Offsite Issue 40 Jan/Feb 24

Issue 40 January/February 2024

NORTHLAND SPEARING

le :J en ny Parker

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

i of r P ie d a Te Urewera Hunting – Landbased Fishing – Tr

Contents 04 Northland Spearfishing 10 Rheem Big Six 12 ColorCote Tradie Profile: Jenny Parker 16 Te Urewera Mist 22 Tradie BBQ Recipe 24 Mental Health Chat: Part Four 26 Shore Thing Mate!

Rheem offsite is published bi-monthly by NZ Fishing Media Ltd. 177B Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland Editor: Nick Jones Designer: Dialog Studio Sales: Josh Williams 021 862 579

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sales@nzfishingnews.co.nz Editorial Enquiries: editor@nzfishingnews.co.nz Advertising within this publication is subject to NZ Fishing Media Ltd’s standard advertising terms and conditions, a copy of which is available by emailing sales@nzfishingnews.co.nz.

Cover Photo: Fetching the boat for a day of adventure in Northland. Photo: Davie Du Pavillon.

Rheem offsite is proudly printed on sustainable PEFC-certified paper.

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It’s the best time of year, isn’t it? Long days made for adventure (or ticking off jobs) and balmy evenings perfect for firing up the barbie and cracking open your favourite beverage.

Rheem Offsite’s tagline is ‘Work hard, play hard’, and our ColorCote Tradie Profile for this issue, the amazing Jenny Parker, certainly embodies this in spades. However, my personal tagline – if I ever had the distinction of being able to claim one – would probably be ‘Work hard, play hard, relax hard’.

This three-pronged theme sums up the awesome outdoors content you’ll unearth in the following pages: relaxing on the beach with a line out after catching a whopper, cooking some crays after a satisfying stint in the

briny, or resting your weary legs after a big day chasing Bambi in the bush.

While these pages might inspire your next adventure, they also provide space for a breather. Take the time to enjoy this magazine; it’s the perfect accompaniment to a coffee at smoko or a frosty one in the evening.

If you‘d like to see yourself in Rheem Offsite one day and you’ve got a story to tell or some advice to share, please reach out – we’d love to hear from ya.

Best wishes for an epic holiday season!

– Nick Jones

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NORTHLAND SPEARFISHING

By Davie Du Pavillon

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had two friends from overseas visiting for a so-called “fishing trip,” with high hopes of getting into a few decent New Zealand species. Although there had been big promises made, the trip had been out of was coming to an end and the chances of getting a weather window were and morning gap mid-week that showed itself up North, so we packed the wagon and boosted up to Northland hoping the weatherman was right for once and that the water was clean.

On our late afternoon arrival, we were greeted with crystal clear water and a light offshore breeze. We were straight into our suits and in the water, swimming around the point as the sun was dipping behind the hill to try and rustle up a feed.

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Once around the point, my first drop landed me straight on a cray crack and after a quick grapple, I got an inhabitant to the surface minus a few legs. I had seen a snapper swim in the crack as I swam out, so I did another quick dive with the gun to see if it had hung around; sure enough there it was with a cray leg halfway down its throat. It was so coming and for this, it was treated to a dessert of spring steel to digest as well.

Dinner sorted!

By now it was already almost dark, so we swam for the beach. Our campsite was strategically placed about 20m away from the high tide mark in one of the most picturesque bays on favourite campsite in the country and has access to incredible diving literally on your doorstep. We got straight into

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we were on with three good fish running around each other on ultra-light tackle that we had been using for freshwater fishing. Chaos ensued and somehow got chucked back and then we took turns to drop a chunk of kingfish belly one at a time. As the bait hit the bottom the reel would peel off with a fish – it

was incredible, shot for shot just getting destroyed by big snapper. We estimated the biggest to be around 20 pounds and there were none smaller than 10 pounds. We even had a kingie on the light tackle, but it broke off at the boat

must have been vortexing that little

were still boiling when we left and I can only imagine how many big snapper

impressed at how abundant the fishery

fight another day but we had a good feed and did the 500m run back to camp with water splashing over the side and big smiles.

we are to be able to harvest our own wild food in this environment. It seems 24 hours in Northland is all you need for a fruitful session when you are in the right place at the right time!

