Off-Site Issue 21 November/December 2020

®

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD!

WORK HARD, PLAYISSUE HARD! 21 NOV/DEC 2020

WIN A PAIR OF

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PG 25

TRADIE

PROFILE

FISHING THE COROMANDEL

KAYAK

FISHING

INTO THE

DARK

WAKEBOARDING IN WINTER

GET ON BOARD, WE ARE. Because being local is at the heart of everything we do, ITM have always proudly supported the Kiwi teams we know and love. So, it wasn’t too much of a leap for us to get behind Emirates Team New Zealand as they fight to defend the 36th America’s Cup. As an Exclusive Supplier, we’ve helped with materials for the team’s base at Viaduct Harbour and for the boat yard in which Te Aihe and her sister yachts have been built. We’ll be there to cheer the boys on out on the water too.

Emirates Team New Zealand are counting on us for the long haul, and so can you with every project we undertake.

ITM. We’ll see you right.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD! WORK HARD, PLAY HARD!

WELCOME TO ISSUE TWENTY ONE OF RHEEM OFF-SITE

CONTENTS 04 FISHING DESTINATION 08 WINTER WAKEBOARDING 12 CAVING 16 RHEEM 18 KAYAK FISHING 22 TRADIE PROFILE – MARION THOMAS 26 HUNTING

Cover Photo: Photographer: Matt Quérée Image : JAF S20 Campaign “Backyard Bounty”

What more can be said about 2020? Nothing has quite gone to plan, but with summer around the corner, domestic travel pumping and the spring workups now well underway, there’s still plenty to get excited about!

This issue kicks off with Nick Jones’ fishing and diving guide to the Coromandel, aka a “paradise for holidaymakers.” New contributor Struan Purdie then shares how his mid-winter wakeboarding escapade ended with him being nominated for the NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year award.

Adventure specialist Steve Dickinson introduces the mysterious world of caving on page 12 – yet another great NZ activity to try your hand at this summer. I step up to the plate next, providing a quick rundown of how boaties can safely and successfully make the transition to kayak fishing. This issue’s Tradie Profile places Marion Thomas at centre stage. After arriving in NZ by yacht, she never looked back and has forged a career for herself in the marine industry. Ant Niterl concludes the issue with an encouragement to support local. After shooting his first trophy stag, he reflects on the ethics of trophy farms and discusses how this industry has been impacted by COVID. Don’t forget to get in touch if you have any stories of your own to share.

Message us on Instagram (@offsite_magazine) – where you’ll also find plenty of giveaways – or flick me an email at ethan@nzfishingnews.co.nz. Enjoy!

ETHAN NEVILLE

Rheem off-Site is published bi-monthly by NZ Fishing Media Ltd. Offices are located at 177B Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland, Ph (09) 579 4060.

THE BOSS Grant Blair QS Grant Dixon PROJECT MANAGER Ethan Neville ARCHITECT Ricky Harris CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Leah Foxcroft HAMMER HAND (Advertising) Josh Williams | 021 862 579 | sales@nzfishingnews.co.nz EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Ethan Neville | 021 176 1366 | ethan@nzfishingnews.co.nz Advertising within this publication is subject to NZ Fishing Media Ltd’s standard advertising terms and conditions, a copy of which is available by emailing grant@nzfishingnews.co.nz or by calling (09) 579 4060

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off-site

Fishing

THE

COROMANDEL – a paradise for holidaymakers

New Zealand has no shortage of summer spots for fishing and diving holidays, but none are more popular than the Coromandel. Nick Jones continues his series on NZ’s best fishing destinations with a run-down of Coromandel’s seemingly endless marine opportunities.

T

he Coromandel is one of New Zealand’s most popular holiday destinations. I’m sure a huge part of this is the fact that it’s a fishing and boating paradise blessed with miles of diverse coastline, hundreds of islands and reefs, and shelter in all but the worst weather conditions.

Working our way around the Coromandel Peninsula in a clockwise fashion, let’s start at Thames. Coromandel’s most populous town is the gateway to the aptly named Firth of Thames.

The Firth is a fantastic snapper fishery. Good fishing can be found on the shallow flats with bait and berley when chasing around the squadrons of gannets that work the area every spring, or by hitting

the swathes of mussel farms.

Heading north along the coastal road from Thames, there are many rocky platforms and beaches for surfcasting action, and several boat launching options – the most popular being at Waikawau.

At Kereta, the road heads inland and upwards until you come to the magnificent vista of the harbours and islands of the Coromandel township. The area is a sheltered fishing playground – snapper are abundant for bait and soft-bait fishers, and kingfish patrol the coast with the ebb and flow of the tide. Numerous well-priced charter boats head out to the mussel farms and park up next to the mussel barges as they are processing. The huge berley trails created can lead to some ‘shooting fish in a barrel’

Hooked up off the top end of the Coromandel – a famous kingfish area.

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“THE AREA IS A SHELTERED FISHING PLAYGROUND – SNAPPER ARE ABUNDANT FOR BAIT AND SOFTBAIT FISHERS, AND KINGFISH PATROL THE COAST WITH THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE TIDE”

Sheltered bays in the Coromandel are home to squid – you might be pleasantly surprised if you give it a go!

fishing action! Live-baiting and stick-baiting around the harbour entrances and mussel farms can yield kings throughout the year, although the warmer months are more productive. The water clarity on the western Coromandel isn’t the best for diving, but scallop beds can be found around the islands.

