New Zealand Fly-Fishing Odyssey
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JUNE 2016 | Our 38th Year andrewharper.com TRAVELING THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF TRULY ENCHANTING PLACES TROUT STREAMS, WINERIES, MOUNTAIN SPLENDOR COVER PHOTOGRAPH Lake Manapouri from the mouth of the Waiau River, Fiordland, South Island / PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER New Zealand Fly-Fishing Odyssey THIS MONTH or American visitors, perhaps the and wine are often exceptional, some Taupo to Te Anau most extraordinary thing about golf courses compare with the best in A two-week journey from the heart of the North FNew Zealand is that on domestic the United States and the trout fishing Island to the tip of the South Island yielded a turboprop flights, there is still no airport is incomparable. crop of stellar lodges and hideaways. ...........1-7 security. You just turn up at the airport 30 These attributes, combined with Expansion of Eichardt’s Hotel, Queenstown ....4 minutes ahead of time and walk straight remoteness from the world’s troubles, are Regrettable Recent Closures ..........................4 onto the plane. The inconveniences that doubtless what attract an ever-increasing Villa Retreats at Annandale .................................5 the rest of the world has grown accus- number of affluent Americans. Indeed, Additional Fishing Lodges ...............................6 tomed to are here deemed superfluous. the recent growth at the high end of the Online: Golf, Wineries, Hikes and Heli-Fishing New Zealand often feels like a little world luxury market has inspired a new private apart. Separated from Australia by nearly jet terminal in Queenstown (population Hawaii Small-Ship Cruise 1,000 miles of ocean, it has a population 13,000) on the South Island, and rates for On a weeklong trip, we visited remote islands, of just 4.5 million people in an area the the best suites at the leading hotels and snorkeled with sea turtles and manta rays and size of Colorado. In much of the country, resorts can now exceed $5,000 a night. enjoyed exceptional whale watching. ......... 8-10 crime is virtually unknown; prosperity American affection for New Zealand is Four Seasons Lanai Reborn .......................... 10 seems more or less universal; and even not just a recent phenomenon, however. Serene Maui Sanctuary ..................................11 relations between the Māori people and North Carolina hedge-fund billionaire Online: Mauna Kea, Galleries and Bookshelf those of European origin appear to be Julian Robertson has been responsible comparatively harmonious. In addition, for the creation of three of the country’s Find video and more photographs of our trips at andrewharper.com/hideaway-report the mountain scenery is glorious, the food finest lodges — Kauri Cliffs, The Farm Full-service travel planning is available to subscribers at (800) 375-4685 or [email protected]. For comments and inquiries concerning the Hideaway Report, please email [email protected]. at Cape Kidnappers and Matakauri — as mph), and few drivers exceed it. The roads into the surrounding forests and ranges. well as two of its leading golf courses. themselves are well-maintained, and the Guided hikes, mountain biking, sporting California-based billionaire William P. signage is excellent. Above all, even the clays and archery provide alternative Foley II, the owner of Wharekauhau Lodge, major routes are comparatively empty, so pursuits. For a brief period in the fall has invested in two Wairarapa vineyards there is little oncoming traffic, and over- (March-April), hunters arrive to stalk red and is building a new bottling plant. taking is, for the most part, unnecessary. and sika deer. In addition, the property While Blanket Bay, on Lake Wakatipu After the 13-hour trans-Pacific flight is just an hour’s drive (15 minutes by near Queenstown, was the brainchild from San Francisco, we freshened up at helicopter) from the renowned Hawke’s of Thomas W. Tusher, a former presi- the pleasant Novotel Auckland Airport Bay wine region. dent and chief operating officer of Levi hotel, before boarding a turboprop for the Poronui comprises a main lodge Strauss & Co. 45-minute flight southeast to the vacation with seven lavish cabins; Blake House I have made several previous driving town of Taupo. (for exclusive use), with two spacious tours of New Zealand, in the course of bedrooms, plus two bunk rooms with which I have visited many of the leading bout 30 miles from Taupo, Poronui four single bunks in each; and the Safari wineries and played some of the best golf A is set on a 16,000-acre private estate, Camp, set beside the Mohaka River, with courses. On this occasion, I decided to