We still had a few days up our sleeves and with the weather being so heinous we headed to the bush where the boys each managed to tick off their and left with backpacks of vac-sealed fallow back straps and salami, as well as a good scar from getting scoped another story!

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THE BIG SIX IS BACK GE LLEN CHA

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& BIGGER THAN EVER!

The Big Six is back in 2024, and it’s going to be the biggest and best yet! In October this year, eight lucky winners will be heading to Fiordland for seven days of hunting and fishing. Their goal: to score as many points as possible by catching the biggest fish, tracking down the most species, grabbing the biggest cray, and bringing a deer onboard.

For the last decade, Rheem have hosted the Big 6 challenge over 48-hours, with the winners needing to catch two saltwater fish, two freshwater fish, and two game animals

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in the allotted time. Now situated in the deep south, and with an extra few days up their sleeves, the competitors are going to have even more opportunity to bring home a trophy catch. The twist this year is that the competition will now be run on a points basis, with the participants earning points based on their respective catches.

The competitor with the most points at the end of the week will be crowned the 2024 Big Six champion – but regardless of who wins, all eight participants will have enjoyed a week in some of the most beautiful scenery

NZ has to offer, so there’s plenty to get excited about!

To enter, all you need to do is purchase Rheem product from a participating store and then complete the online entry form over at rheem.co.nz/big6. The promotion runs from 1 February to 31 March 2024 and the first 1,000 people to enter will also grab a custom Rheem light cap, so make sure you get in quick. Get these dates in the diary, and don’t miss out on your chance of taking on the Big 6 Challenge 2024!

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WWW.RHEEM.CO.NZ/BIG6

*

Promotional period runs from 1 February to 31 March 2024. This competition is only open to registered plumbers and gasfitters. Excludes Commercial projects, spare parts and accessories. Offer limited to 1,000 light caps, while stocks last.

For full T’s & C’s go to rheem.co.nz/big6

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THE COLORCOTE TRADIE PROFILE

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W W W. C O LO R C OTE . C O . N Z

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JENNY PARKER

Trailblazer

By Nick Jones

After catching up with Jenny Parker for a quick interview, it’s hard to find a single adjective to describe her. Passionate, enthusiastic, bubbly, gregarious, hard-working, pioneering, genuine, resolute, astute, compassionate – the potential list goes on!

Her accent is almost as tricky to figure out as the right adjective. Born in Zimbabwe, she moved to South Africa and worked in HR for a large mining company, before arriving on our shores.

“People are my thing; I’m fascinated by what makes them tick and how to get the best out of everyone.”

She found her feet in NZ with a construction recruitment agency, Building Recruitment, and made it her mission to head to sites and understand first-hand what was required for the roles she was trying to fill.

“On every job advert, I’d see 10-20

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men apply and maybe only one woman.

I was always interested in why this was the case.”

This led Jenny down the path to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). NAWIC is a voluntary, non-profit association of women who either work in the construction industry or for business organisations that provide services in the construction industry. Jenny set up the Auckland chapter for NAWIC in 2011, playing a lead role in growing the membership base exponentially.

“It became my biggest passion – I spent a lot of my free time doing site visits, going to meetings, talking with industry leaders, earning sponsorship support, and advocating for women in the industry.”

After eight years in recruitment here and navigating the uncertainty of being a single mother on commission-only, an

interesting opportunity presented itself.

One of her clients had an opening for an Architectural Consultant and asked Jenny if she would consider applying for the role.

“She told me, ‘You don’t have to know the technical stuff, but I want someone teachable with great people skills,’ so I applied!”

Jenny ended up getting the job and never looked back.