A great place to base yourself for a fishing adventure is Anglers Lodge in Amodeo Bay – they offer a tractor boat-launching service, excellent fish cleaning facilities and complimentary entertainment from their big pet eels in the creek!

The top coast of the Coromandel is big fish country for both land-based and boat anglers. There are ledges all along the narrow gravel Port Jackson Bay Road which offer great fishing a few minutes’ walk from the car, especially around Goat Bay. For the more adventurous shore fishers, continue along the same road past Port Jackson, and you’ll find some legendary rock fishing spots such as Northernmost Point, accessed via a steep cliff between Port Jackson and Fletchers Bay, and the Pinnacles, accessed via a hike around the rocks heading east from Fletchers Bay. Although you’re unlikely to encounter the 40kg kingfish that have been captured from these spots in days gone by, there are still some serious fish cruising past. Renowned boat fishing spots in this area include Channel Island, Square Top Island, and Port Jackson reef, and crayfish are around for experienced divers.

As we head down into the eastern Coromandel, we first encounter the lonely coastline between the small settlements of Port Charles and Kennedy Bay. This is a great area for throwing soft-baits into the shore for big snapper, while Lion Rock is a well-known haunt for schooling fish and kingies. South of this shoreline are the white sand beaches (and Aucklanders’ baches) of Whangapoua, Matarangi, Kuaotunu and Opito. There are decent boat launching options and sheltered off-Sitenz

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waters protected by the Mercury Islands. You just need to be careful around the shallow Whangapoua Harbour entrance at low tide.

The nearby townships of Whitianga, Tairua, Pauanui and Whangamata all offer great accommodation,

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retail, marinas and boat launching facilities. These towns are your gateway to Cuvier Island, Great Mercury Island, the Aldermans and Mayor Island. The fishing options are endless, from targeting big snapper around the shallows,

Clockwise from top left: Crayfish can be found in snorkelling depths along eastern Coromandel; The Coromandel is perfect for small boat adventures; Land-based anglers can catch snapper all around the Peninsula; Early starts can pay dividends when topwater fishing.

harvesting tarakihi around deeper areas of foul, deep-dropping for hapuku, trolling lures in summer for gamefish, or hunting kingfish along the wealth of pinnacles shown on nautical charts between the 50-100m line. Mackerel are the most popular livebait for the Coromandel’s kingfish, and Mercury Bay is a handy area to begin looking for them with your fish-finder.

In summer, kings chase the bait schools around in the bay, so it pays to drop down a livie offering as you’re collecting them.

The diving along the eastern Coromandel is world-class, with clear waters and plenty of marine life. Crayfish and paua can be taken in snorkelling depths from shore or boat dives, and scallop beds are found around Great Mercury and Opito Bay. The Cathedral Cove marine reserve between Cook’s Beach and Hahei is a wonderful snorkelling spot, where you’re likely to encounter big stingrays, tame snapper and inquisitive crayfish.

Just don’t be tempted to grab ‘em!

off-site Wakeboarding

WINTER WAKEBOARDING FROM ABOVE Commercial filmmaker and photographer

Struan Purdie had a specific shot in mind for close to two years. This mid-Canterbury winter, he finally set out to achieve his goal…

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C THE BOAT SLID OFF THE TRAILER AT LAKE LYNDON AND THE FISH-FINDER DISPLAYED A COOL 2.9C WATER TEMPERATURE.

old is a funny thing. We work pretty hard to stay out of it but sometimes it creates the best adventures. It was early June and the season’s first snowfall had just hit the Canterbury high country. The boat slid off the trailer at Lake Lyndon and the fish-finder displayed a cool 2.9C water temperature. The plan was to throw a mate on a single ski and take some cool photos but it wasn’t looking promising.

Three years earlier, my wife and I had stopped off at the Lake after a similar snowfall. The water was like a mirror, the reflections close to perfect. I had visions of a lone boat cutting up the centre of

the lake with a skier crisscrossing behind. From above I pictured the shot, full of contrast as the boat and skier painted their wakes on the glassy reflections like an artist filling in a blank canvas. Today was a different story. It was 10am and the nor’westerly was already starting to chop up the lake. We sped across to the far side where there was a slither of calm water in the lee of the hillside. It was now or never.

Kyle, a good friend I had met while filming for a local hunting guide, climbed into my new 5/4 wetsuit. We lit a fire on the shore so he could thaw out afterwards then we were into it. Since the lake was not exactly mirror calm, we ditched the ski and opted for the

wakeboard instead. Jeremy got the boat started and I put the drone in the air. The plan was to stick close to the edge so I could capture the contrasting blue water and white snowy shore. With a carefully timed beach start, Kyle was up without hardly touching the water. Now for the tricky bit.

We headed down the lake to suss out a good spot. The drone was working hard to keep up but it soon revealed a stunning feature of the lake that was only evident from above. In the shallows on the edge of the lake there was a narrow section of sediment before it dropped off into the deep.

Looking straight down from the drone it created this brilliant orange strip which ran the length of the off-Sitenz

09

Kyle prepares for his mid-winter wakeboarding session. shoreline. Maybe our luck was beginning to change after all.

We found a section of shoreline with a big rock jutting out. This was to be Kyle’s target. I hovered the drone over top as Jeremy swung the boat around and lined up parallel to the beach. On my tiny screen, I saw our boat enter the frame, followed

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by the tiny figure being dragged behind. As Kyle carved towards the rock, I started hitting the shutter.

We repeated the shot a few times until the low-battery warning started beeping wildly at me, threatening to land the drone in the lake. It was hard to tell if we had nailed it completely from the tiny

The portable cooker was essential kit on this trip.

“I HAD BEEN PLANNING THIS SHOT FOR CLOSE TO TWO YEARS.”

iPhone screen that attaches to the drone remote but I was reasonably confident.

We cranked up the BBQ while Kyle stripped off the precious rubber that had kept him alive for the last 40 minutes. By this time the wind had pushed into our sheltered side of the lake and was really

STRUAN’S TIPS FOR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY 1. Subject – adding a subject to your shot, whether human, a vehicle or something else, provides scale & a point-of-focus to large landscapes.

2. Birds eye – tilting the camera on the drone straight down allows you to compose a very twodimensional flat image, which adds a unique perspective.

A Buccaneer 470 was the right boat for the job. starting to bite. After devouring a couple of venison sausages we packed up and headed for the ute. On the trip home, I wondered what I’d find once I Hi plugged the Tech Plastics Logo memory card into the computer.

I had been planning this shot for close to two years. You can’t be too idealistic when working with nature

because everything is constantly changing. One day the light and your subject might line up just right for that perfect shot; the next day everything seems to be working against you. At least with this shoot, we’d had a bit of an adventure.

Two months later I received an email from New Zealand

3. Timing – plan your shot around the first and last hour of light.

That golden hour will transform your images.

4. Filters – using ND and polarising filters will give you a lot more control of your drone images in postproduction.

Geographic saying I’d been selected as a finalist in the Photographer Of The Year awards. I was pretty chuffed with how the selected image from that day turned out and certainly couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of my two crazy mates. Just goes to show I guess, sometimes the best adventures don’t turn out quite the way you envisioned them.

Struan Purdie is a commercial filmmaker and photographer based in Christchurch. You can see more of his work on Facebook or Instagram under the name @earlybirdmedia.

To vote for Struan’s photo, head to the photographer of the year page at nzgeo.com. The Photographer of the Year finalists are selected from nearly 6000 entries – each a new expression of the environment and society we live in. Struan’s image is also on display at the New Zealand Geographic exhibit at the New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland.

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off-site

Caving

INTO THE

DARK With the borders still closed, Steve Dickinson provides a run-down of another fantastic outdoor activity us Kiwis can pursue this summer.

I

magine, it’s dark, and there is no light whatsoever; not a moon or star, just black. You are squeezed between two rock walls oozing with slime and mud, but there is just enough room to get your head through if you turn it sideways and suck in your breath. This is caving, and some people do it for fun!

Caving, also known as ‘spelunking’ and even ‘potholing’, is simply the recreation of exploring natural cave systems. There are wild cave systems (non-commercial) and show caves, and some are in between.

The challenges involved in caving vary according to the cave being explored. Besides the total absence of light beyond the entrance, you will typically have to deal with negotiating pitches, squeezes and water hazards, as well as bats and cave wetas (which is the heaviest, not the biggest insect in the world).

Sometimes categorised as an ‘extreme sport’, it is not commonly considered as such by long time

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enthusiasts. They dislike the term as it suggests cavers disregard safety, despite it being one of the biggest aspects of caving.

New Zealand is riddled with cave systems. Some of these are commercial, others can be investigated without any real experience, and some can be taken on without professional help, but you will really need to know what you are doing.

Spelunkers (cavers) say that New Zealand has some of the most challenging and spectacular caving systems in the world, but even first-time cavers can enjoy the underground landscape. Caving experiences range from a gentle drift through a glow-worm grotto to a rip-roaring, rope-dangling, actionpacked subterranean adventure.

In the North Island, the bestknown caving area is Waitomo in the Waikato region. Here, there are caves you can simply walk or float through (this is called black water rafting), as well as caves that require

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abseiling, climbing, and squeezing.

The experienced Waitomo operators know how to turn you into a caver in a single day.

The South Island has several caving areas. You will find guided underground adventures in Nelson, Fiordland and on the West Coast.

Harwood’s Hole, just off the main Motueka-Takaka road in the Nelson region, is the deepest sinkhole in the southern hemisphere. You can investigate it but be careful you do not fall in – it is 180 metres straight down.

Most caves in New Zealand are formed of limestone, or of its metamorphic variety, marble. Other than this, there are sea caves in several areas, and some lava caves formed of volcanic rocks, which are principally in and around Auckland.

North Island In Northland, there is a small limestone region containing some popular caves just a few hours north of Auckland at Waipu. Beneath Auckland City are lava caves, which were formed as the lava cooled.

The most visited of these is on Rangitoto Island.