through which flow the Taharua and two tented suites, each containing two indulge in another of my passions: trout Mohaka rivers. Although it is considered queen beds. We were greeted at the front fishing. If the idea of a driving tour sounds one of New Zealand’s premier fly-fishing entrance of the lodge by its manager, Eve intimidating — New Zealanders drive on lodges, Poronui is a wilderness retreat Reilly, an exceptionally friendly woman of the left and few roads have more than two that is also suitable for non-anglers. Its Irish origin. Our so-called cabin provided lanes — rest assured that there is nothing impresssive stables, which are part of a a large living room with floor-to-ceiling to fear. Kiwis are extremely law-abiding recreation complex that includes a gym windows, a gas-log fire, leather armchairs, when it comes to speed restrictions. The and spa facilities, offer a range of eques- a writing desk and a wet bar. The bedroom limit on most highways is 100 kph (62 trian activities, among them horse treks contained a queen and a twin bed, while Stacked photos, from top: Hilltop restaurant at Brancott Estate winery; Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown; mountains in Fiordland National Park / PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER Bay of Islands NEW ZEALAND NORTH ISLAND 1 Poronui (97) AUCKLAND 4 5 2 Huka Lodge (97) M IN ( B 3 Edenhouse (97) Y A I R 4 Hapuku Lodge and Tree Houses (88) T asman Sea ) 5 Eichardt’s Private Hotel (96) TAUPO 2 6 Blanket Bay (96) 1 7 Nokomai Station (87) ) IR A Hawke Y 8 Fiordland Lodge (90) B ( Bay S R H 2 Abel Tasman Nat’l Park Kahurangi Nat’l Park 3 WELLINGTON NELSON 2.5 HRS BLENHEIM 1.5 HRS Marlborough wine region 4 KAIKOURA SOUTH 2.5 HRS ISLAND CHRISTCHURCH R) AI Y (B R H 1 Milford Sound PACIFIC OCEAN 6 Lake Wakatipu QUEENSTOWN Lake Te Anau 5 8 1 HR TE ANAU 1.5 7 HRS Fiordland Nat’l Park 0 200 MI Foveaux Strait 0 200 KM STEWART ISLAND 2 HIDEAWAY REPORT JUNE 2016 Clockwise from top left: Aerial view of Poronui; a typical brown trout from the Taharua River; cozy sitting area of our cabin at Poronui / TROUT AND INTERIOR PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER the bright adjoining bath came with twin happy in their work, which also contribut- explain to me, large trout in New Zealand sinks surrounded by attractive jade green ed to an exceptionally enjoyable evening. greatly prefer the headwaters of streams tiles and an effective walk-in shower. Best Even though our stay at Poronui was and chase the smaller fish downriver. As of all was the wooden deck, which was at the height of the trout-fishing season a result, there are relatively few trout in supported on the steep hillside by long (November through February), we were the upper reaches, but they are all big. stilts. The view of the rushing Taharua unlucky. A late summer storm brought a We set out more in hope than expecta- River, emerging from a gorge between night of torrential rain, and at breakfast tion and after a 10-minute drive reached forested hillsides, was so aesthetically Sean was looking gloomy. He pronounced a placid stretch of the Taharua. Although satisfying that it seemed more like land- the Mohaka River unfishable, and even we could still see to the bottom, the water scape art than scenery. remote high-altitude streams accessible looked slightly murky. In New Zealand, As it was now well past lunchtime, only by helicopter had, apparently, been you don’t just start casting in likely spots. we wandered over to the main lodge Here, you walk stealthily upstream until building, where boards of cheese and you spot a fish, which you then stalk, often charcuterie, plus a bottle of Pinot Noir, In many mountain streams, using the bankside vegetation as cover. had been set out on the long communal the water is usually so limpid Fishing becomes more like hunting. For dining table. Behind a wide bar counter, “ that every fish is visible. This me, and fellow addicts, the experience is the chef and his assistants were hard at means you can sight fish, or cast almost unbearably exciting. work in the open kitchen, chopping and to a specific trout that you can That morning the river seemed peeling in preparation for dinner. At one actually see feeding. strangely empty. Those fish that were end of the living area, a log fire smoldered out in the open had silt in their gills and in a stone fireplace. A leather sofa and written off by the deluge. From the lodge were sulking and unresponsive — with armchairs, polished floors, bright area balcony, the Taharua looked clear, but one exception. After a couple of hours, rugs and crowded bookshelves all helped Sean insisted that it, too, was carrying we found a solitary trout rising regularly.