Tag Archives: New Zealand

Trip News

09.03.22 Finally, it is time to go back to New Zealand

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The last time we went to New Zealand… something happened to the world. I forgot the name of it… something \’vid. Well FUCK COVID and the horse it rode in on. It is time to resume normal operations… well, a new normal.

This wasn\’t accomplished by ourselves… this was not done in silo. This is 2+ years of work between two incredible teams Fish Village and BerleyPro… but we feel uncomfortable even saying that… this is really the mad science behind the legend of Marty Gittens. He is the guy that connects all of the dots, fills gaps and makes this trip so easy for us to plan for. Logistics for trips like this is not easy… so bravo to Marto for his persistence! We are so incredibly fortunate to work with Marty and call him our friend. Through his incredible commitment to the kayak fishing community we have created a path for Americans and other international travelers to join Marty and Captain Aaron of Bounty Hunter Charters on one of the most exotic and equally unique bucket list kayak fishing destinations on planet Earth.

We ain\’t playing no more… it is time to start sending people over to New Zealand to experience what we have experienced ourselves. So what does that mean?

The official entry requirement for ANYONE entering New Zealand is that you must be fully vaccinated. If you are not vax\’d, you have to go through a very long and costly protocol that will almost certainly result in your decision to not go on this trip. So for that reason, you must be vax\’d. This is not a political statement or a stance… it is just the reality and we cannot afford to not be 100% transparent about the expectations of this trip. New Zealand took the hardest stance on protecting their citizens when compared to any other country. We have to play by their rules if we want to fish for giant snapper and even bigger yellowtail kingfish.

We are working through the weekend to make this trip available to book by early next week (most likely by Tuesday 9/6). Until then… you are just going to have to wait! Brutal… I know.

Sending love and appreciation to the following people… First and foremost to my wife Sylvia… for putting up with this chaos and for being the point of contact for our customers. Marty Gittens, Stephen Tapp, Robert Field, Nic Gadouas, Joseph Martinez, Ivy Harris, Brooks Beatty, Aaron Covacich and Jesse Landry… all of your contributions are not lost on me… I repeat, this was NOT a silo victory.

Love to you all!

Company News

08.03.22 The Marty Chronicles: 24 hours, 2 counties and 200 miles of driving… yes we are hungover

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Marty has been making the rounds across the United States visiting friends, dealers and unsuspecting fish along the way. As always, this means that wherever he goes, fun and hilarity will follow.

We knew he was coming, just not exactly when. At some point he would have to fly to Los Angeles before making the 15+ hour flight back to Melbourne Australia. Well, we got the call the other day and we cleared our schedule because it ain\’t often that our favorite Aussie is in town.

Boy… my head is spinning… like, for reals.

There is no one like Marty. A little past 10 PM last night, Joe and Marty finally make it to my place and the first thing he says to my wife is… \”Hi, nice to meet you, I am Mike\’s Australian wife.\” And the laughs started.

Marty needed to make a couple of stops in our neck of the woods, so we figured that we would take him to the places that he needed to go so that we could make the most of his time here. One of those stops included our home on the water… Pure Watersports in Dana Point.

So… the last 24 hours went something like this:

Timeline

  • Pick Marty up from LAX 8 PM
  • Make a quick stop at a LA brewery 8:30 PM
  • Drive to Mike\’s place 10 PM
  • Beers 10 PM – 2 AM
  • Wake-up 7 AM
  • Breakfast 8:30 AM (really just stared at it, it was a nice thought though)
  • First business stop 10 AM
  • Pure Watersports Noon
  • Bourbon w/ Timmy 1 PM
  • Third business stop 2 PM
  • Back to Mike\’s place 3:30 PM
  • One more beer 4 PM
  • Pics, hugs, goodbye\’s 4:30 PM
  • Tacos 6 PM
  • Drop Marty off at LAX 8 PM