“I loved that role and was fortunate to be mentored by an incredible woman.”

The role incidentally introduced her

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to her current partner, Russell Clark, too.

Jenny was also evolving in the advocacy space, being elected as NAWIC President for four years, giving women in construction a greater voice through public speaking and meeting with industry leaders and government entities.

“There has been a generational shift. Women are more aware of the choices available, and there are more role models and visibility thanks to social media. If you can see her, you can be her.”

Cool initiatives like the BUILDhers house in Whenuapai are helping, too. BUILDhers is a New Zealand first and will see everything, from the architectural drawings right through to the final build and sale of the home, carried out by a team of more than 40 women.

“Every single aspect of build has been touched on by a female.”

Even though there has been incredible progress for women in construction and trades, Jenny said there’s still lots of work to do.

“I want people to look around and just see people, not gender. Things like skillset, knowledge, experience, and background should be all that matter.”

The COVID lockdown period brought another significant shift for the sociable Jenny, who was finding it hard in her consultancy role without the usual human interaction.

“My partner Russell surprised me one day. He said, ‘Jen, you love women

in construction so much, why don’t you quit your job, pick up the tools, and be the physical embodiment of who you want to see in the industry?’”

Initially dismissive, Jenny came around to the idea and, in her mid-40s, started up her own ‘on the tools’ gig doing property maintenance, repairs, and landscaping work.

“It was a massive challenge that pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me great insights. Some people didn’t back me, some people didn’t understand, some people wanted to ‘speak to the man’ instead of me – I experienced the stigma firsthand.”

But she stuck at it and grew the business to employ staff; young women who were no longer interested in working in a sterile, office environment.

“All I asked for were team members who were good with people, had possie attitudes, enjoyed music [George FM], were happy to work indoors or outdoors, and had their full driver’s licence.”

While Jenny was having a ball onsite with her female crew, she also clocked the NAWIC honours list and joined the

board of Women in Trades which focuses on women “in the trenches.” She had all the insights from her varied work experience, allowing her to “speak different languages” in her charitable endeavours.

Now, Jenny is the GM of Licensed Renovations, an Auckland home renovation company that prides itself on experience, transparency with in-house QS and fixed prices, and great client relationships.

So, does Jenny have any spare time for offsite activities? You betcha! She and Russell enjoy fishing and diving from their Haines Hunter – so much so that a boat shed is first on the to-do list for their dream home build in Onemana.

She also volunteers as Manager for the NZ Roller Hockey Women’s team and was on her way to the airport to wish them luck for a competition in China after our catch-up.

Before she shot off, I had time for a parting question: If there was one piece of advice for a young woman considering a construction career, what would it be?

“Go for it; don’t think twice, don’t second guess yourself. Change that negative self-talk. Join entities like NAWIC because there’s a lot of support available. Men are our biggest champions, so we should find that incredibly encouraging and empowering.”

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This tradie profile is brought to you by ColorCote

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TE WERA E R U T S I M

By Sam the Trap Man

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he snap and pop of dry hoheria logs bounced off the old cast iron fireplace. It wasn’t cold but the hunters were tired and the warmth of fire, balanced perfectly with a cold beer left in a nearby stream, soothed weary bones on a spring Te rewera evening. joint of lamb sizzled in the camp oven, slow-roasted to crispy perfection. The roast rested on a bed of slightly blackened spuds and carrots that had started to char on one side.

The hut, a red-painted, weatherboard number, was an old shearers quarters on the back of a station where Te rewera and aukumara irt with each other across the Waioeka iver. The hunters had been out at the crack of dawn, up before light when the relentless chorus of bird song woke them. In the gloom they could see mist rolling up the valley spurred on by the southerly breeze.

