Highlights from New Zealand

Something about Rivers

Monday Dec. 3rd AGAIN!

OK, I made it back to Los Angeles in once piece but once again, I had a little horror moment at the airport when all the bags had come and the people had gone and I was still waiting for my blue bag with my waders, wading boots, rain jacket and reel, etc.; all very expensive top of the line items and nowhere in sight! Gads, here we go again...how could one bag get there without the other when they were checked in together at the exact same time? So I waited and I waited and the guy took my baggage check tags upstairs and was gone for what seemed like an eternity. The entire customs area was cleared of people now as they were all on their way to either connecting flights or home. So, I sat and finally the guy returned and guess what? He had my blue bag with him. I’m not going to even try to figure that one out...I was just very happy to see that bag so finally I was out of customs, returning my just found bag back to the luggage handlers to transfer to my other flights and off to a new terminal to do more waiting, Good thing my flight wasn’t for another 2 1/2 hrs.

Now I’m on the plane from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. Only a 1 hr and 20 minute flight and then another wait there, until my flight to Butte which doesn’t leave until around 9:30 PM. I’m getting closer and it’s getting colder. The temp in Salt Lake is 34 and I’m sure will be even colder in Butte.

Actually it was warmer in Butte...figure that one out! It was in the 40’s which is a heat wave compared to what the temperature has been...frozen pipes, remember? So I managed to get all my luggage so I was homeward bound for the last and final leg of the trip....and as it turns out, my calculation was off; it only took 29-1/2 hours to get home from door to door. Yeah, ONLY 29-1/2! No snow on Homestake Pass and no ice but wow, what a dark night. I was the only car for miles and it was pitch black out there.

The girls were thrilled to see me and I was ecstatic to see them....that’s Maggie and Madison (dog and cat). So now it’s back to reality and work, work, work. It was a great trip and one of the more relaxing New Zealand trips for me. Usually I do much more running around and don’t get much chance to stop and smell the roses. Oh, and that reminds me...the roses down there...I’ve never in my life seen such beautiful roses.


They seem to grow like weeds and they are very fragrant. So many gorgeous gardens and I can’t say enough how nice it is to visit New Zealand in the springtime.

I had marvelous weather and good fishing except at the end and that was a weather issue.



I’d highly recommend visiting New Zealand in November as it is before the hectic tourist season really gets underway and is much less busy. Once February comes around look out. The population explodes with tourists so November is a great time to visit. If anyone would like to do an itinerary similar to the one I just did, you can contact me for information and I’d be happy to organize something similar or to your exact specifications. After all, this is what I do for a living. Until we meet this way again, tight lines and best wishes for a festive holiday season.

Mary E. Smiley
Angler’s Passport Travel
1-800-440-2699
Whitehall, Montana USA
http://www.anglerspassport.com
email: bigfish@anglerspassport.com

Mount Cook

This morning Ian, the owner of the cottage where I am staying, and I got up early and headed for Mount Cook. I’d never driven all the way up there so we decided to make an early start and go all the way up to it. Ian was kind enough to do the driving and his Peugeot was the perfect car for dashing up and back. I was on a mission to take some photos of Mt Cook and the simply gorgeous blooming lupin all over the place. It was another crappy day in Pleasant Point, but just as we got over to the other side of the hills, to what they call the high country, it was sunny and clear as a bell with blue, blue skies. The perfect day for Aoraki.




We drove directly to the base of the mountain and had coffee at the Hermitage Hotel there and then came the photo essay for me. I took about 100 pictures on this little jaunt and wow, what a pretty day. The lupin are in bloom everywhere. I’d never seen lupin in so many colors; oranges, yellow, pink, purple, blue, peach.....and with the blue sky and white snowcapped mountains, it was great photo shooting.


We stopped at Lake Tekapo for a bite of sushi before charging back to Pleasant Point in just enough time for me to pack up the car and make my mad dash back to Christchurch to turn in the car and go to the airport for my flight to Auckland and on to Los Angeles. Once again my friends Susan and Ari met me at the airport and took me to a little restaurant near where they live for a quick bite of dinner and then off I went at 8:30PM. I got to Auckland with only enough time to spare, to take the free bus to the international airport, buy my departure tax and go straight to the gate where they were just ready to start boarding my 747-400 plane to Los Angeles. I’m not crazy about these late departing flights. This one doesn’t depart until 11 PM and that’s just too late for me.

So, next stop Los Angeles where I will have to clear customs and return my luggage for my flights to Salt Lake City and then on to Butte, MT where I won’t arrive until 11 PM Monday night. This means around 36 hours on the road from door to door. I’m really looking forward to seeing my dog and not being on a schedule for a while!

