I am hoping to be down there and get some fishing in later this year.

Any tips for Kuaotunu/Opito/Otama, and the other little bay I cant remember the name of on the edge of Otama res.

Will probably be land basedonly to start.

Cheers

penguin,

Your starting to worry me, did ya know  your talking about some of the nicest places in the country, how did ya find out about these hidden treasures?, those beaches are close to heaven if ya ask me.

Wefaknis

Pengy, there were a few threads around Christmas about that area - if you put the names into the search function they should come up OK.

We stayed at Kuaotunu for a while in March, and did a bit of tramping round the local area. Yes, tis a wonderful place. Getting popular though.

Hey I forgot about Rings beach at the other end.Wish I had enough money to buy the store at Kuao. as it would get us into the country pretty damn quick that way. Must be a superb lifestyle.

I managed a couple of miniscule snapper off the beach one evening, but only had some borrwed tackle so was limited. I cant wait to get into the fishing down there proper.

Anyone remember the name of the small bay yet. You can only reach in by boat/foot/4x4. Begins with "W" I think

Penguin, try just "opito", i got several hits

Wefaknis

Thanks Wefaknis.  It worked your way.

It sounds like a pretty reliable spot.

I am going to have to get a yak when I get down, cos that sounds as if it is a ball. Never tried fishing from one before.

Cheers Phantom. Bit premature mate as I am still stuck here in England till I get my visa sorted. Have made notes on what you have told me and will try it all out when I get the chance.

Barrie, does it get any better than Opito? It is a stunning area.

Am going to meet up with Trenter on the 10th in London at NZ expo. thingy. I think I will try to get him to give me a quick lesson in Kiwi speak.

We fish (from boats) the eastern end of Opito. There is a rock shelf that gently slopes onto sand ... anchored over the rock and fishing back onto the sand can be very productive. Great place to fish if its blowing.

I've got some friends with a place an Kua so will ask where they fish (although I think they mainly just go offshore a bit and sit on the sand with berley).

Hey penguin fellow pom here! ? The best move you can make is coming down here. Opito is great but there are hundreds of less visited areas right along the top of the North Island, the whole of the coromandel itself is a fishing mecca.

My advice would be to get a kayak for that area (you may know this already) there are loads of offshore islands to explore in that area. If your just coming on holiday maybe you can't then head to the western coromandel is good for walkers and just as beautiful. When you heading down?

No fish eh max ? well I will steer clear of there when i eventually get down there

Where abouts do you bunk down max ?

I thank you all. I did not expect this kind of response. Cant wait to down (permanantly).

Where you from muppet? Been down long?

Anyone know Bill Muir at Kuaotunu lodge. We stayed with him a while and he got me interested in the fishing around there.

Another long boring weekend in wet surrey!!!! Where`s that bloody visa????

I got the hint the first time Max...

When I come i will be sure to ask you where one of those spots that holds "no fish Definately no fish" is

Cheers for the offer in the other post too

Now now Martini, you are not being entirely honest there pal.... as you know, we do indeed have some of the best baracouta and blind-eel fishing in the country around whitianga/eastern coromandel, but you are correct- no snapper, none, nowhere.

Lotsa sweep and maomao though, all about 4 inches long. In anything over 10ft deep, swarms of micro-scarfies. You can usually land them, although often they have those 6-pack can holders wrapped around them from the rafts of floating and semi-submerged garbage.

Did you also know that all the eastern coro beaches have all had broken bottles strewn across them by the greenies? That is to protect the environment over there, so the beaches are best on the western side too, much safer, especially as all the intravenous drug users come to the east coast and have left all their used needles on the beaches too.

The only good point about the east is that there are several international bikini designers living in whitianga, so all those pretty girls who want to be discovered and join the hi-glamour world of bikini modeling (fun, adventure, travel and loads of money) should certainly head for Whitiangas beaches.

But no fish, no, Martini is right, none at all.

cheers, Stu.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.......and from a Superhero as well.....just who can I believe in future.

SaltyC

Ok Ok....Ill bring the missus

Oh, I do, I do indeed.

cheers,

Uncle Pervy.... Oops, I mean, Stu.

Penguin,

Interesting story in today's NZ Herald about Coromandel. Seems you aren't alone in wanting to live there. The story backs up what I have witnessed anecdotally among friends who have property/bought/sold property there.

The link is:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3576464&thesection=news&thesubsection=general">http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3576464&thesection=news&thesubsection=general

Very interesting Bender, thanks for that. We were already aware that it was getting a bit pricey, but with our u.k pound worth nearly 3 dollars we are in a fairly strong position financially when we come down. Dont get me wrong, we will still need a mortgage, especially on east coast. But we dont want a palace, that is not what NZ is all about for us.