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ist is a given in Te rewera, it’s just a uestion of the density. There’s rain mist, where it’s thick enough to soak you to the core but warm; sleet mist, which is bone-chillingly cold; and rolling mist. olling mist is my favourite kind of mist. It’s soft and comes in sheets, spreading and breaking on the landscape. It’s gentle enough to penetrate the trees, turning everything around us to a hazy grey like an out-offocus photo. s hunters, we don’t mind the mist. It hides us from the deer. But it also hides the deer from us. We carefully inspect all dark shapes in the landscape, searching for a giveaway icker of movement.

The mist is a soft blanket; the water particles suspended in the air capture smell and mu e sound. In this way, mist is our friend. In truth, we often hunt with our noses in the bush. Even without a dog, we often smell deer

before we see them.

This is why we enjoy Te rewera.

Early morning walks in a uiet grey world. world where time slows down, you are hydrated through your skin by the water in the air and everything has a sense of calm. It’s a beautiful way to start the day. n this day it was a soft rolling mist, the dampness hanging in the air slowing down smell, sound and visibility perfect stuff to hunt in if you’re used to it. ou can get in close to the deer, which is ideal, especially if you’re a pretty hopeless long-distance shooter like me.

I was hunting with a couple of mates, Tom and George, and we were also doing some volunteer work for the conservation project we’re involved in. Tom is a good mate and a fella I’ve done plenty of time in the scrub with. e has big hands, the type that reach out, grab and shake you just about all

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the way up to the elbow, curly dark hair, and a big, wide nose. e definitely has the warmth, humour and easygoingness of someone from our part of the world – not bad for a Hamilton lad.

Tom sells fuel for a living to farmers and contractors. He spends a lot of time driving up rural backroads, having cups of tea, and being a genuine, disarming fella, so people end up just wanting to do him a favour. I guess it’s qualities like this that do a lot for you in the sales caper. Folks tend to light up when they see the North Fuels ute bouncing up their drive. Yep, Tom’s just a real good bugger and a relaxing kind of chap to be around.

Then there’s Dangerman (real name: George Zame), a nickname he caught as a young, mulleted surf grom from Wainui Beach. An apprentice plumber by trade, a national longboard surfing champion a few years back, and still an absolute charger in the surf.

Turns out George has another side to him – a quiet, humble, backcountry type of critter. y fisherman, a trapper, and now (since the powers at be saw fit to give him his firearms licence a fully- edged deer slayer. couple of years back we managed to get Danger his first deer in this e act patch of bush.

He’d been hunting a lot with mates since, but he’d recently bought his first ri e a Tikka . and it seemed only

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fitting to return to the Eastern Whio ink project to blood it in.

Then there’s me, Sam The Trap Man, your friendly bushman. A hunter, fisher, forager, trapper, ad to be honest I’m not really sure. But someone pays my salary to run around the bush looking after our country’s wildlife and supporting farmers to create amazing biodiversity projects. This weekend we were hunting deep in the guts of the Eastern Whio ink roject a hunter-led conservation project that I co-founded and Tom is the treasurer of. It’s a place where you can hear Kiwi calling from your bunk at night, see Whio bobbing down the rapids as you fish, and watch native bats it around river clearings as you stalk deer on the last of the light.

The day before had been a cracker.

Tom and I were up early and stalked into a few handy bush clearings we knew about. You can normally rely on a couple of reds to crop the short winter grass. The wind was a little all over the show and spring growth had just started to kick in spreading the feed options for hungry deer.

As we stalked through a small side creek we were busted by a fallow doe and a raggedy wee buck. I peeked out from around a tree to see the doe eyeballing me. Tom had the ri e and from where he was, he couldn’t see them. A moment later they spooked and

our first opportunity was missed. ushing through punga groves and hoheria we crested the ridge.

Out came the spotting scope and a total of 17 deer were seen scattered across various slips and clearings.

Now that’s what we were talking about.

We had options. Even in this swirly wind something was going down this morning, surely.

As I mucked around trying to get footage with the phone scope and to check out our options as far as yearlings and hinds went, Tom found himself a couple of closer candidates with the binos. The wind was horrible and the deer were only m away.