The region around Waitomo, extending southward to north Taranaki and Te Anga near the coast, contains most of the North Island’s best-known caves, including the longest, Gardner’s Gut, which is 12km long. Other major caves are the stream caves of Mangapu and Mangawhitikau and the Waitomo headwaters system.

At Waitomo, you can float through the caves on “rafts” – and you won’t be forgetting the views in a hurry!

To the south towards Awakino, the limestone region becomes narrower. Popular areas in between Coonoor and Makuri in Arthur, and the Greenlink system north Taranaki include Puketiti, northern Wairarapa.

(26km) on Takaka Hill.

Matawhero, and Mahoenui, The other major South Island area including several caves more than is north Westland. At Karamea, there 4km long.

As with the North Island, the South is the 13km Honeycomb Hill Cave, Towards the East Cape in the Island’s caves are formed out of which has over 70 entrances, plus Whakapunake region, there is the both limestone and marble. One of New Zealand’s largest limestone Te Reinga Cave and the Mangaone the most popular areas is northwest arches.

Valley with the Mangaone Cave. To Nelson. The marble areas – Takaka Along the east coast of the the south, between Coonoor and Hill, Mt Arthur and Mt Owen – are South Island, there are only small Makuri in the northern Wairarapa, higher up, with caves up to 1700 cave areas – in Marlborough there are numerous small caves. metres above sea level. These three near Blenheim and Kaikoura; in Other small North Island caving marble mountains contain all of Canterbury at Waiau, Broken River, areas include Pohangina (north New Zealand’s deepest caves, as and Pareora; and in North Otago of Palmerston North), Taihape, well as the three longest caves – the near Palmerston.

Martinborough and Mauriceville.

Bulmer Cavern (67km) at Mt Owen, In Southland, there are minor There are also small cave systems the Ellis Basin System (33km) at Mt caving areas at Monowai and the

South Island

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Wading through water is sometimes necessary when caving.

Stuart Mountains, as well as at Fiordland and around Te Anau.

Caving can be dangerous, and every year there are one or two rescues. The most famous New Zealand rescue was in 2007, when Michael Brewer, an experienced caver, was struck by falling rock deep within the Greenlink/Middle Earth caving system. The incident attracted widespread media attention in the country. Brewer suffered cracked ribs, concussion and a broken pelvis. It took about three days to get him to the surface which couldn’t have been fun (they had to travel 3km, which normally takes five hours), and while most of the distance was covered with

Brewer on a stretcher, there were several tight squeezes. He had to be pushed and pulled through certain sections, and some areas were even widened with explosives. By the end, more than 50 cavers had been involved in the rescue.

These types of issues are rare, and as mentioned earlier, cavers are renowned for their safety. There is no Coastguard or Westpac Rescue Helicopter, so in the extreme conditions, it pays to be cautious.

Regardless of what region you are in, if you want to experience caving, the simplest way is to join a club, and a great place to start is http://caves.org.nz/local-groups/.

The most famous New Zealand rescue was in 2007, when Michael Brewer, an experienced caver, was struck by falling rock deep within the Greenlink/ Middle Earth caving system.

There is no shortage of amazing sights under the ground.

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PENCHANT FOR SPEED Rheem and motorsport go hand in hand. In America, IndyCar and NASCAR are at the centre of the racing landscape, and Rheem have partnered with up and comer Christopher Bell for the 2020 NASCAR season. With 16 wins already under his belt in the NASCAR Xfinity series, his new Rheem Camry has put him in a strong position to win 2020 Rookie of the Year.

In NZ and Australia, however, Supercars are the

In the late 90s, he landed a gig as a suspension design engineer for Chip Ganassi Racing. For those unfamiliar with motorsport, Chip Ganassi are an extremely successful IndyCar team, so when his brother reached out to him about a job opportunity, Andrew’s answer was a resounding yes.

highest priority, and Rheem proudly sponsor Shell V-

Alex Zanard's1997 championship winning car.

Power Racing Team – but you might know them

This opportunity took the form of ‘fuel guy’ – or as

better as the team Kiwi Scott McLaughlin drives for.

Andrew

It should come as no surprise then that there are a few

Technician.’ In summer 1998, Andrew hopped on

motorheads in Rheem’s very own ranks. First among them is Auckland-based Andrew Edmonson, Rheem NZ’s Pricing and Commerical Manager. From pumping fuel into IndyCars to now travelling with his kart-crazy

likes

to

put

it,

‘Petroleum

Transfer

a plane and made his way to the States to join the team. For a young Kiwi petrol-head who wanted to see America, this was pretty much the dream job.

nine-year-old son, Andrew’s passion for motorsport has been one of the driving forces of his life (and we don’t apologise for that pun).

It all began for Andrew when his car-loving parents started dragging him along to motorsport events.

They were members of the distinguished MG Car Club, and Andrew was in no way immune to their passion for motorsport. Before long, watching turned to racing, and he started to take part in hillclimbing events. While Andrew saw this as more of a hobby than a career, his brother had different ideas.

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Indy 1998 testing with then new driver Juan Montoya.

“I travelled with the transporter, so I’d go with the car

a sponsor, and with almost every F1 driver having

and travel from track to track and help them set up

started their careers in karting, it might not be a bad

everything for winter testing.

investment.

