The Ngongataha Experience

After the glowing reports John E and his partner Megan Powell made after staying at Parawai Lakeside Motel last year, I didn’t waste time in accepting the Sladden’s invitation this time round. Situated in Ngongataha, their leased motel is, as the name suggests, right on a lakefront that is ‘picture perfect’. (In fact, I took several superb photos of the lake from the wooden deck and had a lot of trouble deciding which was best).

I arrived a little early and John Sladden was away on an ice run, but Lori made me very welcome, seating me in a big comfy chair and placing a mug of steaming coffee into my hands — made just the way I like it.

As well as the tremendous fishing available right on their doorstep, the Ngongotaha stream is another major attraction to the area, running right through the township and providing miles of accessible and rewarding fishing. During the summer months its mouth is one of the most reliable spots on Lake Rotorua. Within a few kilometres of the town, several other rivers empty into the lake, including the Waiteti and the Hamurana, all of which fish very well throughout the year.

Although John and Lori can organise guides and charter boats, they also cater for people who like to do their own thing, as there are canoes for guests to use as well as a mini golf course and a spa pool: thoroughly recommended! However, I couldn’t take advantage of this now — I had to get some sleep, and excused myself a little after ten so that I could unpack and ready myself for a day of trolling. John showed me to one of Parawai’s nine self-contained units. My unit was big enough to accommodate four people, was warm, clean and comfortable and had plenty of parking outside for vehicles and boats. My bed proved excellent...ZZZzzzz...

The following morning I was up at six and after coffee, fruit and toast (with the brekkie 'works' on my return — a veritable feast of eggs, hash browns, sausages, tomatoes and bacon), I was treated to a beautiful sunrise as I waited for Gordon Randle, skipper of the 20-ft Top Marks, to arrive. I was only able to spend five minutes in the yellow glow before he cruised into view and tied up to Parawai’s own little jetty (there’s also a ramp for those who wish to use one of the lodges canoes or launch their own boat).

It was nice to only be carrying my camera, sunglasses and hat for a change, as Gordon had everything on board. As for Gordon himself, he turned out to be another of a string of people that I took a shine to on this trip. (I know that it must be sounding like a Penthouse story, but there seems to be an abundance of top people in this area and I’ll introduce the others shortly). When John E and Meg went with him last time, they caught fourteen fat, fit trout in the afternoon, as well as a few in the morning, most of which went back. Thumbing through Gordon’s log, I couldn’t believe the regular success that he had with large numbers of fish throughout the year...and this makes it all that much harder to accept and report that on our trip we only hooked two and caught one. This fish however, was a beauty: around six pounds of beautifully spotted brown trout, silver and solid.

A fish worth getting up to catch and a pleasure to fight on Gordon’s lightweight harling tackle. I was pretty pleased, but Gordon said that a woman the day before had pulled the hooks on a double-figure brownie as he was trying to fit it into his net... Although our foray was a little slow fishing wise (I later found that this was possibly the worst trip he’d had — so it’s usually pretty good!), it was a great way to see the lake in a very pleasant manner. It also enabled me to see just how good Gordon was at his job. He knew the lake so intimately that he was able to vary the depth of the lines before we arrived at each hot spot, enabling the lures to skim just above the weedy bottom.

While we waited for the Big One, we chatted away in the comfortable cockpit of Top Marks. She’s surprisingly spacious, taking up to six anglers, and has enough shelter to keep out unwelcome elements. As well as Rotorua, Gordon also specialises in trolling Lakes Tarawera and Rotoiti. He will charter by the hour and can organise picnic or barbeque lunches.

Upon our return, Lori and John suggested we all go to Village Sport Bar and Cafe and get them to cook my trout. I was a little dubious. For years I had been regaled by tales of Rotorua’s ‘muddy trout’ and it seemed to me that a big brown trout was unlikely to be a tasty proposition. Fortunately this was not the case in reality. What I did not know is that the water quality has improved dramatically over the years and is quickly coming into line with many of the other ‘populated‘ lakes. My fish was actually transformed into something very edible by the friendly folk at the Village Sport Bar and Cafe. The business is relatively new but already they’ve got the atmosphere sorted out: as soon as we walked in I felt comfortable and at ease amongst the warm, welcoming surroundings. This is obviously going to be a much appreciated asset for the Ngongataha community.

It was here that I met Sally and Brigid Spiers, the mother and daughter team of Valley Fishing Lodge. Not only do they run the lodge, they also guide and teach flyfishing, and are without doubt two more examples of superb Rotorua folk. We were all enjoying ourselves after only a couple of minutes and I was very disappointed when they had to leave for another engagement after the pre-dinner drinks (more on their operation later).  Still, that was more trout for us. It had been baked whole and was served up to us on a big platter, covered in lemon slices and accompanied by an excellent salad.

I was genuinely surprised at how nice the trout was. I’m not fond of eating trout as a rule and I’m sure that John, Lori and Gordon get to see more than their fair share of dead fish. Between us, we cleaned up that platter — and then had apple pie and cream to fill up the last little gap. A very pleasant evening in a nice place with good people .

Upon learning of my predisposition towards flyfishing, Gordon took me for a bonus early morning fish at Tarawera for a couple of hours the following day. Surprisingly, I’d never been here before and to say I was impressed is an understatement: as far as I’m concerned, it was nature’s purer version of a blonde, halter-topped darling cruising around me in circles on roller blades — absolutely fantastic! (Whoops! Get back to reality, Mark!). In this little piece of paradise, I managed to prick a couple of fish before it was time for us to head off and meet Terry Kelso, our flyfishing guide for the day.