Using a hoheria tree for cover Tom descended the hill in front of us to a decent shooting spot amidst a tangle of bracken.

Boom! And the hind who had been looking at us dropped. Her yearling broke for cover and shot a mob of black and ginger pigs scarpering across the clearing where the hind lay expired, ready for Tom to do the honours. Talk about game-rich – if you can’t shoot deer on the Eastern Whio ink there’s something wrong.

On the climb back up the hill we managed to bump into a mob of six more deer, only metres from Tom’s shooting position, while there were another on the punga face. We had

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our meat for the morning though and adding more weight to our load wasn’t our idea of a relaxing morning hunt.

There was still plenty of the weekend left and breakfast, bunks and books were calling.

After Saturday morning football – a game George’s team lost – a silver station wagon skidded its way up beside the hut. A very excited Dangerman emerged and after a short session sighting in his new boomstick, we hit the hill.

As evening’s calm spread its way up the valley the deer started to emerge, we stalked down a side basin high up in the catchment and inspected the smatterings of cover for white bums, brown bodies, and movement. Before long we managed to pop our heads out onto a clear vantage point to spot both reds and fallow feeding amongst the scrub under a tall canopy of totara.

Danger snuck in with all the grace of a gangly heron about to strike at a fish. p came the . and just about deafened the entire valley. If it hadn’t hit a deer something was sure to have died of fright. It definitely made my ears sing and we all agreed a suppressor was probably a good idea next payday.

But there on the ground lay a beautifully fat yearling and the . had done its job, securing meat for the freezer and embarking on its career

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as Danger’s bullet slinger in the right fashion. Again we headed back to camp with one deer, poking our heads into various nooks and crannies for a nosey but either the . had scared them all or there wasn’t much else about. Not to worry though – there was a lamb roast waiting for us back at camp and we were looking forward to a fire and a beer.

The heat of a fire, a full puku of warm meat and the disarming cool of a good brew have a way of putting a grown man to slumber, so well before 9pm we were headed for bunks with the promise of an early morning stalk.

It had rained in the night but by am it backed off to a soft drizzle that merged itself to a rolling mist as the morning progressed. It was our last chance for some action with

Tom needing to head for Hamilton by lunchtime and in the way of last hunts there’s always that little bit of added pressure to deliver on day one’s hopes and dreams of what a trip might be.

I’m not sure about you but on the drive into a weekend away I’m like a fella with an undrawn Lotto ticket in my wallet. I can’t help but let my mind wander through the possibilities of what could happen, how many deer could be shot, and what awesome yet unlikely adventures might unfold. It’s like my mind is writing a Barry Crump novel and no matter how awesome a trip is, it’s a hard job living up to those imaginings.

However, on that last hunt there’s still the potential of endless possibilities. Still the opportunity for epicness and outrageous success – maybe that elusive 14-point stag will walk out ou just never know. But with it comes just a little pressure and the desire to increase the meat heading home to the freezer.

Tom was in front and we had opted for the same punga faces as the day before. A small mob of reds caught our wind at a distance and Tom had no time for a shot. Then Danger went in front and as the mist pushed through punga fronds and hazed the view in front of us to a questionable distance, there was a crack and Danger had a yearling stag on the deck.

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“Out came the spotting scope and a total of 17 deer were seen scattered across various slips and clearings.”

“Not a bad start fella. Tom and I might push on if you want to gut this one and hunt in the other direction? We will catch up with you later,” I said.

So, leaving Danger behind Tom and I climbed the hill to where he had shot his deer the day before. With mist covering our descent, we managed to slip through the scrubby face unnoticed and not too far from yesterday’s gut pile we parked up to glass the slips on the opposite face. We picked up two reds at 250m, a little beyond comfort for us North Island bushmen, then two more at 200m and a fallow feeding in the scrub below them.

Tom, being a much better shot than I am, settled in at 200m for a shot with his 6.5 Creedmoor. Boom, boom and a kick from a red hind. 17 more reds emerged from the scrubby face around her and hurtled their way downhill and into the cover of the creek while the fallow just continued to feed undisturbed.

