New Zealand Travel Advice

New Zealand is for strong hikers, patient sight anglers, and people who value one hard-earned trout over easy numbers.

If you can hike and enjoy large trout in shallow water in truly spectacular country, New Zealand is your place. New Zealand is filled with amazing guides, great lodges, and some of the best people on the planet. This fishery is not for the out of shape, even with a helicopter, because trout populations are generally sparse and spread out. A great day is a half dozen fish, all sight-fished in pools spread out over miles of water.

How to Enjoy New Zealand

Put on your best hiking boots, lower your fish-count expectations, and enjoy some of the finest trout fishing you will ever see. We have a lot of anglers who say they cannot see the fish, so it is not that fun. Our advice, and guides may not love us for it, is to wait until you can see the fish before you cast. This is your vacation. If you enjoy seeing the fish too, tell the guide that you do not mind spooking a few and catching fewer fish for a better experience.

That said, if you choose that route, do not complain about a slow day if you end up spooking fish. The truth is you will not remember whether you landed a pile of trout. You will remember the one fish feeding on an edge that took five flies to catch.

The Happy Angler Rule

The key to being a happy angler is to be a happy angler no matter what the day brings. If the trout are not eating, change flies or head back to casting school, but do not whine about a slow day. If you do, you will end up with a bitter guide and your experience will suffer. New Zealand is demanding, beautiful, and unforgettable when approached with the right mindset.