Weekend of Adventure!!

Having been in Fiordland New Zealand for nearly 4 weeks now, I arranged to meet Charlotte, an old college friend in Queenstown this weekend. Funny how we live only 2 hours from each other in the UK and yet haven't met or spoke for 6 years, but after only a few weeks in NZ get chance to meet up.

So with 2 and a half days off work I took a bus ride to Queenstown. Anyone that has been here will know that it is a buzzing town with activities and adventure to be had everywhere.

We booked into the hotel which considering Charlotte has been living out of a tent and caravan for the past month was a novelty and caught up on the past 6 years. We booked a sky dive for the following day the 2:00pm jump as there may be a slight hangover to contend with and had a great night out in Queenstown with 48 bars and restaurants so plenty of choice.

After checking out, refuelling with some breakfast feeling what could only be described as a little bit fuzzy went for a drive around lake Waikipitu. On finding a suitable place I began setting up my rod to do a little lake fishing however before I had even got set up I noticed a French man and his two sons walking over with two fly rods and tackle which had obviously never been used and perhaps bought that day. Now Fly fishing in New Zealand I would say is not the easiest place to learn to fly fish, although there is an abundance of large trout they are weary and casts need to be accurate with delicate presentation.

He says to me, "do you fish, have you got any tips?" with a thick French accent.
"I do a bit" I said having been a ghillie in Scotland for four years, but by no means an expert especially considering the weary trout here!

Ok so he had just bought the tackle from a shop and had no idea where to start and had two young sons eager to catch fish. I love the enthusiasm of youngsters when fishing and knowing how difficult it can be here thought they are going to need all the help they can get!

So I spent the following 2 hours giving a complete lesson from tackle, knots, flies and casting to a French man and his two sons who were very appreciative and was nice to see their enthusiasm! Needless to say there were certain things lost in translation and with trying to cast straight into the wind conditions weren't ideal but we tried nonetheless. By the end of the session I had three of them casting out with lures, stripping them through the water and casting again, some tangles, flies lost and frustration but still great fun!!
I left them to keep practising with their new tackle and said what ever you do don't give up because it will get easier with time! So with a happy family my good deed was done for the day and the hangover had gone!

We head back to Queenstown for our Skydive which after checking in, find out it had been cancelled due to high winds!? Now it was around 27 degrees we both had sunburn and it didn't feel to windy at all, but safety comes first so we decided to do the bungee swing instead, which set on a ledge at the top of the small mountain with gondolas overlooking Queenstown did seem a perfect location. The guide had said that this jump has the largest back out rate of all the available jumps, simply because you are lowered a meter below the ledge and have to pull the cord to release yourself! Easy I thought to myself, that was until your there and  it all seems so intense!

So I'm hanging 70 meters above the side of this mountain strapped to what can only be described as a rather large elastic band which is attached to a ledge 60 meters in front of me overhanging the mountain side! Palms clammy, adrenalin pumping and waiting to be told to pull this red cord. With a sharp tug I plummeted 50 meters free fall leaving what felt like my stomach and all of my organs above, before getting contact with the bungee which thrusts you swinging out over the mountain side and over the town at G force speed!! Great  fun and over far too quick. After watching Charlotte Jump and getting some pictures from the shop that was the adrenalin fix for the day.

I had heard that Glenorchy was beautiful and worth seeing as being one of the Lord of The Rings filming sites, so we take the map and look for a road which will take us the furthest into the wilderness, me thinking quietly "and there is a river there!"
So we drive along side lake Wakipitu up through the old mining land where what I would call "slag heaps" which we still have in Stoke on Trent from our coal mining days are scattered everywhere, lots of random mounds now covered in grass looked un-natural compared to the surrounding landscape.
As we arrived Glenorchy we could see why it was used in LOTR,driving through forest, smothered in lichen, it had a real magical feel to it and as we entered the end of the road we met with a view of four snow capped peaks surrounding us, totally be-littleing with the river meandering down the valley.

"Perfect" we said to each other.

Now to find a place to pitch the tent, we walked a little way into the woods crossed the river in two places through some more trees until we came to an opening where the peaks felt in touching distance! A patch of soft grass a meter from the river with a gravel bed to the right perfect to light a safe fire. This whole time we both had a massive grin on our faces not believing how beautiful and how lucky we were to be here!