Sunday cold and wet

Well, today was an exact repeat of yesterday weather wise, with one exception...it actually rained a bit on us. Once again visibility was horrible trying to spot fish. You simply must have sun to have much of a chance at spotting fish in these streams. When dealing with faster moving water and riffles, where the fish often are, without sun you can’t detect a shadow and often all you can see is a dark spot. You can stare at it until you get a headache trying to determine if this dark spot has a tail and moves!!!

So, I went out with a different guide today and we stayed close to home, which also meant lots of people to contend with. Being a Sunday, we ran into people everywhere we went in the holes we wanted to fish. If not other fishermen, then it was kids and dogs playing in water, or 4 wheeling in cars and ATV’s so it was kind of hopeless. We fished blind which I hate doing and I only picked up a few very small fish on dry flies.

It was another day of tons of walking and unproductive fishing. I finally called it a day around 3:30 or so having had enough of blind fishing which is not what people come to New Zealand to do, and no fish. If we’d gone to the high country, the weather would have been sunny and clear and it would have made for a nicer day. Probably would have had fewer people messing with the water too. Well that’s it for fishing for this trip. I’d have to give the North Island the gold star for fishing on this trip. It was far superior to the South Island this go round. I think the South Island streams are getting way more pressure and there don’t seem to be as many fish as there used to be either.

Well, only one more sleep in New Zealand and then it’s homeward bound.

Saturday Dec. 1st Fishing with Kevin

Today I met up with one of my South Island guides and went out for a short day of fishing. Being a Saturday and his only day off after many days working, we left later than normal and also I was spending the majority of the morning dealing with problems at home with frozen pipes back in Montana, according to my friend, house and pet sitter. So I dealt with how she should handle frozen pipes and also a last minute New Zealand booking for a client who was actually on his way to the airport as we spoke this morning! So off to a late start, but it was still a good productive day albeit a rather chilly one. We were freezing!!! Kevin and I decided to wade wet since the sun was out and it looked like a nice day...BUT as the day progressed, the weather “turned to custard” as they say down here and it got cold and cloudy and a little windy. Just enough to feel chilled to the bone, wearing shorts and wet wading. Brrr.... not a good idea today. Hopefully tomorrow won’t be the same as today’s weather. It’s not supposed to be, but this area is much like Montana in that the weather can change at the drop of a dime.

Nonetheless, we still had a good day of fishing and I caught some nice fat brown trout.




No matter where you are in New Zealand, you are never more than 60 miles from the coast, so weather can change quite rapidly which is what happened today. This was not in the forecast so we’ll see how they do tomorrow. I go out with a different guide tomorrow to a different river.

After such warm weather this entire trip, and beautiful sunny days, today was actually the first day I felt cold and not just cold but chilled to the bone. I haven’t been able to get warm all day so I came home and jumped in the shower and stood under the hot water for ages until I thawed. I don’t think it was actually that cold, but the relative humidity was high so it felt really cold. Coming from such a dry climate, it felt colder to me than if I was home in 20 degrees F.

So, a new report once I see how things go tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’m once again in an area with no internet connection and I’m not set up this trip to do dial up on my laptop so I’m at the mercy of other people’s computers to go online to do anything, This post may have to wait a few days to go up but at least I’m writing it now while it’s fresh in my mind.

OK...off to bed now. It’s 2:21AM in Montana now and I only have two more days to go so I should try to start getting closer to my old time clock as it will make for an easier adjustment when I go back home.

Ciao for now.

Akaroa to Pleasant Point

This morning after a delicious breakfast, I had a walk around the quaint village of Akaroa before heading south to Pleasant Point which is located in an idyllic part of South Canterbury. I forget, when coming from Montana where all roads for the most part are straight as an arrow, just how incredibly wiggly the roads are here! It’s no place to be in a hurry that’s for sure.


The drive to Pleasant Point took around 3-1/2 hours but now I can relax in a lovely cottage located on a certified organic farm called Centre Hill Cottage. Ian Blakemore owns this farm stay retreat which sits elevated above the Totara Valley where he has been farming since 1968. The farm gained full organic status in 1990, running deer, beef, sheep and growing potatoes for the New Zealand Organic Market. Right now the deer are fawning so hopefully I’ll have some photos of baby deer.

Tomorrow is a fishing day so hopefully I’ll have something good to report tomorrow night. For now, it’s time to relax with a delicious New Zealand wine and some locally made cheese and crackers and get ready to head out to dinner in a while.

Ciao for now!

Bonjour from Akaroa - Maison de la Mer

"Akaroa" in Maori means "Long Harbor". The harbor was formed several million years ago with the giant Akaroa volcanic eruption which created the surrounding hills, with the harbor as the crater lake. Over the years the crater lake breached to the ocean, and it's now fully navigable.

