After arriving at the first farm yesterday morning to find the race that I drive though blocked by cattle I switched beats and went to another farm nearby which unfortunately is closer to a public access point. The day was slowest for the Wartons who still had a great time with Marge landing a cracker 5 and a half pound rainbow and a 4 pound brown. Bruce unfortunately lost his one chance for the day on a powerful rainbow. After lunch we were going to head back to the first spot to get Bruce a fish but the farmer needed a hand to carry out a stag from nearby bush that he had roared up and shot the night before in a small patch of bush on the other side of river. The farmer couldn’t carry the stag because of his bad knee. Being a few years younger and considering myself quite fit I vounteered to carry the animal which was just a couple of hundred metres inside the bush and around 100kg. I managed to carry it for around 30m and after falling over twice, carried the beast which felt as big as a cow on my back. We then had to drag the carcass for what seemed like 2km to the river where we floated it across and Bruce gave us a hand pulling it out. This completed the day and the trip for the Wartons who were most happy to enjoy a beer with the farmer and look at his hunting trophies.

I have come to the conclusion that in New Zealand the measure of a man is how far and how heavier stag you can carry. I think I may need to join a Gym before I test my manliness again!

Tongariro Report

Barometer:

Cloud/Wind:

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: