Whangarei Harbour

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    Posted: 17 Apr 2019 at 11:28am
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Hey all, heading up to whangaz all of next week staying around tamaterau.

Should be able to launch into the harbour alright, but are there any particularly good launching points nearby? Have an AWD but ain't a proper 4 wheeler. Boat is a 6m fibreglass.

Once in the harbour is it worth staying in and around or heading out? If heading out the harbour is there anything to watch out for or is it fairly smooth sailing if the conditions are decent? Will have two younguns on board so not keen for any wild adventures ha ha. Never taken the boat up there before.

Did a search but been a while since a similar q on whangas so thought I would ask!

Cheers
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (3) Likes(3)   Quote Catchelot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Apr 2019 at 4:46pm
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Feijoa, have a good look at a marine chart before you go so you can see where the hazards are, namely sandbanks. Navionics has a webapp to view the charts and zoom in to points of interest.
In particular Mair Bank on the right as you exit the harbour.


Safer to exit in between the red and green marker buoys, ie remaning in the channel. And also note the other banks in the harbour.

As to fishing about now is the time of the year the snapper move out of the harbour so can be hit and miss although maybe safer for your kids.

The entrance past the Frenchman can be ok as is further down the channel, but with the enormity of Bream Bay take your pic given the sea condition. The chicks is always hot or cold, one of those you never can tell its worth the journey.

Along Peach Cove towards Bream head I haven't had much success but some do get lucky, I suggest to drift along to prospect the area, work out to the end of the weed line about 30+m or find structure holding fish and then anchor and apply berley... plus it is a busy traffic area being on the edge of the main channel and in my opinion is thrashed...divers and fishers.

47-50m off the "ole Woman is the winter tarakihi spot, they will leave us soon, find last 2hrs towards high best, sometimes at mid tide the current is too great and fish move off or rather the boat moves off the correct angle, you need to anchor here, although some still drift and do ok.

End of Fairway bouy during an incoming can be a good indicator of if the fish are coming into the harbour, but we find not until Nov and then in the harbour itself, jan feb and march are best months.
But inner harbour fishes diffrent to outer harbour so two different ball parks.
 
The end of Bream rock or the "Ole woman has some good under water reefs off it worth prospecting and from there northwards between the beach and Guano is lots of rocky foul, drift and softee it...

Bream Island or Guano rock can be good with schooling fish (kahawai, trevs, macks) and big arse kingis have been regulalry taken as do Back marlin in the summer.

From here northwards you can explore ocean beach and head towards Kauri Mountan coast which is great rocky reefy area all the way up to Taiharuru with the odd bays and rocky headlands all the way up. At the end of Oceans is Awarua Rk many big snapper have been taken here, 3 big reefs out the front that awash on the tides to watch for...but the area can be amazing, years ago my mad mates used to swim out from the beach (400m) at NIGHT and fish it and yes regular 26 up to 29lbers!
 
Head east of here and some good lumps and bumps from 30m out to 60-70m and so these continue all the way back to the Chicks Islands. Good for Tarakihi, reef fish, snaps and small puka, blue cod, sharks, etc.
 
Coming back to exiting the harbour there is Busby Point which if you anchor about 200m towards Peach Cove can have great kingis come past at the right time of the year (50lb) (used to be 100lbers in the old days)Ouch if you are patient to deploy livies or strayline pipers, otherwise during the season have a cast and throw poppers around the harbour channel marker bouys, even stickbaits or tow rapalas too.
 
Carry on out of the harbour following the bouys all the way out to the end - Fairway Bouy sort of head to the Hen Island on the right of the chicks and about a mile away you should be approach 3 Mile Reef, this covers a wide area and is basically low level foul, it is home to many reef species and other fish like snaps and pilchards school up and around it, it is a hit and miss place, sometimes it is a place to save the day with a John Dory and Fat Blue Cod to have for dinner where all the best spots failed...but myself have never done great there...
 