“My role as the fuel guy was to ensure the car was the same every time it went on the track – to maintain the same weight and amount fuel in the car every time it left the pits.”

This may not have been the flashiest job in racing, but when you’re surrounded by high-level pit crews and travelling around America with some of the most well-known IndyCar drivers of the time, there’s not too much to complain about.

After a full winter with Chip Ganassi Racing, Andrew decided to his pursue his other passion: skiing. He took off to Austria with a small group of Kiwis to get trained as a

William reaching out to Scott McLaughlin for racing tips at Kartsport Nationals 2019. Scott is the patron for Kartsport NZ. Photo courtesy of Emily Jane.

professional instructor, which also involved a fair bit of racing. It's safe to say that Andrew has a penchant for

And just in case you think Andrew has completely given

speed.

up driving himself, his 1972 Datsun 1600 race car

When the time for travel was over, his attention turned

parked in his garage might tell you different!

to raising a family and building a career in NZ – but at no point has this diminished his love for motorsport.

At the time of going to print, McLaughlin

His now nine-year-old son William has grown up racing

was crowned the Supercars Champion elect

karts and currently drives for a team called NZED

after claiming his 21st podium of the

Motorsport. William’s mechanic is, of course, Andrew,

season

and they travel around the North Island racing most

while Coulthard was well inside the top 10

weekends.

in P8. The Shell V-Power Racing

Team

was 100 points ahead of Triple

8

the

at The Bend SuperSprint event,

Teams’

in

Championship standings.

Pre-race high-five between Andrew and his son William.

Photo courtesy of Emily Jane.

“It’s a fantastic sport,” Andrew tells me, “and it’s really great bonding for us too, as we spend a lot of time together and work together as a team.”

However, with his son burning through a set of tyres every

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY ®

few race days, it’s not cheap. They’re on the lookout for off-Sitenz

17

off-site

Kayak Fishing

THE KAYAK

CONVERSION In our COVID-burdened world, kayak fishing has never seemed so attractive. Ethan Neville got in touch with expert Laurie Pottinger to see how boat fishermen can safely and successfully transition to the ‘yak.

Laurie’s trusted and well-fished Viking Reload.

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W

hen Alert Level 4 hit NZ a few months back, all of us fishermen and boaties were left land-locked for several weeks. Level 3, however, saw every ocean-going Kiwi rummaging around in their sheds or under the house for that kayak they hadn’t used for a year or two, but were pretty sure still floated.

For the kayak fishing specialists, it was a dream come true. They could paddle out to their favourite inshore spots without being terrorised by boat noise and wake, which are close to constants if you launch from an Auckland ramp in a COVIDfree world.

Laurie Pottinger is one of these specialists. He has been at the top of his game for a number of years now, and is a prominent figure at kayak fishing clubs and tournaments throughout the North Island. I, on the other hand, was one of those

Boats are increasingly heading inshore to lure fish, but still can’t reach the true “kayak terrain.”

guys who dusted off their kayak for a Level 3 fish. Boat fishing has been my focus for the last few years, but after a couple of successful trips in Level 3, I was quickly reminded of all the great things kayak fishing offers which can’t be replicated on a boat. Knowing there were plenty of anglers out there in my situation in Level 3, and also knowing there are a few others wanting to get prepared for any potential future lockdowns, I got in touch with Laurie to learn more about how boat fishermen can successfully and safely make the transition to the kayak.

Why kayak fish?

Laurie has always been a keen fisherman, and like most Kiwis, his fishing started on the boat. But when his growing enthusiasm for soft-baiting, which was increasingly leading him to nudge his boat further into the shallows, coincided with a major downturn in the dairy farming industry, purchasing a kayak was the next logical step for Laurie. And therein lie the two key advantages of switching from boat to kayak: it’s the most effective way to target trophy fish habitat and it’s substantially cheaper.

First, kayaks allow you to target areas which boaties only dream of – Laurie calls these spots “kayak terrain”. Their manoeuvrability allows the angler to quietly move right up into gutters and awkward coastlines, which are typically the places big mooching snapper call home. Of course, the biggest

downside of kayak fishing is that you can’t access these places fast – there’s no lowering the outboard and shooting out to a new spot if things aren’t working. But for Laurie, this doubles as another advantage.

Travelling at paddling pace means, in Laurie’s words, “you have to learn to fish an area more thoroughly… you become more observant and in tune with the environment. The speed you travel and the fact you’re constantly watching the sounder allows you to identify where the prime fish holding habitat is.”

The second key advantage is how cost-effective it is, and this barely needs an explanation. There are no fuel costs (apart from driving to the ramp), no outboard servicing is required and it’s a minor upfront cost to get set up compared to buying and fitting out a boat. When you are eating fish for dinner after a kayaking session, you really have saved money by getting out on the water – and the same can’t often be said about boat-fishing after all costs are considered.

While these are the two most obvious advantages of making the switch, Laurie has no shortage of reasons for jumping in the kayak.

