Enchanting Otehei Bay
The Fisherman's Paradise

“I cannot say how happy I have been. Your wonderful fishing has far exceeded anything I expected.” These were the words of Mr. Aubrey Sara, a Sydney businessman, who, accompanied by his wife and family, recently spent a holiday in New Zealand, big game fishing at the deep sea anglers’ base, Otehei Bay, Bay of Islands.

Mr. Sara is a very enthusiastic fisherman, and is well-known along the New South Wales coast on account of the big fish he has secured in those parts. While at Otehei Bay he was successful in landing several large fish (including mako and swordfish), and the following narrative aptly expresses his enthusiasm for this alluring and exciting sport. He says:—

Caught Off Cape Brett, Bay Of Islands.
A fine specimen of a black marlin, swordfish (861lbs.)

“I was asked which fish I considered the better fighter — the mako or the sword-fish. Well, from the sporting aspect, comparison is difficult. They are both most interesting and wonderful fish. The mako (no less than the swordfish), gives the angler remarkable exhibitions of leaping on the water, and, throughout the whole process of capture, a variety of exciting thrills, compared with which no form of sport I know can offer. I had the wonderful good fortune to hook (and land) fine specimens of the mako and the swordfish, and the manner in which they seemed to walk along the surface of the water absolutely thrilled me.

“Upon my arrival at the wharf at Urupukapuka Island, I was amazed to see hanging on the derricks the huge fish that had been landed that day. I only wish my club friends in Sydney could see for themselves the type of fish caught in New Zealand. What a pity Otehei Bay is not alongside Sydney!”

Mr. Sara then went on to give a few impressions of shark fishing in Australia.

“Since my boyhood,” he continued, “my hobby has been fishing for sharks, which are such a menace to human life at some of the Australian beaches. There are the Tiger Shark, the Black Whaler, the Grey Pointer and the Grey Nurse. Although these species of fish are caught with rod and line, by no means do they provide the sport that your New Zealand big game fish do. In Australia, we use practically the same style of tackle as used in New Zealand, except that our trace is a steel one with a leaden sinker attached. The sinker, which weights about eight ounces, is page 46 necessary for surf fishing. In a year hundreds of sharks are caught from the shore, launches not being used for this sport. Very often a shark weighing as much as half a ton is landed by means of rod and line. We have no machine for registering the weight of the catch, but in every case the measurements are recorded.

“Such sharks as I have mentioned frequent the bathing beaches, and it was found necessary to erect special alarm signals along the beach. Immediately the dorsal fin of a shark is observed, the alarm is given, and bathers hurriedly leave the water.

“In fifteen years, fishing with rod and reel, I have landed over one thousand sharks. The Amateur Fishing Association of New South Wales controls the fishing, and has a membership of over three hundred. The subscription to this society is £1 1s. per annum. For the last nine years I have been vice-president of the Association.

“I cannot understand why you people in New Zealand treat so lightly the matter of catching a big game fish. Why, if even some of the king-fish that I have seen caught here had been caught where I came from in Sydney, the newspapers there would have made quite a large feature of it.

Outward Bound For The Bay Of Islands.
(Photo, W. W. Stewart.)
The Auckland-Opua train emerging from the Parnell tunnel, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand.

“I have taken some moving pictures of the fish in action off Cape Brett, and I intend giving the members of my club a treat when I arrive back in Australia.”

Mr. Sara was full of enthusiasm for New Zealand's scenery and the hospitality of its people. He says: “We received kindness and hospitality from everyone. The train journey from Auckland to Opua was delightful, and the scenery along the route charming. At Opua, the railway terminus, we were met by a launch, which conveyed us to Otehei Bay, one of the most enchanting in the beautiful Bay of Islands. This trip, although short, was full of enjoyment, and we were shown many places of historic interest. The Deep Sea Anglers’ headquarters at Urupukapuka Island is, in every sense of the word, a home away from home. One anticipates arriving at a camp, but imagine the surprise when one beholds the scenic loveliness of its setting and the neat little bungalows wherein the angler plans and sleeps and dreams! Words cannot do justice to this ‘fisherman's paradise.’ One must visit it to appreciate to the full its irresistible lure.”

Popular Annual Railways Picnic.
(Rly. Publicity photo.)
Interesting snapshots of the recent Hutt Valley Workshops and Railway Stores Department's picnics, at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt, Wellington. (1) Workshops Picnic Committee; (2) finish of the Workshops married women's race; (3), (5), (7) children's races (Stores); (4) Workshops married men's race; (6) a glimpse of Maidstone Park showing the special picnic train (centre) waiting to convey the picnickers back to their homes; (8) Stores Department Picnic Committee.