Between that and the Fairway bouy in about 22m of water can be a good place to start drifting if the wind is ok and you have a sea anchor, use a bait straylined off a ball sinker or two and drag reasonable sized baits over the bottom, even flasher rigs with baits work, put these gears in your rodholders and drag them with a medium drag to set the hook when you get a hit, and then deploy your softbaits, so using two techniques to maximise the attraction and capture methods on the day.
 
So drift around 22-26m before 3mile reef as above, also try in at 16m and work out to 22m, by all means if you go over good bites then mark it on your gps and go back and repeat your drags over the area. This area you will get gurnard and snapper. (my mate took a 15lb Hapuka here over the sand!)
 
Look at the shore at Ruakaka to the right where the power station building used to be directly in front is 4 large yellow bouys, sometimes you will pick up kahawai here and the odd small just legal kings, trevally and other baitfish...
 
Out off the Power Station in about 10m is a hole sometimes Gurnards and sometimes good Snapper, in fact drifts any where along here off the beach can be very rewarding fish up to 16lb.
 
Then carry on south looking at beach Ruakaka again and find the Racecourse building - white and low rectangle, again 10-16-22-26...
 
And then repeat the same process and depths heading furthersouth off Ruakaka river mouth, Uretiti, Golf Course, Waipu River...and all the way down to  
 
Off the Waipu river mouth is a small reef in 16m that is worth dragging everything over and also deploy your rapalas and have a bit of a troll as there can be great kingies along here.
 
Further out off the river is another bit of foul and reef in I think 28m, another place to have a drift passed and see if what is awake.
 
About end of Oct early Nov should see big workups of pillies schools with snapper, kingis, makos and other predators feeding with gannets galore, go out to about the 35m mark and drive southwards and then easterly areas out at 40-45m (towards Hen Is) and you should find those spring snapper workups, hit them again with either softees, dragging baits or even metal with jigs and inchikus...

As to launching, I wouldn't try lauching a 6m glass boat at Tamaterau, but you have a public boat ramp at Parua Bay and Onerahi, left and right of you. Or Little Munro bay down the heads has good hard beach and is easy launch and quick exit out of the harbour. Good luck Clap

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau
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Nice post Catchelot Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Catchelot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Apr 2019 at 4:56pm
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Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Nice post Catchelot Thumbs Up

Notice I kept your spot x's quiet Andy? Wink
"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau
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LOL
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Oh, and Feijoa, take note of what Catchelot says about the sandbanks. The harbour is deceptive. It looks like you have a nice clean run to the ocean, but the sandbanks sweep and curve. I know of more than one person who has run aground. Also, the harbour doesn't offer much protection against a strong southwesterly. It can chop up badly, even as far up as Parua Bay. 
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Harbour is fishing well at the mo as long as you're just after a feed. Up early or late work best else just find some depth.
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Wow catchalot, thanks so much for that excellent post and plenty of detail. Will take heed of all that.

I have a finder with the maps on it - hopefully that combined with keepin an eye out will keep me off any banks?!

as im with the kids i will probably look to anchor up somewhere out of the way and chill out. if we can get a few snaps inside the harbour that would be perfect.

old man is heading up for a day or two so might slam it and go wider on those days

thanks again, will let you know how I get on!
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@feijoa could you update your experiences? 

I'll be staying at Parua Bay this weekend, have a small 3.5m Smartwave (foam filled plastic boat) would like to dive at Taiharuru Reef if exiting the Whangarei harbour is safe.

Intend to launch at the Parua Bay public ramp.

Have GPS and depth sounder to help navigate the sandbanks on the way out of the harbour.
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Originally posted by triggerhappy triggerhappy wrote:

@feijoa could you update your experiences? 

I'll be staying at Parua Bay this weekend, have a small 3.5m Smartwave (foam filled plastic boat) would like to dive at Taiharuru Reef if exiting the Whangarei harbour is safe.

Intend to launch at the Parua Bay public ramp.

Have GPS and depth sounder to help navigate the sandbanks on the way out of the harbour.