The Maori were the first people here in the region, with the Waitaha tribe being the first nomadic peoples on the Bank's Pennsula. They were succeeded in the region in the 17th century by the current Ngai Tahu people who came down from the North Island in search of new resources for their people.

During the early 19th century, Akaroa was the earliest European settlement in Canterbury, and was a whaling port for French, British, Russian and American whalers who traded with the Maori. As a result of this connection, a group of French whalers came to a land agreement with the Ngai Tahu, and purchased a block of land, which is today's Akaroa village. The French formed a company of settlers with the intention of claiming the territory as French.

While the French settlers were underway on their ship - "Le Comte de Paris" - the British were signing an historic treaty with the Maori - The Treaty of Waitangi - which made New Zealand an English colony. The British got word of the French ship and rushed to Akaroa just days before its arrival to let the settlers know that the British flag was flying. The British decided to honor the original French land grants, so the settlers landed and set up the small French settlement here in Akaroa under British rule. The original family names are today found o nall the street names around the village. (quoted as written at Maison de la Mer where I'm staying)

Last night I arrived around 5 PM in Akaroa. My destination for the night, Maison de la Mer. As I arrived, Bruce and Carol were hard at work decorating the Christmas tree. Now, mind you, I realize Christmas is coming but I'm still having a hard time getting my head wrapped around Christmas and Christmas trees when it's 80 degrees outside! Nevertheless, it looks lovely twinkling away just inside the front door.

Claremont Country Estate and Limestone Hills

I spent the night in the cottage on Gareth and Camilles' property and then in the morning I went over to the property next door which just happened to be Claremont Country Estate. Gareth arranged with the owners Richard and Rosie Goord, to go out on their private Land Rover "Safari" over the 2,400 acre estate and nature reserve to see some history regarding the limestone cliffs and the hidden prehistoric treasures found inside.

A big attraction at Claremont is the chance to see God's Marbles – massive round limestone boulders dating from the age of the dinosaurs. About 15 million years ago, God's Marbles began to form. Erosion by river, sun and rain has gradually exposed these boulders, which have tumbled down into the riverbed. They can weigh more than seven tons. If I remember corectly, they are more like pearls which are calcium carbonate that formed around dinosaur bones and like a pearl began to grow. So, everywhere you see one of these "pearls", there is a dinosaur bone hidden inside somewhere. How cool is that?


"Claremont also contains rock-solid proof of the disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs. About 65 million years ago, a meteor or asteroid collided with the Earth, striking the Yucatan peninsula near Mexico with the force of a major nuclear detonation. The resultant debris blocked out light and heat, causing mass extinction.
Evidence for this can be found at Claremont in the KT boundary, a layer of rust-streaked rock rich in iridium, an element found in meteorites. This is one of the most visible KT boundary sites on Earth. Dinosaur fossils exist below the line, but none above."


Anyway, after a truly fascinating tour of the high country sheep station, deer farm and my geology lesson for the day, I took off for Akaroa. I drove back through Christchurch and then out to the Banks Peninsula all the way to the end to Akaroa, a little French fishing village. More on that later.

Waipara Valley and Limestone Hills

So today I left the Murchison area and headed back toward Waipara and the grape growing region near Christchurch. I was heading to my friend Gareth Renowden's place to see his truffiere, talk mushrooms and see his shearers cottage. But first, I stopped at the swingbridge that goes over the Buller River and took some photos. This is the longest swingbridge in New Zealand which crosses the Buller Gorge...a long way down!

They have a ride called the high speed comet line which is like a zip line that you can either fly across on your belly or sit down like in a chair and ride across the gorge at high speed from great heights. I was hoping someone would come along and pay to go so I could video them. I suggested to the guy at the comet line that he find someone to go across and he said, he'd take my camera and I should go tell his mate Peter that Markie sent me and he'd film me...so that's what we did. It was really fun and not even as scary as walking across the swingbridge.

Before I got too far out of town, I stopped for a brief time to meet the new owners of Maruia River Lodge on the Maruia River. They are a lovely young couple and I think will do a good job as new lodge owners and I wish them the best of luck with their new venture. I had some extra time on my hands since Gareth had left me a message on my voice mail saying he was going to be in Christchurch until later and wouldn't be home until around 5:30. That meant I had time to take a rod and a walk on the Maruia River and see if I could find a trout to hook. Unfortunately I didn't see any trout so after about an hour and a half I was back on my way south and east. Of course it wouldn't be New Zealand if you didn't have to stop once in a while and wait for someone moving sheep.