We decided to drop elevation to check on the hind we thought we had hit but as we did so the fallow emerged in a much too tempting clearing; this time with a mate and they just stood there feeding. Always one to oblige, Tom once again made himself comfortable behind the bipod and cracked two shots off in their direction, dropping both of them. While he skinned the pretty wee fallow, I searched for the red with no joy. There was no blood trail and relooking at the video footage I was 90% certain the shot had gone low which would explain the kick in the air and the lack of any sign of damage.

So far, we had two fallow and a red for the morning and there sat a steep hill between us and the hut. Talk about sweat as we climbed. I was sure glad we didn’t have an extra animal or two on board. At the top of the hill, we met Danger and on the way back picked up his deer. Soon we headed for the hut for

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a quick butchery session before loading chilly bins into trucks for the potholed drive home. Some folks reckon it’s hard hunting in the Waioeka but there are numbers in pockets where there’s feed.

On most volunteer trips on the Eastern Whio Link Project the crew walk away with a few deer. The trout fishing is incredible also and we like the fact that as hunters and fishers we can look after the bush that looks after us.

In the last three years, we have edged Whio chicks from an initial eight birds. We have over 1,000 traps and volunteers from all over the country

who come to check traps and have a good hunting and fishing weekend while they’re at it. It’s gone from a crew of seven friends to over 100 volunteers but there’s one thing that doesn’t change – good old school hunting weekends with your mates.

If you or your business wants to get involved with Eastern Whio Link check out www.easternwhiolink.co.nz or find us on social media @easternwhiolink.

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C I L R A G Y M N A A E S R E C ARM P & TERS S Y O

Recipe by Simon Walden @thetradiebbq

Ingredients •

1 dozen oysters, shucked

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120g unsalted butter

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5 cloves garlic, crushed

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50g parmesan, grated

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Fresh chives, chopped

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Lemon

METHOD For this cook I’m using my Ooni Pizza Oven, but you can do this in your oven set to grill.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the butter, parmesan cheese, chopped garlic, chopped chives, and mix well to combine. Place the shucked oysters onto a tray or cast iron skillet and add a good dollop of compound butter to each oyster.

Place the oysters into the Ooni or oven and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and delicious.

Serve with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a cold beer.

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Rheem

BE IN YOUR ELEMENT – JOIN POLICE Imagine a career that combined your passion for the outdoors with the reward of serving and protecting a close-knit community. Meet Stuart, the Sole Charge Constable on Rakiura Stewart Island, whose story is a testament to the unique experiences for those who choose a path in rural policing. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast seeking a career that can blend the natural environment with a sense of purpose, joining Police might just be your ultimate calling.

STUART’S JOURNEY Stuart’s career in policing has seen him work in many of the smaller and larger stations in Police’s Southern District. But he was eventually drawn to the stunning landscapes of Rakiura Stewart Island, a paradise for nature lovers with dense forests, pristine beaches, and diverse birdlife and wildlife.

DAILY ADVENTURES A typical day for Stuart involves more than just having a visible presence in Oban, the only town on the island. He’s also keeping tourists and trampers who’ve come to walk the Rakiura Track safe, traversing through forests, undertaking search and rescue operations, and talking with the locals to build trust and understanding.

Whether he’s responding to a wildliferelated incident or assisting in emergency medical situations, Stuart’s role goes beyond traditional policing – it’s unique and rewarding and requires him to be adaptable in any situation.

As a keen tramper over many years,

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Stuart sees it as a huge advantage to have that personal experience in the bush while he is dealing with different requirements for his job as a police officer.

“Bushwalking instantly resets you – to feel the ferns brush against you, it’s so good for your mental health and you feel so connected to nature. This job has allowed me to see beautiful parts of the country and do things I never expected, like rescuing sea lions.”