We would be happy living in a cave (well almost) if it meant being there rather than here. On the plus side, property here is still on the up, so it should keep pace with rises out there.

Yeah penguin how you going hows the carp fishing going over there? I'm from Dudley in the Black Country no where near any sea, still in a bit of fishing culture shock here somedays but its brilliant down here. Been here 6 years. What else did you catch down here? No kahawai! The best fish down here, always ready for a tussle!    

Muppet. Iam in Slurrey as it is now known. Too far from sea to be any use. Not been out carping for a while. To tell the truth I got very disheartened with the fishing scene here as too much commercialism involved down this way. It now costs about �500 a season on a decent water round here, and then you share it with windsurfers etc. (thats about $1400 to you).

It has all got a bit too high tech for my liking, as I am a bit of traditionalist when it comes to me fishing. Cant beat taking a few cruisers off the top with a crust on a sweltering summers day. Unfortunately we seem to get less and less of those as well.

Just spoke to my agent who is helping with visa application, and she says its about 8>10 months processing at the mo. so will have to be a bit patient, but I WILL get there one day.

Hmmmmm.... OK Penguin, so a place in Whitianga hey? Hmmmm...., like Martini Max, have I got a deal for you!

There you go mate, as you're a fishingnet bloke and all I will grudgingly let you have this prime beachhouse for only...hmmmm..... 400g pounds.

I have heaps more pics if ya wanna see'em! Heapsa parking for the boat, specially built fish cleaning bench, sleeps 10, upstairs/downstairs potentially separate units, renovated in the last 6 months,just the bees knees pal!

go on, say yes, go on go on go on!

cheers,

Stu.

400g???? Not sure what that means Stu. Sure in a peach of a place. I only wish I had the spare wonga to buy a place now while they are still more or less affordable.

Is this your main home or fishing base??

We have looked at hundreds if not thousands on the net over the last 8 months, and they are all paradise compared to what we have here.

Think along the lines of the houses in Coronation St.  3 bed/60 ft. garden and no car spaces. Yours for a mear $565.000

Go on say yes.

Geez, I'd really like to ,but nahhhh... I couldn't even think of selling the place except for at least double what it is worth! :-) 400,000 pounds sounded about right to me! :-)

cheers pal,

Stu.

500 squid to fish, jesus mate I would'nt pay that. As for the carp could'nt stand bivvies, bite alarms or boilies, I was more of a traditional bread and corn boy too! Do miss the giant pike's that used to lurk under the ski ramp on my local  resavoir though they were crafty buggers.

It took me ages to sort out my residency over here, pain in the arse it was could'nt work for 6 months. Worth it in the end though and there ain't no place I would wanna live but here.

Good luck getting that residency buisness sorted.

Penguin, suggest you keep a bottle of strong drink handy as you do business with our immigration department.

It is a complete, utter, total catastrophe at present and I feel sorry for anyone, but anyone, who has to come into contact with it.The result of decades of political meddling.

Capt. that is over a million bucks. Cant stretch to that my friend. May have to settle for an old fishing crib in the bush if that is what the prices are like.

I would buy at MM`s rate of $350.000 though.

Muppet. You sound like a man aftre my own heart so to speak. Used to love winter piking with a few whole mackerel and some smelts.

Bender, you have really cheered me up (NOT). It has taken us a year to get as far as we have, and we have`nt even lodged the application yet. Have to prove that we can set up in business that will "benefit New Zealand".

Easier said than done.

Small argument going on here at the mo. with regard to the TRUE meaning of a JAFA. If some one could PM me the asnwer, it could settle it.

Rats. Penguin, you disappoint me..... I thought I had it made! Drat drat dratty. Sigh, well, I will just have to hold on to the place then.

hehehehe.

Barrie, are you SURE about "Fantastic"? I thought it was "Fabulous"?

Penguin, I hope things go well with your applications etc. And when you do get to Whitianga, let's go fishing!

cheers,

Stu.

got my eye on a little place in Kuaotunu, Pumkin flat road, @$295.000.

That would be in my ball park. Only me and the missus so dont need heaps of room. Will gladly sacrifice space to be a bit near the water.

As for jafa. I was told it was Just another "fantastic" asian. But dont reckon on that being right as you guys all seem a bit more tolerant than that.

Man when I first started going to Kuaotunu back in 89, 90 no one wanted to live there, it was just a bunch of sleepy batches. As of a $ dollar amount on the place for $300 k you could have bought the whole place .

Good memorys of Otama ,I caught the biggest fish of my young life there. Ive since bettered that fish, but it's a catch I won't forget.

Wefaknis.