These are decent shoes for the bricks (thought I'd post this after seeing what happened to the boots on Bungel's mish up North):

http://www.kathmandu.co.nz/Mens/Footwear/30396/Salomon_Techamphibian_2_Mens.html

Not super cheap, but pretty resilient.



This is my third pair. I still have pair 2, but they're on their last legs. They seem to last me about 3 years.

 After each dunking I soak them overnight in a bucket of fresh water to remove the salt. Salt kills shoes pretty quickly.

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Easy to put on/take off
• Reasonably firm grip on algae/wet rocks
• Drain quickly
• Mesh keeps out gravel
• The back folds forward to make a "mule" type sandal.
• Very light and pack down small

Cons:

• The laces tend to work themselves loose, requiring tightening every 30mins.
• Mozzies love to bite you through the mesh
• On my first pair, the laces cut through the lace loops, but the latest models have a tougher material. Kathmandu replaced the first pair, so no dramas (keep your receipt). They also had some cock-and-bull story that the war in Afghanistan was consuming the world's available teflon supplies for body armour, so Salomon had to use a lower grade lace material which ate the loops.

I also use tramping boots if I think I'll stay dry, but this doesn't happen very often.

Couple of other bits:

Bait bucket by Alvey. Saves you going back and forth for more bait when there's a hot bite. Also good for chucking in regular cubes of pillie to see what's at your feet. The belt loops at the back are very small, so only a little belt will fit them.

Wine box bait board. That thin, light pine from rich people's wine boxes makes excellent light, strong bait boards. I ask rich people to keep them for me. Good if you're going somewhere without driftwood. The line is 27cm.