It truly was an amazing place although as ever the sand flies came out in force and after discovering that the repellent was not in our bag, Charlotte headed for the tent, whilst I decided that if I am fishing, still wearing only shorts, crocs and a jacket then they cant bite my legs. So in I went armed with a 9" 5# an army of flies which I tied on the last rainy day and in total awe of the surroundings! One thing I forgot to buy in Queenstown however was some more nylon as I had used the last of my 5lb fluorocarbon on a previous trip, so had to make do with 3lb which given the size of these fish isn't ideal but would have to do on this occasion.
Now the water in NZ is generally fresh however this was ice melt straight from the mountains with a frosty chill which bit deep into my legs lasted for around 5 minutes until the numbness set in.
It was around 8:00pm and with plenty of light I made my way upstream.

The first pool I fished "blind" with 2 nymphs and an indicator fished New Zealand style cast upstream along the side of the run, the usual place to find fish if none are visible. After only 5 minutes the indicator took a sharp dart up stream indicating a bite, I struck!! Making contact and quickly began to retrieve line as the fish swam towards me creating a bow in the line and finally ping!!! The fish came off!!! It didn't feel massive maybe around 3lb but a nice rainbow none the less.

Good start despite being lost the evening looked promising!!
I continued up stream fishing a run and concentrating on the edge of the flow and any back eddies around the heads of the pools. As I continued the evening was drawing in yet it was still mild and I remember thinking that it is perfect conditions for a hatch. I turned a meander in the river and was presented with a beautiful pool, with a deep hole at the top and slow glides running down to some rapids, it looked Perfect!!!

I stalked my way amongst the long grass along side the water which cut my legs in places, but it didn't matter as I could already see two fish actively feeding in the tail of the pool. I sat down and watched to decide which flies to use. Quickly rolling a cigarette of NZ Riverstone tabacco which, as the sand flies were now out in force and biting hard any bare skin they could find would keep them at bay! With the flies getting the better of me and my legs being eaten alive I saw a rainbow come up and sip at the surface!! They are on the dries and this was a substantial fish!!

I crossed the river slowly and quietly just below the feeding trout feeling that relief when the icy cold bite of the river seems to itch every sand fly bite on my feet and legs was surprisingly pleasant! I moved into place inspecting my box and trying to get a glimpse of what they were feeding on. I couldn't see an obvious hatch although there were a few mayflies which seemed to be drifting down. Smaller the better I thought and tied on a size 16 black Parachute Adams. The pool started to come to life! I can now see 3 feeding just below the surface swinging left to right sipping flies from the smooth flow of the river, I targeted the biggest which just so happened to be the closest, as he came up and sipped at the surface I landed the fly about 3 feet in front of his nose, it passed him and I watched him turn and a set of jaws break the slick  water.....Strike!!!!

Game on and this was a big rainbow! He shot up the pool before tuning down stream lept clean out of the water, on landing I saw 4 more fish scatter, from sight I guessed it was around 6lb and the 3lb nylon and 5# rod was going to make this interesting..... He continued down stream swimming side to side, I remember thinking that if he went down the rapids there would be little chance of landing it. We got to a stale mate at the lip of the pool where I gave just enough pressure to try and entice him back up stream but he wasn't going to move. After what felt like an age but in reality around 3 minutes the rainbow decided it no longer liked it in this pool and proceeded down the rapids!! I quickly jumped out of the water and was running down the riverbank rod held as high in the air as I could trying to keep the tension, still running down through brash and undergrowth scratching my now numb, bitten legs and feet. He finally made his way to the side sitting just off the current. Now it was lucky enough that it was still on but trying to beach a 6lb fish on a 5# rod with 3lb line and a 15ft leader without a net is not an easy thing; after about 3 attempts of trying to tail it and about 10 minutes I finally managed to get it in! A stunning rainbow which had taken a real silvery shine and absolutely perfect to eat whilst wild camping!

I hurried back fish in hand with a certain feeling of triumph, the freshest of fish for supper! Before lighting the fire and cooking though I wanted Charlotte to experience a hatch  so took her up to the pool. We arrived and they were still feeding just as heavily, swirls appearing all over the pool, casting to one which turned and swirled but missed it on the strike, then another that came but turned so much excitement! Another made contact and then nothing, it snapped me on taking it. I quickly tied on another fly, cast again where we had more looks and swirls, lost another as it took it was on and then off straight away, then hooked into the 3rd which made good contact and ran upstream before swinging down, a real jumpy fish of around 4lb. I waded over to Charlotte and passed her the rod so she could see what all the fuss was about. Surprised at how strong it was she played it well, then like the other it decided to go down the rapids.
So I had Charlotte running down the bank chasing a fish down the rapids for her first time with a fly rod, letting it go when it pulls and slowly reeling in when you can, after a few good runs she almost had it beached when it went for one final run and snapped the line around a rock!

Enough excitement for one day as the night drew closer and the light faded we headed back to camp in the wilderness under the stars we enjoyed smoked trout and a few cold beers in front of the roaring fire! A perfect end to a great weekend!!