It’s hard to move past the physical benefits (paddling is great for the body), the greater range of launching opportunities (most beaches will do) and, of course, the more exhilarating fights. It’s this last point that draws me back to the kayak. Nothing beats being towed a couple hundred metres by a kingie

Trophy snapper like this one are often found right up by the coastline in areas only kayaks can access. or big snapper on light gear.

“...you become more observant and in tune with the environment.

The speed you travel and the fact you’re constantly watching the sounder allows you to identify where the prime fish holding habitat is.”

But before you hit the water…

While kayak fishing has some quite obvious advantages, there’s always two sides to a coin. The very same things which make kayak fishing attractive – manoeuvrability, paddle-power and thrilling fights – also pose a few challenges. In such a small, open vessel, you are always exposed to the conditions.

If it suddenly roughs up, there can be a real risk of the kayak tipping. In these situations, there’s no engine to get you out of trouble; you are completely reliant on your own strength. When the current and wind are against you and you’re not “paddle fit”, I can assure from my own experience, exhaustion comes into play and it takes a fair bit of off-Sitenz

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A great bonus of fishing inshore waters is the higher survival rate of released fish.

effort not to be pulled out to sea with the tide.

To mitigate some of these challenges – and to ensure you are safe on the water – Laurie has a few important tips.

Purchase a quality kayak.

When Laurie changed from his basic kayak to one specifically designed for fishing – in his case the Viking GT – he experienced instant improvement. The keel design of Viking kayaks in particular, Laurie notes, means they hold in a straighter position, which makes

The experience of fighting a fish so close to the water is addictive.

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casting a simpler task. His current Viking Reload, he assures me, is exceptionally comfortable and can handle extreme weather, resulting in longer days on the water. Laurie has been known to do 15 hourdays, so we can probably trust his advice on this matter.

Grab yourself a carbon fibre paddle. This one’s simple.

According to Laurie, a carbon fibre paddle makes it 50% easier to get from A to B. Get the necessary equipment.

Once you’ve got your kayak and

“This one’s simple.

According to Laurie, a carbon fibre paddle makes it 50% easier to get from A to B.”

paddle sorted, there are some safety essentials you need to purchase.

First among these is a PFD (personal flotation device) – also known as a lifejacket. There are PFDs specifically designed for kayak fishing which won’t hinder your paddling and are well worth the extra cost. It’s also essential you buy a leash for your paddle and rods – as Laurie says, “leash it or lose it.” Finally, always carry two forms of communication.

A mobile phone can be one, but a handheld VHF is also essential as there are plenty of popular fishing spots with no cell reception.

Practice the essentials. Before you traverse the open seas to tackle your favourite fishing spots, head out in a calm bay and work up a bit of paddle fitness. One important thing to practice is getting back onto a flipped kayak. It may seem easy to slide back onto a kayak, but when you’re exhausted in rough conditions, you want muscle memory to kick in.

There is much more to be said about the subtleties of kayak fishing, but if you follow Laurie’s advice as a starting point, you’ll be well-equipped to take on the big shallow water fish. With the best snapper-fishing month of the year ahead of us (November), there’s no better time to chuck a ‘yak on the roof and take it for a spin – once you’ve been towed 50-odd metres by a big red, there’ll be no looking back!

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Tradie Profile

MARION THOMAS Growing up on a lake near Pretoria, South Africa, with a passion for water skiing and boats eventually led Marion Thomas to a life in the marine trades in New Zealand – but getting there wasn’t all plain sailing, writes Helen Horrocks…

Marion Thomas with one of many solid fish she’s caught since moving to the Bay of Islands.

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M

arion was 28 when she arrived in New Zealand on a yacht. She had sailed from San Diego with friends of her family on their second attempt to reach NZ by boat; the first was a few years prior.

Marion had been invited on that trip too but turned down the offer because she was working in Austria at the time.

“Luckily I didn’t go on that trip,” Marion tells me, “because they got stuck in a hurricane, and eventually the boat sank in Bali. Andre (one of the owners) made it out with his passport and the sat phone, and he was only wearing shorts and jandals.”

A few years later, Marion was back in South Africa, working for a high-end boat club. There, she ran a team of boat concierges, taught water skiing, drove a parasail boat and got involved in boat maintenance. This led to a job offer at a marine servicing agent. It was a decent job, but one she says “wasn’t really going anywhere”.

So when the offer came up again to sail to New Zealand, she wasn’t put off by the bad fortune of the previous trip.

Encouraged by her parents, Marion set sail on what was

supposed to be a return voyage. But when she arrived in New Zealand, she found she “didn’t really want to leave”. So she stayed on with sailors Andre and Lin at their Auckland home and started thinking about what she could do for work in NZ. Lin worked at Birkenhead College and suggested Marion come along to their careers day for the students.

It was there she met Mike Birdsall from the training arm of NZ Marine.

“He was offering boatbuilding apprenticeships,” says Marion, “but the thing that really interested me was the engineering side of things.”

With a list of approachable Auckland companies from Mike Birdsall, Marion set about trying to find herself a marine engineering apprenticeship. But after a raft of refusals, she was just about ready to give up.

“I spent two months driving around from place to place,” Marion says, “because, being a woman, I was not very well received.”

She was considering going back to South Africa when Lin suggested she contact Friendship Yachts in Whangarei. Marion emailed them but didn’t get her hopes up.

