Do I need a guide to fish New Zealand?
Of course not, especially if you are fit, skilled in the outdoors and have more time than money. There are several
excellent books available for the self-starter. John Kent’s South Island guide, for example, profiles over 270 rivers
and 95 lakes. If you’re the right kind of individual, I would highly recommend exploring on your own during part of a
trip here, particularly if you are fit and have backpacking skills, as the country has a huge resource of remote rivers.
Just make sure you have the time and skills to do the trip justice, and don’t do it alone. Use the buddy system and
research and prepare for your trip extensively. Don’t even think about going unprepared without a good detailed topo
map, the right gear and a recent report of river or track conditions. A recurrent Kiwi journalism cliché is the
perpetually retold story of the foreign tourist who heads into the backcountry, unprepared, near dark, with little or no
gear, with bad weather coming. Small wonder a broken femur, exposure, and deathbed helicopter rescue ensue. This fodder
is so perpetual it’s the subject of a long-running New Zealand television show. Don’t become a storyline on this show.
If your window in New Zealand is limited, your time is at a premium. A good guide can make the difference between the
trip of a lifetime and a frustrating disappointment. If I don’t have an opening that fits your schedule, I can recommend
other fine guides in Otago and other regions of the country. The standard of excellence in the trade here is generally
high, but it pays to ask around.
Is New Zealand safe?
Compared to North American cities, New Zealand is quite safe. But I would recommend prudence while travelling anywhere,
particularly urban areas, as people on holiday often overlook basic safety.
That said, one of the bonuses of travelling here is the people. Kiwis are friendly, generous, competent and understated.
Kiwi culture is unique, but it reminds some of the best of Celtic, First World and the remnant frontier ethos of the
American West.
New Zealand has no large predators or poisonous snakes. The main safety concerns are weather related, such as sudden
drops in temperature, blizzards, fog, wind, heavy rain, rapidly rising rivers, avalanche or deteriorating track or road
conditions. As a good bloke I know said of the Milford Sound, “It’s just water and rock.”
What are the wading conditions like?
It depends on the water. Rivers like the Mataura have extensive gravel beaches, which make for easy wading in some
stretches. However, the river below Gore also has ancient coal reefs with deceptive drop-offs that demand respect.
Other waters - like the local tributaries I love to fish each spring - are small enough to require wading only
occasionally. Estuaries, high-country, large, gorgy or steep rivers, however, should never be treated lightly. Their
unpredictable nature is the reason Kiwi pioneers referred to drowning as “the New Zealand death.”