I haven't checked the forecast but id be launching at pataua and banging out from there if in a 3.5m bathtub. Also why Taiharuru reef. Bugger all to dive on there. Odd kingi here and there. Shark numbers are probably down from the summer frenzie but last place id be diving is taiharuru reef.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote triggerhappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 2019 at 6:52am
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Originally posted by JustAnotherSpearo JustAnotherSpearo wrote:

 
I haven't checked the forecast but id be launching at pataua and banging out from there if in a 3.5m bathtub. Also why Taiharuru reef. Bugger all to dive on there. Odd kingi here and there. Shark numbers are probably down from the summer frenzie but last place id be diving is taiharuru reef.

Yeah funny you should say that, have been getting more info about the area and planning to launch at Pataua south.

Don't know of any spots in that area to be honest and just figured I'd check it out. If you can recommend any spots on that piece of coast that would be much appreciated otherwise I might try further north even the bay of islands but again I really don't have info on any spots.

Edit: Checked out some posts on the FB Spearo page and will probably check out Whananaki way.
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Bad news. Forecast isn't great. A straight easterly does not make Whangarei Harbour, or the coastline north from Bream Head much fun, especially in a small boat.
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Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Bad news. Forecast isn't great. A straight easterly does not make Whangarei Harbour, or the the coastline north from Bream Head much fun, especially in a small boat.

Yeah thanks I had seen the forecast wasn't looking great, might try for the Bay of Islands in the hope that areas will be a bit more sheltered from the weather. 
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Sorry triggerhappy, I meant the Whangarei Harbour area (Bream Bay basically), rather than the harbour itself which is generally OK in an easterly. I'm not sure if there are any spear fishing options within the harbour. JAS?
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Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Sorry triggerhappy, I meant the Whangarei Harbour area (Bream Bay basically), rather than the harbour itself which is generally OK in an easterly. I'm not sure if there are any spear fishing options within the harbour. JAS?


Nah easterly I head up to the bay of islands. Or suck it up and take a pounding to the hen and chicks. Can deal with chop up to 20knots of wind swimming around but its a swell that kills the fun.

You could try like the Frenchman and that sorta stuff but with the boat traffic and current it's not the smartest safety wise.

Bay of islands. Launch at te ungna (no idea on spelling) and then you have more options that you can deal with in one day.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote JustAnotherSpearo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 2019 at 5:59pm
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Right just looked at the forecast. Go to the bay of islands. Personally out of laziness id be going along peach cove / guano but thats because id be in a 5.2m lazercraft not a 12fter.

Highly recommend having a splash on the Canterbury in the BOI its quite amazing however it is 24m to the deck and the dive northland guys look at you weird freediving it. Of course its in the reserve so keep that in mind if you have a look.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote 064pointbreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Sep 2023 at 5:01pm
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Urban Whangarei has only spotty, parore and mullet. The first time I came here I think I saw some kahawai or trout by the walkway.
When I used bait next year, it turns out that most of the fish here are gigantic, especially the oysters. My first fish from this city was a 43cm parore, which put up a decent fight once I felt the bite (I used a kiddie rod and reel back then) I saw a big school of giant mullet from the bridge facing downstream. This made me wish I should get some waders because of all the mud
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Originally posted by 064pointbreak 064pointbreak wrote:

Urban Whangarei has only spotty, parore and mullet.


That is not true. You'd be surprised how far up the river snapper go. I was!

You can also add flounder and eels to that list 😀
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Saw a legal kingfish working a school at kissing point last year. MBs right you would be surprised. But wouldn’t want to eat anything that far up the harbour 
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb
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45 odd years ago when I was a kid I remember seeing some kids I went to school with who were fishing in the tidal creek just up from the start of the Oakleigh-Paparoa Road where the road is right next to this creek on a sharp corner, about 1km inland from SH1. At this point the creek would only be about 7-8 m wide. They had 3 or 4 snapper to about 10 pound. This was fairly common at certain times of the year by all accounts. Their family had farmed near there for a number of generations and were very experienced fishers with their grandfather being one of the founding members of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club.


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