COMMUNITY CONNECTION One of the most rewarding aspects of Stuart’s job is the strong bond he has forged with the island’s community. As a Sole Charge Constable, he is not just a police officer; he’s a friend, a confidant, and a source of support for the community.

“Everyone knows me in the community, they see me as a normal person out and about and we can be on a level field. I often get tips when I’m out walking. We share stories and information, which is something you need especially starting out as a new officer in the area.”

DIVERSE CHALLENGES Policing in rural areas presents a distinct set of challenges that can be both engaging and rewarding. There are over 300 police locations across the country, and anyone wishing to apply for police can find out where there are vacancies.

Officers stationed in these towns often find themselves dealing with a variety of situations, and need to bring their skillset and mindset gained from their sporting pursuits and fitness to the job.

Stuart’s story exemplifies the possibilities for people keen on the outdoors to work in police locations throughout the country. Become a police officer and join a team of like-minded people, just like Stuart on Stewart Island.

Apply at newcops.govt.nz

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Mental Health Chat Part 4: A Simple Quote

By Zane Munro @forallthebrothers

Two men catch up for a fish. One says to the other, ‘I’m having a hard time lately bro, shit’s just feeling heavy.’ They cast their lines and sit and talk about the shit that’s heavy. It’s seriously that simple, let’s not overcomplicate it.

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Offsite x Stoney Creek Workwear: WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT Brennan Clarke was drawn as the winner of the Offsite x Stoney Creek workwear competition run in the July/ August ‘23 issue of Rheem Offsite magazine.

Brennan works as a foreman at R+B Build in Christchurch and rounded up his crew of two guys to submit an entry into the comp.

Brennan was stoked when he found out he had won, being familiar with the

functionality and quality of the Stoney Creek gear.

“I own a bit of Stoney Creek gear that I use when I’m hunting. The guys always comment how warm I look during the winter in my Stoney Creek jacket, so I said if we won, I’d get them one each,” Brennan says.

Congrats Brennan – a bloke who embodies the Offsite spirit – and thanks Stoney Creek Workwear.

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6/11/23 11:38 AM

Shore Mate!

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By Nick Jones

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any popular fish species venture close to shore around our fine country during summer. nd what better holiday activity than fooling a few tasty specimens while at the beach with the family or, for the more adventurous, bushwhacking and scrambling your way to a precipitous oceanic ledge in pursuit of a trophy While landbased angling is rarely a shooting fish in a barrel’ kind of affair, it is an e tremely satisfying and enjoyable form of wetting a line. ere are a few

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pointers to help stack the odds in your favour and make bringing home the goods a shore thing pun intended.

GEARING UP

They say good builders never blame their tools, but that’s probably because good builders have good tools The same concept applies to fishing, and luckily, it’s a pretty small investment to gear up to cast a line from the shore.

When surfcasting from the beach or shallower rocky ledges, casting

distance is normally important. That’s where long rods - ’ come in handy, and they also allow your line to stay above some of the breakers when your baits are out. Specialised surfcasting reels feature large diameter spools which also ma imise distance, but any large spin reel will do the job fine. I like to use a simple asher or ledger rig off the beach with a breakout sinker that holds in the sand. een surfcasters often use long cast rigs that incorporate a pulley and clip-down feature designed to give e tra casting distances. The

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other crucial bit of kit is a rod spike and a deck chair so you can sit down and enjoy the fishing hands-free evertheless, arguably the most rela ing and effective method of fishing from the beach is to use a drone or electric kontiki to take multiple baits out beyond the surf zone work smarter, not harder mate In all cases, baits should be firm think fresh kahawai or frozen mullet or you can use softer baits like pilchard or shellfish and wrap them onto the hook with bait cotton.

Shellfish baits are particularly effective on blue moki and trevally. or rockfishing off ledges with access to deeper water, a variety of fishing techni ues can be applied. ishing unweighted baits into a big berley trail is a tried-and-true method for catching big snapper, trevally, kahawai and kingfish off the bricks. baitrunner-style reel matched with an

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- ’ rod is perfect for this. The more berley the merrier, and often on more remote spots, you’ll have fish swimming around right at your feet munching on your tasty ansel and Gretel trail.

