26 THE FISHING PAPER & HUNTING NEWS - JUNE2018
TIDES OF CHANGE
Poppa Mike
ROADS LESS TRAVELLED (PART TWO) The fisher people were up at first light putting breakfast offerings of blue cod on the table as a beautiful morning presented itself. Plans for the day were made and the 4WDs packed, ready to tackle the steep track out. Soon after we left Catherine Cove we found the road blocked by overnight debris but a bit of muscle soon dealt to that. As the grunting vehicles surfaced on to the Main Road again, we headed for the signpost to Mo Awhitu/ Greville Brook Harbour, the latter name given by Captain Stokes of HMS Acheron,
of native bush across the island, with short hop connections to Golden Bay in the west and Admiralty Bay and Chetwode Islands to the east. The views looking down into Mo Awhitu were a photographer’s paradise, the contrasting colours in the bright sun at their most extreme. Mo Awhitu is a large curved bay, sheltered from the prevailing NW winds by high hills and backed by a sizeable lagoon. Maori history tells this was once a tidal lagoon but a huge cyclonic storm built up the beach creating sand hills that trapped the lagoon. Today the salt water has
Main Road signpost. As we dropped off the ridge it was interesting to see things in reverse, things we had missed earlier, a new bay, a hidden house, a signpost to an old school site in a bay below, an unexplored side track, beehive clearings, as well as a dump of rusting car bodies. There were once quite a number of small schools around d’Urville, mostly in small sheltered bays, where local Maori children and farming families could get enough numbers together. Whareatea was one example, where a small
It was interesting to see things we had missed earlier
Downtime snapper Malcolm Halstead
On a recent marlin expedition to Waihau Bay we had the odd day when the wind was too strong to chase marlin. The beauty about Waihau Bay is on these days you can always find a sheltered bay to moor up and wet a line. One such day we were relaxing at lunchtime having spent an unproductive morning trolling the big lures out deep. Initially there were no bites, which for a Kaikoura fisherman like me is very frustrating and it was only the actions of our calm skipper Howard Lewis, that kept us anchored in the same position. After half an hour and as if by magic the bite time started. Initially we caught a mixture of small snapper, blue mao mao and small trevally. Slowly the size of snapper increased until we were getting a few keepers around the 30cm plus range. On one particular bite I noticed a lot softer take so struck anyway. The little softbait rod bent over double and line vacated the spool at a very satisfying rate. The consistent nods suggested a snapper and after a good battle I had a 50cm specimen on board. Definitely our best so far. Patrick Morris was next with a very solid hook up, which took him from one side of the boat to the other. Speculation was rife as to what he had on ranging from a good snapper to maybe a kingi. Our questions
while doing a marine survey in 1849. Algenon Frederick Greville was a valued friend, descendant of Lord Brook. Greville had been aidede-campe to the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Once again the tui and other birds filled the air with sunshine songs. A great day was unfolding fast. Suddenly the bush became grasslands and the road windy as it descended down the steep hillsides. It seemed like changing countries, the contrast so marked. Most noticeable the lack of birdsong. This farmland has been purchased by DoC with a view to eventually establishing a bird corridor
been replaced by rain water. This is now one of several DoC campsites on the island - with toilet, water, picnic table and frame shelter provided. It was here we saw our second car of the day, two young backpackers camping out in paradise. The only other vehicle we saw was a commercial camper van, another adventurous couple. Re-entering the bush on our way back to meet the barge at Kapowai we encountered our first deer, a young stag skittering across in front of us. A local Maori had told me there were a lot of deer in this area. This one was right by the
cottage nearby was provided for the sole teacher Paddy Burton. All these schools have long since closed, as has the one at French Pass. Craig Aston was right on time at the Kapowai boat ramp and in just a few minutes we were back on the French Pass Road heading for home. As I looked across at d’Urville, places like Coppermine Bay, Ohana, Hauiti, Te Puna, and Kupe Bay crossed my mind, so much more to explore and find out about, so much history. Another trip to d’Urville is already being planned.
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were soon answered as a rat kingi broke the surface, even though he was only 70cm long his excellent condition made him a worthy battle. He was unhooked, photographed then released to fight another day. Mark Scaife was awoken from a midday slumber by a massive take, which also took him on a journey around the boat. Much support was given as a large tope broke the surface as we all left Mark too it and got back to fishing! He was left minus a hook but with a large smile on his face from the lack of team support. Revenge on me came when I too hooked a dreaded tope and was left to deal with it alone, what goes around comes around as they say. I however put too much drag on and was subsequently busted off. Howard also rolled out the softbait rig and proceeded to add a few keepers to the bin which was starting to look very healthy. We all managed snapper, trevally, mao mao, kahawai, and wrasse, while the luckier ones scored a tope! With the chilly bin full and being within our daily limit we headed back to the bach for a few beers and a filleting session. While Waihau Bay is 1000kms from Christchurch, it is very much a place I would recommend going to at least once in your fishing career.
PISTOL SHOOTING
Brian Bishop
No spectators were shot in the writing of this article What is I.P.S.C. (International Practical Shooting Confederation)? It is the most dynamic style of pistol shooting, at least in my opinion but then I may be biased. We shoot from the draw, get to run and gun, and every stage is different, with different challenges set to test your skill. Rest assured, this is all done with safety at the forefront of everything we do. There may also be moving targets of either paper or steel, with paper needing two hits and steel needing to fall for you to score. Prior to the event, you get two to three minutes to walk through a stage, during which you decide the best way to shoot it, with speed, power, and accuracy being of equal importance. The fun part is that you only get one chance to shoot the stage, so you need a perfect balance
of speed and accuracy to score well — the power comes from the choice of calibre and load. However all you need is to hesitate, relax too much, and the potential for a disastrous score becomes a reality. This adds penalty points; loss of speed and your competitor suddenly jumps ahead of you in the competition. This can be very humbling when you have spent so much time and money to attend a competition and you place lower than you hoped for. It is important to note that whilst we move and shoot full loads, we still have an impressive safety record. This comes from training and vigilant Range Officers who are not only our referees but look out for any safety infringements. The shooters take this very seriously and are not prepared to risk breaking the rules, because
this will lead to being disqualified. Regardless of gender or age, everyone is treated the same. No special dispensations are given, or indeed sought after, and I have been beaten over the years by competitors a lot younger and older than me. I hold a great respect for the sport and have had the opportunity to represent New Zealand several times and have made some life long friends through this. So if you are wanting a challenge, give I.P.S.C. a go and maybe I will see you on the range sometime. Also, just letting you know, my new pistol has been ordered and is being made as I write, but more on that later. If you would like more information on joining a pistol club, email me at: bish.co@xtra.co.nz