New Zealand Part 3: Our Best Day

Fisherman everywhere flock to NZ's lakes and streams searching for the biggest trout in the world. It's the fly fisherman's Mecca because the fish are huge but challenging to catch. The waters are so clear they can see you coming from a mile away. Big N and I had been practicing for weeks on our fly casting. We were ready.

Most of the trip we spent wine tasting, bike riding, hunting for restaurants, visiting quaint sleepy towns, enjoying the expansive vistas, hiking in the bush on "tracks" as the kiwis like to call them, and just enjoying the gorgeous scenery. But our best day by far was the day we chartered a helicopter (a Eurocopter/Aerospatiale AS350 or a "squirrel", which I know well as Eurocopter was a former client) for some heli-fishing.

We hooked up with our guide, Simon, a kiwi with intimate knowledge of the local streams and the local trout. He picked us up from our B&B and whisked us off to the heliport to meet our pilot, Carrey. There the adventure began. We put on our waders, then took the helicopter to our first stream.
Simon would spot the fish ("got a fish, got a fish, got a fish"), then Big N would carefully stalk the fish upstream and cast to it at Simon's direction. Keeping his line tight and even, the fish would do one of three things: nothing (not hungry), bite, or spook and swim upstream. Throughout the day we had a few bites, but the crafty fish would wiggle off Big N's hook. So the helicopter would pick us up and we'd press on, looking for the next stream and the next big trout, often spotting our prey from the air.
During our trip we saw some of the most beautiful terrain on this earth, including hanging glaciers and turquoise tarns (or small lakes made from glacial waters). We ate lunch at a tarn only accessible by helicopter and dined on delicious sandwiches, homemade breads and chocolates, and of course, sauvignon blanc, supplied by Simon and his wife, and then made a final stop at a breathtaking glacial waterfall.

It was a gorgeous day. And, while I didn't catch my giant trout, Big N caught a majestic 4 1/2 pound beauty on the fly on the Greenstone River. The fish put up a nice fight, and was rewarded for his efforts when we let him go. I've never seen Big N happier. He was downright giddy. Thanks to Simon and Carrey, it was a day we will never forget.

Tight lines my friends, tight lines.

(Check out the quick video, below).