We met up at Gordon’s house and after a cup of coffee climbed into Terry’s 4x4 vehicle, his beautifully painted and maintained clinker-style boat in tow. I have already talked of the abundance of top people encountered on this trip and Terry is certainly no exception. Of Irish descent, he is what I would term ‘a gentlemen’ — but his tidy dress, quiet demeanour and competent teaching manner combine well with a dry wit and an ability to spin the odd lewd yarn or earthy tale. The result is a well-balanced mix and a good fishing companion. It took about fifteen minutes for me to warm to him and over the rest of the day this continued to grow. He took Gordon and myself to Lake Rerewhakaaitu, a shallow, seemingly desolate lake south-east of Lake Tarawera. Surrounded by shrubs, grass and raupo, it doesn’t look particularly promising — until you fish it. After several successful forays here, I have developed a fondness for this lake, and Terry was able to add to this.

He took us to a narrow arm of the lake and explained how we should fish it. He uses sink- tip leaders a lot in these situations and I was keen to see them being implemented, both with the nymph and the wet fly. There was only one problem: he asked me to use methods I hadn’t used before and I wasn’t confident of my ability to detect the takes. I mixed his methods with my own and carried on. I should know better — ‘when in Rome...’ and ‘a little knowledge...’ are too quotes that would have been appropriate in this instance. Terry fishes here all the time and I have never. I fluked a fat little three pounder when it ate a tiny nymph being stripped in quickly, and snapped a much bigger one off when I took my eyes off my indicator for three or four seconds to see if coffee was on the way. Upon looking back, there was no indicator and as I lifted the rod firmly the line suddenly came tight as the fish took off in the opposite direction — already well-hooked. Split seconds after breaking off, the bulky fish erupted from the water and then was gone, leaving me, gutted, with only my limply trailing nylon trace as a painful reminder of my momentary lapse in concentration.

Around midday he took me out in his boat and we explored the bends and arms not accessible by shore. Although we didn’t have much luck, I appreciated out almost silent journey and enjoyed % casting from the uncluttered stern of the boat, despite the winds gusting to over 30kph! We came back to a sumptuous lunch that had been provided by Lori and John. It was much appreciated.

Throughout my day with Terry, he was mostly at my side and the rest he was with Gordon, who although very keen, is relatively new to flyfishing. He watched what I was doing intently, suggesting now and then that I try a different fly or a different technique. I learned a lot and suspect that if I’d stuck solely to his proven methods I would have caught more. It took him around 15 minutes to catch a 2kg rainbow on a wet fly when I invited him to have a go. Just near nightfall we made our way to the lake proper and Gordon caught a nice fish on the wet fly as Terry talked him through a retrieve motion that worked well for him. A good end to the day’s fishing. Terry specialises in fishing still waters but loves dry fly fishing whenever he gets the chance. In the past he’s had a lot to do with the New Zealand flyfishing team, winning a place in the side in ‘91 and acting as team supporter in following years. He has a lot of respect in the trade and is well worth fishing with.

Throughout both charter days we’d had to work hard for our hook-ups and it wasn’t surprising. The fishing in the region was very slow due to many of the fish still spawning or recovering up the rivers and the moon was a day after ‘full’. This phase can be very bad for many types of fish and I don’t like it — this devious combo’s certainly getting blamed this time, as both guides are extremely competent in their respective fields and generally do well.

There was to have been one more expedition with Sally and Brigid, the enthusiastic and engaging owners of Valley Fishing Lodge, a rural accommodation for fishermen and travellers. Despite being situated only fifteen minutes from the city centre and five from major tourist attractions (such as Paradise Valley Springs, horse riding and the Agrodome), there is still a wonderful sense of absolute peace and quiet. Life slows down to an attractive meander. Being in the heart of Rainbow Country, the lodge is a springboard to all kinds of fishing, with streams, lakes and rivers in profusion, all year round. It’s no wonder they attract the custom of so many fishing clubs, especially as the lodge is perfectly set up for them, having 12 beds and two divans. I went inside for a look and it’s very nicely appointed, being spacious, stylish (in a very outdoorsy fashion) and comfortable. Although there are full kitchen facilities available, many like to take advantage of all their meals being cooked for them (picnics, barbecues etc can be provided by arrangement), and Sally and Brigid are reputed to be excellent cooks. Guests can either eat together in the lodge or enjoy the view from the conservatory.

For those who like a little more privacy in their time away, there is an en suite with private entrance available in main house which can house two to three people.

In addition to looking after their guest’s needs, Sally and Brigid can also guide flyfishers around local waters, and as Ngongataha gurgles past their lower boundary, it’s a speciality! (An indication of the calibre of fish possible in the stream was provided by 14 year old Michael Maynard, who caught a 7.4kg brownie there).

If you don’t know how to flyfish and would like to, they also offer fly fishing and tying tuition. Their most popular course is over two days (for absolutely everything on fishing basics!), but they also cater to shorter durations, even if it’s just an hour or two — a service often taken up by the locals. All tackle and materials are provided and they have been responsible for starting off some very avid fishermen.

I had a truly wonderful few days in Rotorua. There are some of the most genuinely friendly people I’ve ever met here and some excellent services and lodgings provided at very reasonable rates. I felt that by saying everyone was so nice, it might detract from my credibility, but it’s true. They deserve to have you visiting them.