To her surprise, Dennis Maconaghie at Friendship invited her for an interview. Before she left, she sought advice from Mike Birdsall.

“I said to him, ‘Look, every time I go and see these people I’m really struggling because they don’t seem to take me seriously, that I actually want to be an engineer’.”

His advice was simple and proved invaluable.

“He said, ‘make sure you dress down, don’t wear makeup, so you’re tidy but not over the top. And the other thing you should do is go into the engine room and just scratch around and get your nails dirty. Clean hands, but make sure your nails are dirty.’ And I’m like, ‘really…?’”

“So, I go up there and, true as Bob, during my interview with Dennis, he says ‘let me see your hands’! I’d been helping Andre on the boat, and I had a few scratches on my arms from getting into some

tight cabinetry. So Dennis is like, ‘OK, they don’t look so soft’.”

Dennis offered her the apprenticeship, against the wishes of Marion’s future foreman and several of the leading hands.

“He asked them whether he should employ me, and all of them said ‘no’,” says Marion. “They said I would be a distraction. But I think a lot of the guys that said ‘no’, actually turned around a few months or a year later, and said, ‘Oh, you know what, she is worth it’.”

One of them, Scott Thomas, was in some ways right about the distraction part. He recently became Marion’s husband. But he’s in no doubt now that Dennis did the right thing when he gave her the job.

She advanced quickly at Friendship, which she puts down to her maturity (the other apprentices were all school leavers) and before long she was taking on the responsibilities of a leading hand.

When Friendship closed down, she and Scott moved further north to the Bay of Islands, where Marion secured a job in the engineering workshop at Fullers, and later became a contractor working alongside another engineer.

But sadly, the initial scepticism she encountered being female in a male-dominated industry never really went away. When her (male) co-worker wasn’t available, Marion found boat owners wouldn’t trust her to do the work herself, despite having worked extensively on their boats before.

She says while it’s getting easier for women to get into the trades these days, there remains a stigma that women can’t do well at ‘men’s’ jobs.

“It’s definitely getting easier for girls now to get apprenticeships and get recognised. You’re seeing a lot more girls get their hands dirty, especially in the automotive industry. Who knows, in another 20 years maybe people won’t have that stigma any more. It would be nice to see.”

Still, her advice to girls thinking about getting into the trades is: “go for it”.

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From left:

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“You really, really just have to believe in yourself, that you can do it,” says Marion. “Because what you project to other people definitely rubs off.”

She says the “sneers” and “remarks” are just part and parcel of being a woman in the trades, but rather than getting hung up on them, Marion relishes the opportunity to prove people wrong.

“That’s one thing I absolutely loved,” she says. “I enjoyed people’s reactions when I got on a boat with another guy, and people go, ‘Is she just here to hold your pen?’ And I would be the one who would climb into the hole and he’d sit there with a pen!”

She encourages women in the trades to “enjoy those moments when people are dumbfounded.”

When her contract work as an engineer dried up one winter, Marion channelled her positive attitude into a completely new trade – boatbuilding. Working at OC Tenders, she’s had to learn from the ground up again, which she says has been “a wild ride”, but one she’s thoroughly enjoying.

The company, run by sailors Russell and Karin Carlyon, 24

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uses techniques from Russell’s background as a competitive windsurfer and board builder to create lightweight tenders for cruising yachts.

Marion says it’s good fun, but hard work, and totally different to engineering.

“It’s way more intense than engineering was. It’s a lot more focused and a lot more physical.

Engineering is physical enough because you have to climb into small spaces, but this laminating, you have to be focused a hundred percent the whole time, so it’s mind taxing as well as body taxing.”

It’s just as well she knows how to relax. She regularly takes time on weekends to head out on the boat fishing with Scott and their old friend Tony Nelson. They have free use of Tony’s Bertram 28, Yagethat, which Marion says has been quite an opportunity. In return, they help out with boat maintenance, Marion doing the engine servicing, and both she and Scott helping with painting and haul-outs.

Marion only really took up fishing when she moved to the Bay of Islands, but she’s already knocked off the 20lb snapper and a marlin.

She encourages women in the trades to “enjoy those moments when people are dumbfounded.”

She says her fishing wishlist still includes a swordfish, and more surprisingly, a john dory, which she confesses she’s never caught before.

“I’ve always loved the water,” she says. “I’ve been water skiing since I was a baby, so I’ve been on the water my whole life.”

I asked Marion what she would say to those in the industry who are still reluctant to hire women in trades roles. She says: “If there’s one thing New Zealand has taught me, it’s to never ever judge a person by what they look like. Women are just as capable as men, and even more so sometimes.”

She says when the next female apprentice comes knocking: “Take them on.”

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Include a caption of who, what, when and where the picture was taken. You could win a pair of Oakley Polarised Caliber Sunglasses valued at $299. The winners will have their photos published in our next issue of Rheem off-Site.

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Hunting

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE LOCAL

Ant Niterl takes a minute to reflect on the ups and downs of lockdown, before sharing his recent hunting first: shooting a trophy stag.

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®

WE WANT YOU!

The Tekapo region provides a range of hunting opportunities.

L

ockdown caused a bit of chaos around the country.

