright for over three weeks now so the sweepstake is looking a bit sick, she has however suffered lots of sand fly bites and has had to seek medical treatment from the pharmacy. The Police are now looking for red wine coloured flies that appear intoxicated.
The next two days we tried more fishing but the only other thing I caught was a squid. I felt sorry for it because it was making a squeaking sound so I threw it back.
We have enjoyed our stay in the Bay of Islands and would definitely return if only for the fishing. Tomorrow we travel to Hamilton for two nights and then to Tairua on the Coramandel Peninsula for three nights and we have managed to book a very nice cottage near Pampanoa, Bay of Plenty, for 7 nights before heading for Napier.