Save money and organise your own fishing trip with a low cost rental car to get you there. We headed south from Auckland to the lakes in the Rotorua Taupo area for a spot of trout fishing.
Fly into Auckland, pick up your Auckland Rental Car and head South to the lakes in the Rotorua Taupo area. This is about a four hour drive. If you travel through Hamilton there are nice cafes/bistros on the South end of Victoria Street, The River Kitchen is a favourite stop for lunch.
We had booked our first trout fishing expedition a couple of weeks ago with a local guide Jason Bethune from Troutbeck Fishing Lodge situated on the edge of the Taupo Tauranga River near Turangi. Turangi is about 40 minutes south of Taupo. There are a number of rivers and streams on the south side of the lake that are good for fishing. If you have never been trout fishing before, going with a local fishing guide makes the day stress free and usually very successful. Jason provided all the fishing gear, food, licences and also the transport to some beautiful spots for fishing. He also managed to instruct us in the art of fly and drift fishing and we caught four fish.
I decided to put mine back, as she was a very good looking female who still has a lot of breeding years ahead of her, but luckily Jason gave us a fish from the freezer to take with us after our stay.
I think we will be going again in February and will try out the special Lake Otamangakau (or Lake O as it is called by the locals). Apparently the Trout are nice and fat and can be seen leaping out of the water in the pursuit of Cicadas. It will also be a great time to do the Great Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Now is a good time to book your rental cars, accommodation and fishing guides as February is the busiest month for tourists.
So that was my first trout fishing expedition, and this is my first ever blog post, so your comments would be much appreciated. Next week I’m off on a road trip from Nelson to Queenstown, so check back to find out how I got on.
Heather
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Heather Shanley
New Zealand Rent A Car
It sounds like a good trip Heather. I like it when people throw back young fish, a good policy as it ensures that the fish population doesn’t get depleted. Thanks for sharing.