Did I hear anyone say truffles? Maybe not this time of year in the southern hemisphere, but Gareth Renowden and his wife Camille have a truffiere planted with English Oak and hazelnut trees with the roots inoculated with the tuber melanosporum truffle spore with high hopes of harvesting the black Perigord truffle this coming winter. Two winters ago he harvested his first ever truffle and hopes that by this next June there will be more. He also has planted olive trees for pressing into olive oil and a nice vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes and Syrah.

After talking mushrooms and travel all night and exhanging mushroom photos of Gareth's trip to China and Shangrila, and some of my multitude of mushroom photos of which Gareth refers to as "mushroom porn" since he lives in a somewhat mushroom deprived country now, we called it a night. Of course it didn't hurt that we had a lovely roasted chicken dinner and polished off 4 bottles of wine between the three of us.

Gareth has also just published his new book entitled "Hot Topic" Global warming and the future of New Zealand" I'm looking forward to reading it on the plane coming home.

Hanmer Springs to Owen River

Today was kind of a bust. I took off this morning from Riverview Lodge and only got about 20 kilometers and had to turn around and go back. There had been a horrible fatality accident involving a car and truck on the Lewis Pass Road going to the west coast and they had to close the road for about 3 hours to investigate and clear the bodies etc. Not a pretty picture at all and not what you want to ever see on the road. I got there just after I'd been in the town of Hanmer Springs when the siren went off for the volunteer fire department. As I got up the road about 20 k's the road was closed off to through traffic and they said it woud be up to 4 + hours before they had the road cleared, so I had to go back to Riverview Lodge and wait it out. While I was up there a helicopter life flighted someone out so I hope they make it ok. I finally got my start at 4:15PM to drive my 2+ hour drive to Owen River Lodge. I got there around 6:30 and finally I could relax again.

These roads in New Zealand are quite wiggly and winding and people tend to drive too fast and underestimate the speed on curves even though they post the optimum speed. I can't imagine how an accident of this severity could happen on a sunny, clear day with no slippery roads or ice or rain or anything, It had to be all driver errors. I've seen fatality accidents in Montana where people fall asleep at the wheel because driving through Montana is all straight and hardly any curves, but over here, it's all curves so that can't possibly be the problem. I'm guessing the small car was going too fast around the curve and got into the gravel on the shoulder and over corrected when they lost control and ended up going under the trucks' trailer and the car was just toast! No way anyone could have survived a crash of that magnitude. OK...enough of that. I can see it's not going to go away in my mind very soon.....

Today the weather is better than yesterday but although it started out this morning without a breath of wind, it picked up big time this afternoon around 2:00. I hope tomorrow will be a good day as I'm heading out in the morning with a guide for the day for some west coast fishing. We're not quite all the way on the west coast but we're certainly close. I hope the fishing will be better than yesterday!

We had a nice meal of Lamb chops and home grown brocolli, and baby new potatoes with profiteroles with chocolate for desert.

I'm off to bed now as it's been a trying day dealing with the hard cold facts of life that if people don't drive carefully, they die! Someone's family or family's are going to have a long hard time dealing with the reality of what happened today.

Riverview Lodge Hanmer Springs

Wow, what a view from this place! The Southern Alps in the background and all the colors of spring...pretty magnificent. Too bad the fishing couldn't have been as good. I guess we're not in Motu anymore, Toto!!!

Today John and I walked what seemed like an eternity over river rocks and didn't see a whole lot of fish. On top of that, the weather has changed a bit here heading into the mountains and the wind blew all day from the minute I got up this morning until now and I believe it's still howling out there. Ever try casting a flyrod directly into gale force winds? it's not pretty, let me tell you. At times my cast came back right at me and tried to wack me in the face. This is not my idea of fun and it's not at all like Motu where there are fish everywhere and you can SEE THEM!!!!! OK...enough whining. We only saw three fish and I hooked two of them and landed one...albeit a rather smallish one, but it was a sea run brown so it was feisty and different to look at. Better than nothing I reckon...although the pesky sand flies are not much fun to deal with...that's a fact of life on the west coast of the South Island though and you just have to be prepared with bug stuff which we were.



When we returned to the lodge, Robin had a pleasant surprise in store for me. We took a run into Hanmer Springs and she had a pass for us each to take a soak in the hot pools and have a Swedish Massage, which was absolutely delightful. It saved the day as far as I was concerned.... that was a very nice surprise and then we came home to the most elegant and gourmet dinner. They have hired a chef from Germany for the season as well as another person from Switzerland to serve and help out. They did a great job and the chef is quite talented.


Tomorrow I have all day to drive all of two hours so I can take my time and maybe go back into Hanmer Springs and look around in the shops. Not much was open today as it is Sunday,

Ciao for now...I'm heading for bed.