2 Final days at Huka, North Island Heli fishing

Tuesday 2/7

After an amazing breakfast we drove to Huka Falls near the resort, followed by a drive into the town of Taupo to get some supplies. It was a hot and sunny day. We stopped by lakeside and then returned to our cottage. There was a lot of reenergizing rest with more than one nap this day while overlooking the river from bed. Dinners at the Huka lodge are other worldly and are an event worth looking forward to all day. The main course this evening was pork belly, sourced locally from the South Island and we both agreed that it was the best pork either of us had ever eaten. The attention to detail at the Huka Lodge is astounding. From room service to the dining experience, it is pure indulgence. We have made friends with several of the staff who seem to all hail from different parts of the world. You must adjust your ear to decipher the accent of each person you speak with whether it be Italian, French, UK, or a mystery. Another example of this was displayed on our tour to the glow worm caves. The guide asked the 10 people in the van to all say where they were from. The Netherlands, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, and California were all called out.

Monica has become a favorite of the resident ducks. When we open our blinds in the morning it’s not long before a brown bobbing head is looking in the window from the deck anticipating some fresh bread. We met with Will, the fly fishing guide for the next day, and really liked him!

Wednesday 2/8

We woke up early to a slight drizzle and cold temperatures. We had a quick breakfast at 7:30, and then Will, the guide, arrived. We slipped on our waders and soon after the helicopter could be heard. We jumped the bird on the lodge property and were suddenly being whisked over the countryside toward the mountains with the gigantic Lake Taupo in view. The Mohawka river came into view and the chopper tracked over it’s winding course and rising steep cliffs on either side. We swept down into the canyon and set down on an island in the middle of the river, and suddenly we are alone in the middle of nowhere. The day of fishing was marked by less than ideal weather with heavy winds at times and cloud cover, but the rain held off all day. Despite the generally poor fishing conditions, Monica and I both did catch some very nice rainbows and browns up to the lower to mid 20”s. A few even ate dry flies! Cameron fished by himself nearby while Monica got first class attention with the wonderful guide. We came around a bend in the river to the strange sound of bugles, and Will informed us that we had come across whistling blue ducks which are an even rarer sight than the kiwi bird. 30 minutes before the helicopter arrived Monica and Will hooked into the monster of the day and landed a rainbow that had to have pushed 24”. The windy flight home was a bit of a thrill. We buzzed in over the Huka Falls and were dropped off on the main lawn of Huka Lodge in front of many curious onlookers. We strode into our room, poured some glasses of Dog Point Session 94 Sauvignon Blanc, slipped into our robes and de-thawed in the hot tub before another world class dinner on the porch under heat lamps. We were treated with a blazing pink and blue sunset over the river.

A huge thanks to Tony and Tippy for an amazing day of heli fishing! It was Cameron's first time in a helicopter.

We are now getting ready to check out of the Huka Lodge and drive around the lake to the Creel Lodge. If there is stronger wifi there we will make a post of some of the fantastic photos we have taken!