Stats

  • Time in California: 24 hours
  • Time on the road: 4 hours
  • Miles driven: 200+
  • Counties crossed: 2
  • Hours of sleep: 5
  • IPAs smashed: 18 12 oz. cans, 2 Pliny\’s, 2 Pabst
  • 1 Chicago handshake
  • 1 visit from Tommy Ponce
  • 1 bourbon each
  • 1 cuddle waterside in Dana Point
  • 3 room clearing farts
  • No vomit or spew as Marty says

We know how to make the most of an opportunity… just ask the half-dead dude with the funny accent how he feels. Enjoy the 15 hour flight homie. We loved having you, it wasn\’t enough time… until Feb 2023 in Melbourne!

Company News

08.02.22 How Is It August Already?

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July marked the end of our 2022 kayak mothership season here in California. I could have sworn that was yesterday when in reality that was a few weeks ago. I feel old… all I heard as a kid was how the time flies… the months go by faster and faster… blah blah blah. Well shit… say it ain\’t so.

We have some fun plans for the month of August…

  • Marty Gittens of BerleyPro and Tasline will be in town visiting us before he heads back to Australia
  • News about the 2023 New Zealand season
  • Our first 4 podcasts will be recorded
  • News about the 2023 SCI Kayak Mothership season
  • A custom built Crafted Fishing Rods tuna rod reveal (it is a thing of beauty)

This past weekend we visited with our friends from Heroes on the Water and Mad Anglers down in San Diego. It was the first event for the group under the new chapter leadership. We showed up to support our vets and to support our friends that make this great organization possible. It was well organized, a lot of community support. tons of kayaks with great people talking about healing. We learned so much. We\’ll share more about this event in an upcoming blog later this week.

Trip News

11.02.20 GBI New Zealand 2021 season dates (On Hold)

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We were so freaking excited about these trips when we launched them back in March. Unfortunately our new trip campaign coincided with the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak across the globe. This caused us to cancel our Dec 2020 trips with hopes of sparking up new dates in the spring of 2021.

COVID continues to damper our mood because we cannot land on a date that seems to be a lock for this trip. Instead we are monitoring the New Zealand travel website and the U.S. travel website like a hawk. When we see that you can safely travel without quarantine, we will open up the schedule again.

We want to send you on this trip… but we will NOT do so until it can be done safely.

To learn more about this trip, head over to our trip page. To learn more about Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, head over to our location page.

Trip News

03.18.20 New Zealand Rd 2 Trip Recap

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Eight (8) days on a boat with nine (9) other kayak anglers in one of the most untouched remote fishing grounds on this planet. Previously my longest mothership trip was a short three (3) day trip to the San Clemente Islands, which are about 70 miles offshore from San Diego. So I embarked on this journey with a nervous excitement.

I will be honest prior to my trip I knew very little about New Zealand, and even less of their fishing grounds. Luckily, I was with Aaron Covacich, Captain of the Bounty Hunter. Captain Aaron is one of the best Captains in New Zealand waters, and he is experienced in serving the unique needs of kayak anglers on a mothership trip. Throughout my 8 day journey I was repeatedly impressed by how well Captain Aaron knew the fishing grounds around the Great Barrier Islands. The waters around the Great Barrier Islands is what they call \”Big Water,\” so you would not want to do this with a novice captain. Captain Aaron not only knew how to expertly navigate these waters, but he put us on to some of the best fishing I have ever seen.

Some of you may thinking 8 days of straight kayak fishing might be too much for you, but the days on the Bounty Hunter passed quicker than I hoped. Also the great thing about mothership trips is the flexibility you have with your day. You can easily come back to the boat anytime for a hot shower and a nap, or even an afternoon of boat fishing. Captain Aaron went above and beyond each day make sure we were well fed and equipped for our day. We were treated to daily Kingfish sashimi, and there was always a hot cup of coffee or tea waiting for you when you came back from your day of kayak fishing.

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A few lessons learned on the trip…

First thing you need to know before visiting New Zealand is the fact that they are fiercely protective of their ecosystem, so their customs is very strict in what they allow into the country. Plants, seeds, teas, most types of food products are usually not allowed. Even dirty camping equipment or muddy hiking boots may be subject to quarantine. Also, if you forget to declare any of these items you could be subject to a $400 NZD fine, so do yourself a favor and do a little research online to be sure you are aware of all current restrictions.

Fishing equipment can be subject to quarantine if it looks dirty or used, luckily this is only applicable to fresh water fishing equipment. So be sure when going through customs you make it clear that your fishing gear is for saltwater fishing only.

Lastly, make sure you apply for a NZeTa (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) at least 72 hours prior to your arrival. A travel Visa is not required for U.S. citizens, but they do require you to apply for entry prior to your arrival. This can be done online or through a mobile application for a cost of $35 NZD. You can find more information at the following url: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/nzeta.

I know we always talk about the \”bucket-list\” trip, but this truly qualifies for that title. The fishing, the people and pure beauty of New Zealand will leave you with life long memories. As we discussed the New Zealand people go through great lengths to protect the purity of their land. Most of the smaller islands are off limits to humans in an effort to protect its prehistoric ecosystem. In fact some people refer to these islands as the real jurassic park. This amazing ecosystem of plant and animal life has remained untouched for literally thousands of years. During my days of fishing I was constantly amazing at the beauty of the landscapes and marine life, but the most amazing sight of the whole trip was the night sky. These remote islands are free from any light pollution allowing you see thousands of stars each night. For the first time in my life I was able to see the Milky Way with my naked eye. This along was worth the price of admission of this trip. 

In my next blog posting I will walk you through my first few days at sea as we head out to our final destination the Mokohinau Islands, a tract of some of the most remote fishing grounds in the Southern Hemisphere.

Trip News

03.12.20 Introducing our New Zealand Kayak Mothership trips

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Over the last 13 months we have been working diligently to bring a new kayak mothership trip experience to our customers. Something that fires up the kayak fishing community, a trip that pushes the boundaries of our perceived reach and lastly… something that we would be proud of. Well… we did it.

Introducing our latest trip offering… Kayak Mothership Fishing Trips at the Great Barrier Islands in New Zealand.

This milestone represents our unwavering commitment to bringing our customers the very best bucket list experiences. New Zealand alone is on many people\’s bucket list (including my own) however that wasn\’t enough for us… we wanted lots of fishing and more specifically kayak fishing. And if that wasn\’t enough, we wanted to take those kayaks offshore and offer anglers a fishing experience unlike any other. So with Martyn Gittens help… we did just that.

Marty Gittens, owner of BerleyPro and Tasline started putting together trips and then started sharing his experiences with his friends. A trip to Panama, a separated shoulder and LOTS of beer later… we found ourselves planning our first trip to New Zealand.

Fast forward to now, fresh off our latest trip (which unfortunately I was not able to go on) and we find ourselves sharing this amazing fishing experience with you all.

This trip would NOT be possible without the amazing contributions from Marty Gittens. You sir are a crazy genius and the number one reason this trip is a reality. You are as brilliant as you are kooky and we wouldn\’t have you any other way.

You can\’t have a mothership trip without a captain… that is a fact. Aaron Covacich, the captain of the Bounty Hunter helps make this trip stand out. His commitment to his guests and having a good time is one of the fundamental reasons why we believe in this trip so much. Aaron is a legend and we are honored to work with him.

Lastly, our friends at Catch Fishing have stepped up to make sure that our guests have the best gear in New Zealand. John Donald, owner of Catch Fishing builds tackle packages for our guests to ensure they are well equipped. He has been a supporter of this venture since day one. This is the cherry on top.

Between BerelyPro, Tasline, Bounty Hunter Charters, Catch Fishing and the Fish Village team… I am confident that we have built something special and I could not be more proud. Thank you to my team, my wife, Marty, Aaron and John for helping create yet another amazing kayak fishing experience.