There's no staying dry when you're competing in the Snapper Bonanza. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
In less than 24 hours, one lucky angler will leave Ninety Mile Beach $30,000 richer.
All this week, more than 1000 people from every corner of the motu have battled the elements on the iconic Far North beach, hoping for a share of the prizes in the annual Snapper Bonanza fishing contest.
Organisers say it's the world's biggest surfcasting contest and it's so popular, all 1200 tickets sell out within hours of their release.
Many contestants, like Justin Edgecombe from nearby Pukenui, return year after year.
This is his 10th time competing in the Snapper Bonanza, so what keeps bringing him back?
"The prizemoney for one … but, nah, just being out here fishing, enjoying the time, catching up with friends and family.
"Yeah, you always want to catch a big fish."
Edgecombe has hooked plenty of fish in past competitions, but conditions have been difficult so far this year.
When RNZ catches up with him, the wind is howling, huge surges sweep up the beach and he's just cast his line out over the breakers for the umpteenth time.
"She's pretty tough going today," he says. "It's mainly the wind.
Anglers hoping to catch the big one at Hukatere, about halfway up Ninety Mile Beach. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
"It's cold and there's no fish around ... well, not where we are anyway."
For Jane Raybould, it's not so much about the prizes, but the chance to de-stress from her everyday life, running a business on Waiheke Island.
"When you come here, all you do is concentrate on the fishing and take your time," she said. "It's an awesome place to be and the whole competition is amazing, the way they run it.
"I just love coming up here."
The contest runs from Tuesday to Saturday, with fishing in a different zone each day.
The competition is single-species fishing from the beach only. Casting from rocks or boats is prohibited, and constant patrols make sure the rules are followed and fish are tagged as soon as they're landed.
Every day, about 5pm, up to 2000 fishers and supporters gather at Bonanza headquarters at Waipapakauri Ramp to swap stories, down a beverage or two, find out who's in the lead and claim a share of $150,000 in spot prizes.
Cash prizes are handed out every day for the biggest fish, culminating in $30,000 for the heaviest fish of the contest and $10,000 for the fish closest to the average weight.
The biggest spot prize is a Mitsubishi Triton ute, worth more than $50,000.
If there was a prize for the contestant who's travelled the furthest to take part, it might go to Harrison Gardiner from Dunedin. That's Dunedin in Florida, not Dunedin in Otago.
Gardiner is fishing at Hukatere, about halfway up the beach, with mate Achley from Rotorua.
Achley Nortje of Rotorua and Harrison Gardiner of Dunedin, Florida, possibly the contestant who travelled the furthest. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
"Two years ago, Achley started telling me about this snapper comp and how amazing it is, and this beach, how beautiful it is," he said. "We just kind of jokingly said, 'Well, maybe after we're both married, I'll come do it', and we both got married and here I am."
Gardiner says the people have made the Bonanza such a memorable experience.
"Everybody's been very, very friendly," he says. "Being at the tournament for the prize-draws and just chatting with people, and seeing the good vibes all around.
"Other than that, being able to drive an hour up and down this beach is very cool. I've never been on a beach like this before."
Others, like Rickii-Lee Parekura, just want to experience fishing on a different coast in a different part of the motu. She drove nine hours from Te Kaha, in the eastern Bay of Plenty, to compete with three generations of her whānau.
Rickii-Lee Parekura of Te Kaha drove nine hours to compete in the Snapper Bonanza. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
She says fishing on the Ninety - or Te Oneroa-ā-Tōhe - is uniquely challenging.
"It's very different to fishing on the east coast," she says. "You've got the surf to contend with and you've got to be on your toes every single moment of every cast.
"Even just sitting here, nearly getting washed off your chairs."
Another first-timer, Andy Grayson, explains what's brought him up from Auckland for the week.
"I love fishing, it's as simple as that, and hanging out with the lads," he says. "The fishing so far's been terrible.
We haven't caught a single thing, but that's all right, we're having a lot of fun."
Grayson does a lot of fishing, but usually off a boat.
"It's quite a different beast, doing it off a beach," he says. "It's a hell of a lot more challenging and difficult, but again, lots of fun as well.
"You've got to try to get the line out through that surf. That's not an easy thing to do.
"We kind of underestimated just how difficult it can actually be, but you know, we're up for the challenge."
As of Friday morning, the front runner was Skarn Hokai, a 23-time contest veteran from Kāitaia, with a fish weighing in at 6.62kg.
He faced an anxious wait, hoping he wasn't bumped off the top of the leaderboard, before the weigh station closes for the last time at 4.30pm Saturday.
Hokai says wanting to support an important community event and the joy of fishing keep bringing him back.
If he wins, he says he'll put the money towards his kids' boarding school fees in Auckland.
The contest was founded as the Snapper Classic in 1982 by the Brljevich family, who ran a local campground. New owners ran into financial difficulties and the contest folded in 2010.
Worried about the loss to the Far North economy, two Kaitāia businessmen - printer John Stewart and publican Dave Collard - stepped in and rescued the event. They rebranded it as the Ninety Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza, starting in 2011 with just a few hundred competitors.
Since then, it's gone from strength to strength.
Stewart says the average weight of fish caught has gone up in that time, which he puts down to the health of the tuatua beds, where the snapper feed.
Last year's winner was Zane Kaaka of Te Kao, north of Kaitāia. The all-time record is held by Darin Maxwell of Te Puke, who hooked a 12.03kg fish in 2012.
Stewart says the connections forged over six days of fishing keep bringing people back.
Rule number one: When a big sweep hits you, make sure seawater doesn't get in your beer. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
"When you speak to people, they say it's about connecting with whānau," he says. "I've got friends and family that come up every year, just to meet up with people they haven't seen for a long time.
"It's become a family event. There's so many kids involved now."
Stewart says conditions were tough early this week, with just 50 fish weighed in on Tuesday, well down on the usual first-day tally of about 300, but he expects superb fishing on Saturday.
"We're hoping for a cracker of a final day," he says. "I know whoever's holding on to the heaviest fish will be sweating, because the conditions are looking good.
"I'm expecting something ... something big."
Many of the snapper will be auctioned at Kaitāia market on Saturday morning, with proceeds going to the town's volunteer fire brigade.
The overall winner will be announced at Bonanza headquarters about 5pm.
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