PLACES
By Stuart Lacon-Allin Photos by Roy Skea OUCHDOWN in Auckland at midnight on Wednesday night was followed by two nights spent in Auckland city getting our bearings right and acclimatising after 24 hours of travelling. I say acclimatising, however the New Zealand conditions are extremely similar to Durban conditions in summer. Seven of us were on the trip of a lifetime to fish Three Kings Islands off New Zealand, but before we got fishing there was a lot of travelling to be done. From Auckland our group embarked on a five-hour
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minibus trip up through the KZN Midlands-like North Island of New Zealand, passing through the small towns of Whangarei, Kawakawa, Kerikeri. We finally reached our destination of Mangonui which is a small historic fishing village found in the far north of North Island. It’s well-known for its water-based activities, 150 year old buildings and the Mangonui harbour which is the main centre of Doubtless Bay. Our trip really began that night when we took board on Enchanter, our fishing boat. We were going to spend the night on the boat and depart the Mangonui Harbour in the early hours of the next morning. Onboard we met our captain, Lance, senior deckhand, Nayte, and junior deckhand, Phil. They ran us through the proceedings, and for the rest of that