People were venturing off into uncertainty, and there was global confusion as we tried to comprehend the unfathomable. We were all riding through the same storm, but in different boats, and I was feeling the pinch too, after losing my bread and butter due to the company’s financial constraints.

“Tony Dodds is a reallife human mountain goat.

The bloke is fitter than a fiddle…”

Tony with the cross hairs on the prize as the boys observe the bull through the iphone and spotter.

Such is life, but life is still great, especially when we are blessed with living in such a beautiful country like Aotearoa. My mate who introduced me to hunting back in 2013, Tony Dodds, propositioned me to clear the head and go bush for two weeks. He had a tahr trip planned in my favourite neck of the icy woods in Tekapo and then was pushing out to greener pastures in the hope of nabbing a few good stags.

Tony Dodds is a real-life human mountain goat. The bloke is fitter than a fiddle due to years of training as a triathlete. He represented NZ in the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and the World Series for 13 years which is no mean feat for a bush bashing rooster from Balclutha. After retiring last year, Tony started helping his old man Barry on their hunting outfit, Doddsy’s Hunting. Barry is a wellrespected bloke down south who has hunted his whole life and was one of the original cowboys to help with helicopter deer capture back in the day – and jeez, he has some yarns and hell of a handshake to boot.

While freezing off our nether regions in Tekapo during our so far unsuccessful tahr hunt, Doddsy went in deep on how COVID has paralysed the tourism sector in NZ. All their clients had to cancel their trips, which resulted in a huge loss

RHEEM OFF-SITE IS ALL ABOUT FEATURING SOME OF THE INTERESTING OUTDOOR STORIES THAT TRADIES HAVE TO TELL – YOUR STORIES! Send us your best hunting, fishing, diving and outdoors images as well - we have a pair of top Oakley sunglasses to be given away each month for the best image.

Tradies, Rheem off-Site is YOUR magazine. Please share your experiences and adventures with us. You don't have to be a Pulitzer prize-winning writer that is our job!

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T for these outfitters. This trophy hunting industry in NZ contributes around 50 million to our economy yearly, and with COVID halting plans and Eugenie Sage (Minister of Conservation) having her way with the cull, it sure was worrying times for blokes like Barry and Tony. Their livelihoods depend on being able to guide trips and hunt tahr.

We managed to shoot a bull tahr on the last day but it, unfortunately, fell down a crevasse which really deflates you mentally, especially

“I only really had eyes for this big seven by seven, 14 point stag which was making us look like donuts for two days straight.”

after a long day’s climbing to get within range. However, Tony and I ventured up north around Kurow, sat in Richie McCaw’s local, sucked back a cleansing ale, had a slap on the pokies and then made tracks to where he took his clients. This was going to be an eye-opening experience for me. I’m not ethically sold on trophy hunting but wanted the exposure to it so I could have a better understanding of the business here in NZ. We spent a couple of days

chasing some free-range stags which is Doddsy’s Hunting backbone. While I was alone in the bush with Tony, I only really had eyes for this big seven by seven, 14 point stag which was making us look like donuts for two days straight. He was bloody cunning and left us in the dark on day three.

Doddsy then received a call from his old man that night, asking him to dispatch the last trophy stag on the neighbouring property. He was close to a gold status stag, situated

The writer spying a bit of fluff in a big old bluff.

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Sharing blue cans and a bit of kai is the perfect way to finish a blue bird day.

I can see what the attraction is for overseas hunters.

These stags are majestic, thick timbered and close to the size of a moose.

The back hindquarters themselves were nearly the size of my own carcass.

Tony admiring the mass of this beautiful, old, brute of a stag.

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on a massive block of undulating land which had rocks emerging from the ground like volcanoes. The chances of us finding it were very slim, which made me respect the process a little bit more considering it was on a trophy farm. It had many similarities to a genuine public land hunt. The stag was very old and was not going to make the winter due to his teeth being ground down into ivory dust. I’m still unsure how they got a close up of his fangs to draw that conclusion but Barry’s wisdom around a stag’s age and how they deteriorate over time would have something to do with it. A stag of this calibre would normally generate around $15,000 for the business. That excludes plush accommodation, airport pickups, breakfast, lunch and dinner, guiding and the dismembering of the beast afterwards. After an afternoon stroll and glassing, we accidentally bumped into the beautiful stag at dusk. It was an absolute thumper!

I’m not going to lie, I was in awe of this stag; its sheer girth and mass were very easy on the eyes. Tony asked if I wanted to take the shot.

I was confused and reluctantly refused. He said, “Come on roost, you want the experience, and you are helping us out here, and helping this stag too or he will just die a miserable death.” I crumbled to the peer pressure and let some shrapnel fly, sleeping the brute.

I can see what the attraction is for overseas hunters. These stags are majestic, thick timbered and close to the size of a moose. The back hindquarters themselves were nearly the size of my own carcass. After collecting all the red gold off the stag, which took a few ball-breaking trips back and forth to the ute, we dropped him at the butchers where he got made into 500 sausages, steaks, salami and patties – bloody beautiful.

The experience in itself surprised me. I relished it thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone who has pocket money lying around and wants to support a local business, while also clearing the noggin and gathering some serious meat.

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