If you’re into lure fishing, then softbaits and topwater lures like poppers and stickbaits can be employed very effectively too. or softbaiting from shore, aim for a set that’s heavier and longer than your standard snapper softbait set for the boat. onger rods give you better casting ability and help keep your line away from the rocks, and heavier mainline gives you more insurance in gnarly terrain. I’d recommend using a -size reel that’s capable of holding a few hundred metres of - lb braid, - lb uorocarbon trace, and an ft or longer rod rated at - kg.

The same applies for topwater sets err on the heavier side of the ledger as

it can be uite a battle pulling kingfish away from gnarly, rocky terrain. nd last but certainly not least make sure you pack a decent pair of polarised goggles. enses specifically designed for shallow water or trout anglers really come into their own for not only identifying fish swimming below, but also seeing when a fish is homing in on your bait or lure.

PICKING YOUR SPOT

Fortunately, we are surrounded by coastline here in otearoa, so the shore fishing opportunities are pretty much endless. West coast beaches are prone to big waves, but when conditions allow they offer some e ceptional fishing.

Ideally, you want to be landing your baits in deeper gutters and channels that sit between the banks and sandbars along surf beaches. ote that

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these shift greatly depending on the stage of the tide.

On the east coast, generally the more remote beaches such as those in the Far North, East Cape, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa offer the best fishing. In saying that, however, I’ve had some nice hauls of snapper around Auckland’s inner-city beaches, so you can’t write off any spot until you’ve tried it!

Similarly, the prime rockfishing spots tend to be remote ledges that offer depth, current and decent water clarity. Think Northland, Coromandel, East Cape, and offshore islands such as Great Barrier. These areas are definitely where you want to head if you’re after consistent year-round trophy snapper and kingfish action. Google Earth is a great tool to scope out rocky areas that have a lot of foul close to deep water or current. A bit of wash tends to help your chances and having the wind behind your back makes casting and seeing fish a breeze.

However, there are many more accessible locations that produce desirable species like kingfish and john dory – especially during the warmer

months. Harbour entrances, breakwalls, and wharves where baitfish congregate are all worth a crack.

TURNING THE ODDS IN YOUR FAVOUR

Dawn and dusk are many anglers’ favourite times to drop a line, and it is widely regarded that fish feed hard as the sun is rising or going down.

This is especially so with respect to landbased fishing, as fish use the cover of darkness to hunt the shallows. Fish like snapper can be notoriously tricky to tempt during the middle of the day in summer; the fish are there, but they can be hard to catch. Early morning and evening are also a good time to catch livebaits, and predatory fish like kingies tend to use shallow light angles to their advantage, busting up hapless baitfish in the morning and evening.

I’ve mentioned it previously, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll stress again that berley can be a real game-changer off the rocks. Unlike boat anglers who can drift or change spots regularly to cover ground, landbased folk are confined

“Ideally, you want to be landing your baits in deeper gutters and channels that sit between the banks and sandbars along surf beaches.”

to their chosen ledge. So, it makes sense to bring the fish to you with an oily attractant. A variety of NZ species became aggressive and cocky when you berley up a storm from the rocks – and watching big snapper, trevally and kingfish cruising around literally at your feet certainly gets the knees a bit weak!

Salmon burley is excellent with its high oil content.

Another secret weapon is taking the time to catch a few livebaits like mackerel, mullet, piper or kahawai. It’s no surprise that predatory fish often want to eat the real deal, and you can look like a superhero when you hookup to a big john dory or kingfish down at the local wharf! The other bonus is that any livebait you nab can be repurposed as fresh cut or whole bait to target other desirable species like gurnard and snapper – you beauty!

Good luck with your landbased summer fishing adventures.

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